Military Guys

[rachel]

I am doing a holiday care package drive with the kids at my sons school. I have worked it out to get half price shipping from the shipping store I always use and I will most likely be able to find a company to sponsor the other half, they will like the tax write off.

Anyway, what I want to know is what is the weather like over there this time of year, and what are the best things to send? I can pretty much guess what to send the ladies, being that I am one. Im wondering if there is anything special the men would want that I may not be thinking about.

One more thing, what kind of snack/junk food holds up the best in shipping?

[weknowhowtolive]

When I send out shit I usually send smokes/porn/music and candy.

[rachel]

I cant really send porn, unless I add that to the boxes myself. I'm trying to make a list to send home with the k-8th ages and we are going to have a few tables set up at local flea markets and such over the next month. Are bibles able to be sent? The school is parochial and I'm sure there will be a bunch of bibles sent back.

[richmond1779]

baby wipes are great. they are your best friend when youre out in no man's land and cant shower.

[skandalous]

This time of the year chocolate will make it most likely. But I would reccomend against it. Send buttloads of beef jerky, Hard candy, baby wipes. Umm maybe some non porn mags? Maxim/stuff. Or car magazines and the like. If one guys gets it you can garauntee everyone in his squad will get the chance to look at it. I have a bunch of the cards from kids who have sent stuff plastered in my room here. Alot of us take the time to write back. I actually kind of voluntell my guys to.

[BleedForYourCause]

I am doing a holiday care package drive with the kids at my sons school. I have worked it out to get half price shipping from the shipping store I always use and I will most likely be able to find a company to sponsor the other half, they will like the tax write off.

Anyway, what I want to know is what is the weather like over there this time of year, and what are the best things to send? I can pretty much guess what to send the ladies, being that I am one. Im wondering if there is anything special the men would want that I may not be thinking about.

One more thing, what kind of snack/junk food holds up the best in shipping?

Right now the weather is chilly at night, low 90/high 80s in the daytime. And as far as what to send...what they said. Movies are always welcome too, considering that down time is usually spent infront of the internet or a movie. And they will be traded around, so whatever is cool. (Except shit like Hitch. I got this horrible movie last year when i was deployed...WTF. Worst part is I was so bored I actually watched it.) Toiletries I suppose, however we often times get overloaded, because EVERYONE sends them. What the hell am I supposed to do with a years supply of deoderant when I only have 7 months left in country? haha As far as snacks Pretzals, Pringles, shit like that. Also, things that go easily in cargo pockets are good.

[Loathe]

Iraq or Afghanistan?

[LostinKS]

all of the stuff the guys here have listed. on top of that, if you cn get places to donate phone cards, time and again those can come in handy. playing cards, sometimes, i wound up with like 12 decks of cards. suckers, hard candy, hell, the tuna pouch meals, ramen noodles, beef jerky, non porno men's mags, etc. some guys even could use stationary, you know, pens notebooks pencils envelopes. those always got used, if not by me then by other guys in my platooon. hmm...disposable cameras can be nice, just somethin to take on the road and snap a goofball picture of you and your guys, or things on the bases/camps. honestly, theres' a milion and one things that you could send, and i guarantee there's a soldier somewhere who will use it. for every soldier over there who's getting a package, there's at least 3-5 others who dont hear shit from family, friends, anyone. Bibles and inspirational reading is usually pretty well received. the small gideon bibles do fairly well, however keep in mind that we can get bibles and things like that/devotionals etc from the MWR, the chaplaincy and chapels on the bases, and the different places we all mobilize and deploy through. my cousin sent me a shit ton of Axe bodywash, it was so helpful, especially when we had a water shortage it saved on water useage (havin to use more water to get the bars of soap useable. trust me, a bottled water shower can be kinda annoying lol ask any of these dudes) but hope tyhat helps. :)

[rachel]

Iraq or Afghanistan?

Both, cant give to one and not the other. So if I were to pack up flat rate boxes stuffed totally full of those crystal light tubes of drink mix they would be passed around? I was talking to the principal at the school today and since Thanksgiving and Xmas are closing in fast he wants to pack up boxes full of things like coffe and filters and sugar equal creamer packs. It would be a lot easier to send boxes totally full of things that will be used up quickly.


Another question, what about the backpacks for the wounded? Is there a great need for those? The older kids seemed really interested in making those up when I was talking to them today.

