sending a care package to soldier in baghdad. help please

[seabeyond]

on suggestions what they really need/want. my son yelled out really thick socks. the mother said that would be good since it is winter there and cold. opened to all kinds of suggestions. i appreciate it. especially the parents who have been doing it with the children that are over there, i figure you know best.

[Monkeyman]

1. Junk Food yes I said that

They miss any food that they got at home for snacks. Those little packs of coffee. Socks yes little things that remind them of home. Include letters from friends of yours in those letters talk about anything but war.

[seabeyond]

3. ok.... so in the letters do we talk about what is going on

like all the fun, the beauty of first snow, christmas.... (wont that make them incredibly homesick.) i am going to have both boys write letters. i have never met the man. i have met his wife and little baby about a year ago.

packets of coffee is a good idea. my husband told me they really liked the individual packs of kool aides so they could put in their pockets.

[Monkeyman]

13. When I was in Nam Letters where the top of the list

Jokes Make them smile . Talk about whats happening around thats funny. Give your address write back and fourth. MAKE HIM OR HER FEEL LIKE THEY ARE PART OF YOUR FAMILY.

[Lex]

2. I helped send a care package to Iraq, here are some items they say

are needed:


Gatorade in pouch with sugar
Toothpaste
Tea with sugar
Mouthwash
Creamer
Shaving Cream/After Shave
Chewing Gum
Hand Lotion
Beef Jerky
Toothbrushes
Peanut Butter Crackers, Oreos, Pringles Potato Chips, Doritos, etc.
Baby Wipes or Wet Wipes
Dried Fruits
Toilet Paper and Kleenex
Trail Mix
Q-tips
Peanuts
Lens Cleaners
Hard Candy
Deodorants
Salami and/or Pepperoni Sticks
Soap
Kool-aid with sugar
Shampoo
Cookies
Chap Stick or other lip balm
Foot care products
Individual Pop-type Cans of Fruit
Hand Sanitizer
Individual Packages of Cereal
Black Cotton Socks
New or Used Books, Magazines, DVD's, CD's, workable CD Players, etc.
Batteries
Word Puzzles, Cards, Travel Games, Novels, Inspirational Books for Men and Women

ITEMS REQUESTED BY FEMALE SOLDIERS:
Feminine Hygiene Products (Maxi Pads, Tampons, Panty Liners, etc.)
Lotions (that won't draw bugs)
Stationary Sets and pens
Fabreeze
Sports Bras
Cotton Panties

[seabeyond]

4. lol lol .... well gosh, i dont need anyone else to post.

thank you so much.

[Lex]

9. We also sent a letter and enclosed it in the care packages

even though we weren't entirely sure where the packages would end up in Iraq.

We got a couple of nice letters back thanking us for the stuff and for writing them.

Anyway, the boxes (we sent several big boxes) ended up with a chaplin in Iraq and he wrote to tell us that he made sure that soldiers who didn't get any care packages from home were given the stuff from the care package.

[yewberry]

5. Have you looked

at www.anysoldier.com/WhereToSend/ ? There are thousands of requests on that page.

Good luck.

[seabeyond]

6. this is an excellent site. thank you. i want to spend some time on this site.

i am thinking a boyscout project here.

[Nite Owl]

7. We sent a box of stuff a couple of months ago

Basically they need little stuff like nail clippers, soap, snacks, eye drops, paperbacks, baby wipes


No aerosols can be sent.

http://www.operationmailfromhome.50megs.com/photo2.html



http://www.grunt.com/usmc-web/iraqhelp.asp

USO List
The following is a list of acceptable items for care packages that I received from the USO in Jacksonville, NC.:

Individual packaged crackers and cookies
Lifesavers, hard candies (no chocolate)
Individual packaged nuts, sunflower seeds, peanuts, pistachios
Individual beef jerky
Packets of powdered Gatorade, Kool-Aid with sugar added
Individual snack packs (i.e. Pretzels, Cheese Nips, Fritos)
Travel size: Shampoo, mouthwash, sunscreen, toothpaste, toothbrushes, female products, stick deodorant (only), combs, disposable razors, shave gel, lotion and hand sanitizer
Band-aids, sunglasses, moleskin, fly bait, "Bounce" dryer sheets (helps to keep insects away)
Word puzzle books, magazines, pens, pencils, writing paper, and envelopes.
Gifts of money for the purchase of military items and assist in shipping costs.
They cannot accept or ship the following:
Homemade baked goods/carbonated drinks/aerosol products/liquid products/bulk size items/pornographic material

It would be great if you could mention to your devoted readers to contact their local USO about donating these items to be sent overseas. If your readers are close to a military facility they might want to check with the information officer for details about possibly dropping items off for them to send over to our troops.

In my recent conversations with friends at Camp LeJeune they have told me that also in the past, school supplies have been collected for Iraqi children as well.

[Duer 157099]

8. Ramen noodles!

and Pop Tarts, of course

[TheDebbieDee]

12. And Hot Sauce! The soldier will NEED Hot Sauce for

those ramen noodles. Lots of Hot Sauce!

[TexasLawyer]

10. books, magazines, sudoku, dvds (used are fine), cds,

batteries, beef jerky, Chex Mix, toothpaste, shampoo, lotion, sunblock, food that can be prepared in a microwave, coffee, fun toys, frisbees, soccer balls, candy, cookies, the latest newspaper, pencils and pens, writing paper, ...

My family and I send a box a week, so I'm an old hand.

[Sydnie]

11. Don't pack food and toiletries in the same box

send them in seperate boxes. Cookies (even unopened store bought packages) don't taste the same after they have been in a box with soap, in the heat, for a month.

Hard candies, individually wrapped for storage and sharing, seems to be a favorite. Even decorations for the holidays (think New Years Eve rather than a religious one) would be appreciated. Anything to break up the boredom and make them feel a bit more at home. Blank greeting cards or even ones that are for generic birthdays or anniversaries are good. They can mail them back to their families and participate as if they were there.

Don't forget the customs forms if the box weighs more than 16ozs either.

You can order free "kits" (boxes, tape, envelopes, and custom forms) by calling this number during regular business hours - 1-800-610-8734 (press 1 for english and 1 again for express/priotity mail)

[Lex]

15. That's a good point

about packing the soaps and the cookies separately.

Thanks for posting that.

:hi:

[GreenZoneLT]

14. What kind of soldier is he?

If he's a headquarters puke like a lot of us, he doesn't need the hand wipes and Gatorade and all that other stuff the guys out in the field use.

We Fobbits mostly like junk food other than Lays potato chips and Doritos, which we can get at the DFAC (dining facility) for free. DVDs are great, if he's got a laptop or a DVD player; U.S. ones won't play in the TVs we have in our rooms because it's a different zone. Even better are homemade DVDs of recent TV shows like "Heroes," that we haven't got here. Music CDs are extremely good; the selection at the PX is limited to the most recent pop stuff.

Thorlon socks are always appreciated; we can get them here, but they're expensive. If you know his glove size, those nylon mechanic's gloves are very popular with the field troops. Those guys seem to really get a lot of use out of iPod accessories, too, assuming he has one. Bags of individually wrapped hard candy to throw to (or at, depending on their attitude) the Iraqi kids.

I really liked the sugar-free Arizona peach iced tea mix somebody sent me. All we can get from the DFAC is Crystal Light, which sucks. So high-quality drink mix, premium nuts and fancy coffee are some other ideas.