I have soldiers' names (for the care package folks)

My friend just called me with the name of 4 soldiers who have gotten ZERO packages or mail so far..

Her son also said that they have officially been "extended" for a year.. She said he was about to cry, he was so disappointed.. They were told that they would "probably get to go home in September...now it's NEXT August..:(

Here's a short list of stuff he told her they need:

powdered drink mix (not in the cans) flat packages only
deodorant
baby wipes
laundry soap tablets
baby wash soap
international phone cards
a few of them would like marlboro lights (yeh..I know:eyes:..)
nothing that will melt
hygiene products of almost any kind

PM me for their names..I do not want to post their info, for obvious reasons.. The ones who already Pm'ed me, check your inboxes later..:)




EDIT.. There is a product called "Dental Dots", It's a toohbrush thingie that comes "loaded" with tooth paste and fits on your index finger. Completely disposable and easy to carry around.. They are short of potable water, so I imagine their teeth are taking a beating :(

I've got the one name you sent me, please send me another one also. I'd like to be sure each of these soldiers gets a package or two.

Several people have gotten the same names, so these guys will think it's Christmas in August.. Maybe they will volunteer more names.. I know they will share.. It's like we're adopting them all :)

I'll try to get a small package out to each guy in the next week or so. Can follow up with other supplies later. If they've got more names of other soldiers - great! Would your friend know if there are any women in her son's unit? I'd like to send some feminine hygiene supplies. Of all the inconveniences of war, I can't imagine not having enough pads and tampons! :thumbsdown:

I'll take the two names I told you I'd take.

It's ok to send cigarettes? I just got adopted a soldier this week and wondered if it was ok...figured he could share them if he didn't smoke.

I found this official USPS site that lists the restrictions by code.

http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/2003/html/pb22101/apofpo.html

Tobacco is one of the few pleasures a soldier can enjoy at times.

I'd love to send a package with a big fat DU label on it--great PR for us and a much needed help for the guys and gals. Here's a link:

http://mywpages.comcast.net/frankiemayo/

If the newspaper that they get sent just happens to have less than favorable news about the chimp, GREAT, but we should NOT send political stuff.. These guys are not the ones who can really do anything about their sircumstances, and I would not want someone to get the wrong idea.. :)..OKay??

If a "pen pal" relationship develops, then that's different, but until we know these guys, it's best to keep it light :)

nm

i like the idea of a big DU box though.

to send please post.

Those "chemical" ice pack things,...don't know what they are called :(

for single use disposables? if they break they are toxic

I know we used them when my accident prone soccer-playing son was playing... He was always hurting something..:(

soldiers some hygiene products...for that kind of money, they ought to have a laundry service, especially in a third-world country....why did OUR soldier get killed trying to buy a can of pop at a university last week....DEMAND that your congressional rep send out pop, and clean water and hygiene products to OUR brave soldiers...

and free phone calls should be minimal for mental health too....

what is Haliburton doing with all the money ????

_______________________________________________

make our congress take action NOW.....

email your U.S. House of Representatives
http://www.house.gov/

email your U.S. Senate
http://www.senate.gov/

soldiers shipping out from the ARB here, and they were standing out on the tarmac waiting in the hot sun forever, with NO WATER.. They were not even sure that there would be water on the plane..

WTG Halliburton..:grr:

My husband was furious when he read that.. and our paper is a RW rag :(

thanks

:shrug:

n/t

Did you send it to yourself?? I have done that :(

there must be a kink in the PM system. I'll try again.

Packages will be going out on Wednesday.

Thanks.

D

I realize that sending "water" sounds crazy. But, if there are quite a few of us here at DU participating, what if we each sent a liter bottle of water in staggered sequence, say one bottle in each of our packages, once or twice a week?

It could add up to a nice little luxury. Expensive per ounce, yeah...but I'll bet water is like gold over there.

I'm planning to put together a package tomorrow with the stuff on the list plus some mags, a book, and whatever interesting non-perishable food goodie I can find at the store.

My Vietnam vet husband suggested that little odd things, likely to be different from the sameness of everyday army food, would be appreciated.

that we don't even notice, but they are luxuries when you cannot have them..

Mary sends Jimmy gatorade powder, so that when Jimmy has water he can mix it up and get some electrolytes too:)

I was thinking about those little pop top fruit cups.. I bet they don;t get anything like that there, and it's wet too..

and those fruit rollups.. and raisins..and then there's always top ramen :)

trail mix..

sunglasses too maybe.. I imagine if they greak or lose theirs, it might be hard to get replacements..


hmmmm what else?? let's think of some more small stuff :)

MRE's suck, really big time.

