Soldiers' Care Packages ...UPDATE

If any of you sent me a PM for the addresses and I did not get back to you, please try again..

I had SO MANY responses, I may have missed someone.. Also, I want to thank all of you for being so responsive..

I know it will brighten the day of these guys when they hear their name called and have "Christmas In August"..

I hope that if you put a message inside the box, you remembered to ask for other names..:)

Judging from the response, it might be a good idea to wait for more names, so that these guys are not envied by their pals :evilgrin:

If even half of the people I gave names to, send a box soon, they will have some wonderful treats :):) Thanks again..!!

If any of you out there have family or friends there, please ask them for names too:)

I went to the drug store & got some soldier goodies and then to the grocery store.. I had completely filled my cart and a nice clerk asked if I needed another one.. I said yes and went with her to set the full one aside..

She commented on all the stuff I was buying , so I told her what I was doing.. She went on her way and after a few minutes, she tracked me down in the store and said "here"... She handed me 3 Twenty dollar bills & said "Thanks"...

We got to talking on the way to the checkstand and on her way out..(she was going home for the day)..Her older brother had been killed in Viet Nam..
Her sister is a teacher and she's going to have them write letters to the soldiers from the kids.. Tomorrow I have to take her the guys' names..

Looks like this unit will be very well loved :)

. . . and took the package to the post office today. The clerk said if it was sent "priority mail" it would be delivered in about two weeks. Without the "priority" designation it would take much longer. It was disappointing to learn how slowly the mail moves, but of course I sent it 'priority.' I asked the soldier to send names of others in his outfit, and enclosed a self-addressed, stamped envelope for that purpose. It'll probably be October before the envelope makes it's way back. Woe is me.

My partner and I went shopping yesterday and filled a basket full of goodies. Since others have already done the same, perhaps we should wait for more names? Will additional names be posted in the future?

to ask in the note I am sure they will enclose, for the names of some other soldiers..

I know that they will all share..but they are bound to be some who can use a pick-me-up:)

You might want to wait a week or so,. I think that most will send theirs right away..

We don't want the others getting envious :evilgrin:

We'll wait for a list of additional names.

Y'know, it occured to me that every single asshole in the Bushreich who sent these young men and women over there should be forced to live just as the troops they use like cannon fodder -- ie, nothing for Bush & Co except Ready-To-Eats and a ration of water. No soap, toilet paper, deodorant, toothpaste, et al. Let these chickenhawks camp out in Death Valley and give them a taste of their own medicine until such time they bring the troops home.

And am going to the store tonight. Should I wait? The letters will keep but if they're inundated in one day it will just be weird. What do you guys think? I was planning to mail them Friday.

to those who had relatives over there. I think it's time to remind them that they probably can use another air drop. :)

I sent several bars of Scharffen Berger chocolate. I figured if they don't want it, they could trade it for an upgrade, like a new HumVee. :)

I would think anything that can melt and get all over everything else...

You gave me some names, but I'm not able to go shopping until after the 7th (payday) since I'm VERY overextended at the moment thanks to crappy medical debt (thank god I at least have insurance which covers MOST of it) -

If you get other names by then feel free to PM them to me since I can't send a box out immediately anyway.

Curious to those of you who have already sent some out - how much shipping costs are we talking about?

...the USPS web site. Weigh your package and use your ZIP code and the APO address to calculate the amount.

and they cost approx. $5.50 each to ship. I sent mine by regular parcel post - the guy at my post office said that sending it priority mail won't make it get to the troops any faster, it would just get to the APO faster. What the military does with it beyond that is their prerogative, based on where the troops are, when they had mail trucks going to that locale, etc. Don't know if that's true or not, but that's what he said.

I wanted to send it priority mail because it was only a few cents more, but I sent it parcel instead. Now I wish I'd have spent the extra money. But it may be better if it takes a little longer - sounds like they're going to be swamped with packages!

I enclosed a note in each package, but forgot to ask for other names. If anyone gets any women's names, could you pass one along? I'd like to do up a package tailored for a female soldier. Maybe they'd like some "girly" things, especially feminine hygiene stuff.

My package weighed almost 5 lbs. It cost $9.85 to ship it via Priority Mail. It would have cost only a dollar less to ship it the other way.

the first batch of goodies get there:).. Then we will know more about how long it took, whether they got what they needed/wanted, and maybe we will have some women's names in the next list./.:)

My guess is, that they should recieve several boxes within the next few weeks.. Mary will call me and tlet me know what Jimmy's reaction was.. :)

I would hate for them to get so loaded down with things and then have to move & leave stuff behind:(

for the soldiers..:):):)

http://www.operationuplink.org/

Will be shipping tomorrow. They sure do make some great items now that are shippable. Got the peanut butter in a tube, and the Doritos and other snacks that come in the round plastic containers, some Gator-Aid powder, beef jerky, a Custom Truck mag that has some pretty girls and trucks in (I think they're clothed enough to pass any censor-the girls that is). And going up to the checkout even found some nifty little TP rolls made for camping.

Great idea asking for names from the guys.

:)