[GripFast]

if i was overseas personaly i would dig some international phone cards and stationary.
i know thats already been mentioned but thats what i would like to have.

[LostinKS]

rachel from what i have seen, the backpacks for the wounded go over very well at least here stateside, at walter reed hospital in dc; the place at bethesda, and other places where wounded vets are being cared for. it might be alright for some places overseas, but on the other hand it could be a bit mmuch if someone'ss stuck in the hospitals in iraq/a-stan,etc. things morepersonally geared for the individual would IMO be better suited for those soldiers. but i could be wrong, the thing is people arent going to be sitting around the hopitals (if they're extremely serious cases i could imagine at one of the larger fobs) but for REALLY serious illnesses, injuries andshit, they're medevac'ed out to germany and italy. might look into networking yourself to those places, landstuhl's hospital, or rammstein AB or something, for the backpacks for the wounded. just some thougts.

[WhiskeyMedic]

Dried fruit. Jerky. Cans of Copenhagen. Those little packs of crystal light. The ready to eat vacu-packs of tuna and salmon fillets. Baked goods. Cookies..etc. and batteries. AA's.

[MONK]

what you should send the ladies???

http://s41.photobucket.com/albums/e290/r0s3y/th_vagisil.jpg

what you should send the guys???

socks, smut, smokes, smut, baby wipes, smut, beef jerky, smut, hackey sack, beanie babies (why??? we use them to gain the trust of the kids and the kids will lead us to anything once they're happy. yeah just like hostile), a couple bottles of tapatio, starkist tuna, gatorade powder, a log of kodiak.

do not send:

skittles, m&ms, charms

[rachel]

what you should send the ladies???

http://s41.photobucket.com/albums/e290/r0s3y/th_vagisil.jpg

what you should send the guys???

socks, smut, smokes, smut, baby wipes, smut, beef jerky, smut, hackey sack, beanie babies (why??? we use them to gain the trust of the kids and the kids will lead us to anything once they're happy. yeah just like hostile), a couple bottles of tapatio, starkist tuna, gatorade powder, a log of kodiak.

do not send:

skittles, m&ms, charms

Vagisil are you being serious? No porn Im doing this with kids. I have so many stuffies laying in a bin in my closet that I caught at mardi gras last year, now i know what to do with them.

[MONK]

Vagisil are you being serious? No porn Im doing this with kids. I have so many stuffies laying in a bin in my closet that I caught at mardi gras last year, now i know what to do with them.

yes im being serious about the vagisil. imagine you're out on patrol for a few days without access to baby wipes or clean water to wash your vagina and you get cheesecunt, yeast infections and such.

[WhiskeyMedic]

do not send:

skittles, m&ms, charms

I second that.

[rachel]

yes im being serious about the vagisil. imagine you're out on patrol for a few days without access to baby wipes or clean water to wash your vagina and you get cheesecunt, yeast infections and such.

oh gross. Imma pick up a bunch of tubes and those vagina cleaning wipes that are single wrapped. monistat? or is that easy to get a hold of?

[LostinKS]

that seriously sounds like something you could get at a mc drivethru somewhere.
"may i take your order pleeze?"
"yes, i'd like a # 6 with a diet coke, couble mayo extra bacon, a XXL order of fries, and a chewy munchy order of cheesecunt! oh yeah, and some chocolate salty balls, with that!"
that'l be 7.98, at the second windown....
come and get your cheesecunt....get it while its hot and drippin!!!

[skandalous]

:anim_puke:
I just barfed a little.

[rachel]

that seriously sounds like something you could get at a mc drivethru somewhere.
"may i take your order pleeze?"
"yes, i'd like a # 6 with a diet coke, couble mayo extra bacon, a XXL order of fries, and a chewy munchy order of cheesecunt! oh yeah, and some chocolate salty balls, with that!"
that'l be 7.98, at the second windown....
come and get your cheesecunt....get it while its hot and drippin!!!

You are foul.

[themutt]

Those little one shot kool-aid packets are great too. I got tons of them and burnt through them pretty fast. Trail mix was always great. If you're sending stuff to guys who just got there power strips are always good. They're handy for both back on base and at the patrol bases.

[skandalous]

I thought of another one too. Tape believe it or not, scotch, electrical, and or duct tape. I cant even count the number of times I have needed some kind of tape and not had it. It has got to the point where every time I deploy I always make sure I have like 3 rolls of green 100 MPH tape and at least one of electrical tape.