Gum. Pringles. Hard candy. Tuna sandwich kit
(with crackers). Chicken spread. Vienna sausages.
Fruit cocktail is a great idea. (I loved the
pears the best, and would trade anything for them.)
Altoids. Spam. Canned chili.

One guy has to have a P38 (can opener). I still
have mine.

My kids found it one day and could not figure out what it was :)..
Even if they don't have one, I'm sure they will figure out a way to open stuff.. and more and more food products have pull tops these days :)

Just got everything wrapped up and I forgot the can opener! Husband said send a decent can opener. Poo on me.

I threw in some tins of smoked oysters, salmon pate and wasabi nuts. Maybe they can have a gourmet night, lol. Wrestling, motorcycle and Maxim magazines.

Finally gave up on the water. It IS too bulky and heavy. :(

Please send me a name.

Dried fruit.. apricots,apples.......yummmmmmm

come on people come up with more ideas.. If you already got your stuff together, tell us what you sent so we don;t all duplicate :):)

It's hot over there.

Also postage paid postcards or stamps.

(to J.M.)

phone card
various chips/cheetos
shortbread cookies
ice tea bags
deodorant
suncreen
insect spray
Tony Hillerman book
salmon pate
trout pate
smoked oysters
wasabi peas
gourmet jellybeans
creme savers hard candy
purell hand cleaner
q-tips
mouthwash strips
visine eye drops
coffee-mate
dry skin cream
motorcycle mag
wrestling mag
(And I snuck in a Maxim, having torn out a few pages)

*****

I am planning to send about once a month, unless I hear otherwise. I could not find any flat drink mix packets except kool-aid. Is that what they meant?

I could not find them either, so I sent koolaid too:)

I am gonna try the 99 cent store.. sometimes the left over promo stuff ends up there..

I swear the guy today told me fruit was on prohibited list, but I'm not certain.

I sent off some packages today. The guy at the post office went down a whole list of items that are prohibited for sending to Iraq.

Please note:

No pork
No meat (including processed meat)
No nude or semi-nude pictures (we debated the wrestling magazine and decided to give it shot)
No political material
No religious material contrary to the Muslim faith

There's a list of Operation Iraqi Freedom Mailing Tips at

http://www.usmc-mccs.org/News/deploy/OPERATION%20IRAQI%20FREEDOM%20MAILING%20TIPS.pdf


There is a list of desirable items at

http://www.usmc-mccs.org/News/deploy/mailtotroops.asp

nt

I am not a King fan, but I guess lots of guys like his books :)

and a sports mag, and wrestling mag, and a couple of car mags too.. and a Time

I've never sent a care package so this was very helpful. Also, the link which lists what can and can't be sent.

I'm going shopping tomorrow and should have it in the mail either tomorrow afternoon or Thursday morning. Will advise :)

Tobacco and beef jerky! The most common field cravings. Recommended cig brands are Marlboros and Newports. Skoal or Copenhagen are also treasured. You want to make a soldier rich, send him a log of dip or a carton of cigs. Locals love American tobacco, too, and they all smoke. Jerky is self-explanatory.

Any kind of food to which you just add water. Think creatively: instant grits, for example. If you want to spend the money, freeze dried camping stuff is great. While it's expensive, a soldier might appreciate one good different entree more than four packs of Ramen.

Spices and sauces. Mustard, for example, is nowhere to be found in MRE land.

Purell, chapstick, moisturizer, sun block.

Magazines and books: Nothing too heavy. Maxim or Stuff is well loved, don't worry about the skin. The worst that happens is that it gets taken away, and I doubt that. Car and truck mags, gun mags, outdoor mags, Vibe, Rolling Stone-no Fortune or The Nation.

Phone cards, for sure.

AA batteries. Everybody's got a Discman. Burn a CD or two.

Disposable camera.

Writing materials-a pocket notebook maybe.

Instant coffee.

If you really want a friend for life, fill a small bottle of clear fluid product, Purell for example, with Everclear or vodka and enclose a sealed little note explaining that it isn't hand cleaner. One or two drinks can go a long way towards relaxation.

