Soldiers would love late gifts of candy, coffee, Cottonelle

The News Tribune - Tacoma, WA ^ | December 28th, 2003 | MICHAEL GILBERT

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"Is this "do not send unsolicited...'to any service member' " still in effect?"

Yes it is.

[Hunble]

How about books?

I did not see this subject listed. Obviously, no pornography would be allowed, but how can I send a soldier the books that I have already read?

Having served with the U.S. Army for 20 years, I remember many lonely times when a book to read was so valuable, during those boring times.

How do I send them my books?

For one year now, I have saved each and every paper-back book that I have read for this purpose.

[2Jedismom]

Here is an example of the customs slip you'll need to fill out. Fill out the things that are in red.

I don't know if the rumour about pilfering is true, don't know anything about it at all, it's just what I've "heard"...

[Hunble]

The cost of postage is not an issue. How do I send books to our soldiers?

What is the weight limit?

[TruthNtegrity]

The suggestion, when sending any package, remains even more important now. In the Customs form, you can put it an alternate person to deliver the package to, should the addressee not be available. I always put in "CO or Chaplain" knowing that they will distribute the contents as they see fit, and the package won't wind up coming back, or sitting somewhere, to be transferred when another address is received.

Most of the return trips that I've heard about here on FR seem to indicate March or April.

I mailed a very big, very heavy box on Dec. 4th, and it was received in Balad, Iraq, 4 days before Christmas.

Another that I sent directly to a Chaplain I haven't heard a peep about. I have however, verified by email that the Chaplain is still in Baghdad, so I am assuming he will get the box any day now.

What this should indicate is that the mail to our soldiers is, if nothing else, inconsistent.

Hope this helps.

TNT

[2Jedismom]

Do you have an address to send to? If not, I can point you in the right direction...you'll have to visit The Hobbit Hole! ;-)

Go here, click on The “Renegade Chaplain” Project or The Baghdad Project and see what you think. If you like the idea, you can send books and a donation for postage to Wneighbor in the Hobbit Hole and she can forward them on to Iraq.

[american_ranger]

We sent a package to our son's battle buddy who is in Iraq. It included candy, four cigars in a plastic ziplock with a humidifier pad, a pin up calendar (Fully clothed girls with machine guns from Dillon Precision), and a balsa wood airplane. The tobacco store, where I bought the cigars, found out that I was shipping them to Iraq. He provided me a small cardboard pad which was moistened to keep the cigars from drying out.

[TruthNtegrity]

Thanks so much, Tonk.

There's a list of servicemembers including a widow that's being circulated that I wish we could put an end to. I received a copy of it from ConservativeAlerts.com and wrote to complain to them, and called their office. I thought it disgusting that they would send out such a list, no matter how helpful they thought they were being, when it risked the privacy of these soldiers, to say nothing of providing names and addresses for nut cases to send hate mail to!!

Please, if you see such a list, tell the "provider" that you do not want them to circulate the information.

There are folks on this forum who have contacts to whom you may send items.

Please contact ALOHA RONNIE, or Ragtime Cowgirl, or Brad's Gramma or Linda SOG for the names of soldiers to whom you may send requested items.

Do not under any circumstances, post those addresses on FR or anywhere else. It is a violation of confidentiality to give unknowns access to this information.

Thank you,

TNT

[2Jedismom]

We've had wonderful experiences in the Hobbit Hole with companies that find out we're sending to the troops. Thorlo socks gave us a deep discount on a batch of socks we bought.

It's very moving.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Some good ideas for the next package I sent "over there". I'm takin' notes.

[2Jedismom]

That's what I like about the situation in the Hobbit Hole. One person has the contact info and coordinates the receiving of donated items or funding and then sends the donations and purchased items on. It worked like a charm in Afghanistan, and has been very successful in Iraq as well.

I was the one that coordinated the Afghanistan project and had about 20 people donating items and funding to me...and not once did these people ask for the name or address of the person I was sending to. He was known merely as "The Renegade Chaplain" and ultimately he wrote to everyone, but I was so honored that the people in the Hole trusted me with such a task to someone they didn't even know.

[Hunble]

The Hobbit Hole is an outstanding alternative!

Six months before the war in Iraq started, my wife and I wanted to ship our used books. I tried desperately to contact anyone from my old unit stationed in Bamberg Germany, but nobody would reply.

Once the war started, I figured that any mail sent without a specific soldier's address, would be a security risk.

Since then, my wife and I have continued to save our read books for our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

My questions was rather simple. Can books be shipped to Iraq?

If so, then I will contact my local reserve unit and ship these books to a specific soldier from my tiny little town in Minnesota.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I've never had to fill out anything like that Customs slip when mailing via the US Mail. I certainly never had to detail the contents. Just a general description.

[2Jedismom]

I've never had to fill out anything like that Customs slip when mailing via the US Mail. I certainly never had to detail the contents. Just a general description.

I'll say! Every package I've sent overseas has had to have one of these with it...even when I sent just 10 lip balms (although I got to use the green customs slip, since it was less than 3lbs). The post offices here in Tulsa are sticklers about knowing exactly what is in the box. How is it with you, Wn? I bet between the two of us, we've filled out over 200!

[2Jedismom]

Books are a GREAT thing to send! The Hobbit Hole has sent a BUNCH to Afghanistan...including several boxed sets of "The Lord of the Rings" of course! LOL I'm sure, if you can get them to someone that can pass them out, that they would be most welcome in Iraq as well!

Just a few of the boxed sets we sent...

The face plate in each book

"

[Hunble]

Thanks, you just answered my major question. It is possible to send books to our soldiers in Iraq!

Weight limits?

[2Jedismom]

Hmmm...I don't know about weight limits, but you can look it up at http://www.usps.com I imagine...

[2Jedismom]

Parcel Post packages can weigh up to 70 pounds and measure up to 130 inches in combined length and distance around the thickest part.

Priority aximum weight is 70 pounds, and the maximum size is 108 inches in length and distance around the thickest part combined.

The maximum weight for Media Mail is 70 lbs.

This is what I found...does this help?

[M0sby]

Found this online...didn't so much research...just found the link and article for you..I don't know if the info is still current. However, at one time their was an attempt to collect enough books in Iraq that the troops could have their own library!

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR PROJECT!

 

http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=5188

[tsmith130]

BTTT