Thanks, leanings ;)

no meat products, even processed meat products. :(

No pork either

and beanie weenie and vienna sausages.. Just don't write it on the form.. They do not make a big deal about stuff like that.. She also sends him tuna and even pork rinds..

It's not like they share their food with the locals :)

Cause I threw in a bag of beef jerky. I didn't list it though, lady at the PO was real cool and said just list snack items on the label (I didn't mention the jerky). It was only after I mailed the package I looked and saw no meat (heard so much about jerky being sent I thought that pork was the only prohibited). I figure it will get through and the guys will dispose of the evidence real quick :evilgrin:

What's the deal with sending flat packs of drink mix and not the little canisters?

I did the package myself but I think I'm going to approach my coworkers about contributing to the next one. Hey, I always donate to their fund walks. One item each from 20+ employees could make a nice package. And be a good way to get guy type books and magazines.

..That's the only reason.. I ended up with some crystal light, because I could not find the gator ade in small containers.. I also found some $1 food saver sandwich sized containers, that I used to put the dental dots & chapsticks in.. I figures they could use it for a cereal bowl or for something.. I did send a small box of powdered milk too.. It won't be cold, but they might want it anyway .. They could put the powdered milk un mixed into their rations to make it a bit more nutritious..

eom

You can try it, of course. And it IS on the prohibited list, so it may be that the packages will be opened. Up to you.

On Edit: also keep in mind that when something like meat is prohibited (vs the religious prohibition on pork), even processed, it is usually because there is a possibility of animal disease or organisms spreading to livestock in the country. That's why meat products from Europe are not allowed into this country and you have to list them on your customs form when you return from other countries.

that the meat prohibition was cause the fear there might be porked mixed in. He said don't worry about it, worse that could happen is that item would be confiscated but rest of package would get through. Said even that is rare, and at the most sergeants didn't care as long as the troops weren't getting Hustler and Old Crow.

My package is almost ready. Still need to buy the phone cards and cigs. Yes, I'm sending them cigs. x(

The box is pretty heavy because I included a box of Tide laundry tablets. Anybody know how much priority postage costs?

a little bigger than a shoe box, cost about $11 priority.

I sent some empty (new ziploc gallon size bags) I think about 7 or 8 and then put 5 of the laundry tabs in another one.. You know they share the wash water.. That way one box went a long way and they had enough of them for a while..

The empty baggies are good for keeping the critters out of the goodies once they are opened..

you can also "wash" with a baggie.. can break a laundry tab into a smaller piece, add water and "shake" stuff clean ..(camping tip..)

I'll do that as well.

Also, my husband's bartender buddies "adopted" a GI and sent all kinds of goodies, from his descriptions they really hooked this guy up with alot of stuff. Recently the guy was shipped home and they're looking for another GI or more than one to continue the caring and sharing. I told him to tell them you'd have more names for them soon. I also asked my GI to send names too.

:hi:

& got a lot of the things on the list in the OP, a lot of snacky type things, & also picked up a can of Tinactin jock-itch spray. I don't know if they have a problem with it over there, but if they do, chances are the army doesn't give them anything to help.:shrug:

I have signed up on the web for TWO different adopt-troops initiatives and never heard a thing back. Really glad to have real live people.

And I'm also really glad to have a tangible way to support them other than trying to protest them from having to go at all.

Thanks for the great ideas everyone.

Eloriel

those fried onions in a can...Lawry's seasoned salt...and aerosol cheese...and velveeta...and
tabasco sauce....and jelly packages (ziploc them, just in case :)..)
and Mother's Chocolate iced cookies.(They are yummy and not likely to melt)

Packets of honey, sugar, mustard, ketchup, salt and pepper, dipping sauces; tic tacs, altoids strips (they come in neat, tiny tins), mints.

To pass the time: Cards, dominoes, cribbage boards (the Dollar Tree has small ones that fold up neatly), miniature chess, checkers and backgammon sets, small blank books or sketchbooks.

Paper goods: note pads, postcards, and books of stamps.

Misc: Eye wash, Q tips, travel toilet paper rolls, baby powder, foot powder, pocket combs.

I don't know about sending stuff like that; I believe a lot of mil cargo flights aren't pressurized like commercial ones. If anyone knows different, please correct me if I'm wrong, but it would suck to have your goodie box covered in Cheez Whiz.

While standing in line to mail, I noticed a big poster that said do not mail pressurized items. :( This wasn't just for Iraq, it was for all mail.

:kick: