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WRITE A THANK YOU NOTE TO A SOLDIER IN IRAQ THIS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
5-29-04 | patriciaruth

Posted on 05/29/2004 5:13:25 PM PDT by patriciaruth

Please support our troops this Memorial Day weekend by writing a note or letter to a soldier. They will be sent to Balad and Mosul in care packages that should arrive by the Fourth of July.

You can get my address by FReepmail and send a hand written letter or thank you card to me and I will put it in the next box or manilla envelop going to Iraq,
or you can FReepmail me a note or letter and I will print it out and put it in the Fourth of July packages.

Also, if you have any used books or movies or magazines that you enjoyed, you can mail those also to me to be included in the packages. If you use book/movie/magazine rate, they may arrive too late for this wave, but they will go in a future package.

Monetary donations for care packages are also always gladly accepted.

Finally, I'd appreciate suggestions of good books, movies that could go in the future. I've just subscribed for Sports Illustrated, Road and Track, Men's Health, American Heritage, and U.S. News and World Report so I can send them regularly (until my introductory offer runs out....) I get the women's NRA mag and AUSA and Army regularly now.

Last year and this year, these are the packages we have sent to Baghdad, Balad, and Mosul.

BALAD
Magazines: People, Men's Health, Army mag, NRA mag, latest women's NRA one on training puppies, and an AUSA one,Sports Illustrated, AUSA, Decision
Books: Clancy's Without Remorse; L'Amour's Last of the Breed; Koonz's Icebound; Wister's The Virginian; Heinlein's Glory Road; a biography of Washington, the Indispensible Man, Bill O'Reilly's Those Who Trespass, Random Harvest by James Hilton, Goodbye Darkness (WWII in Pacific memoir)
Movies: DVD's Seabiscuit; Mystery Alaska; Gettysburg; Open Range; Last Action Hero; Stand and Deliver; Fifth Element; Glory; Shanghai Knights; Die Another Day; We Were Soldiers; Last of the Mohicans; Antwone Fisher; Windtalkers; October Sky, Enemy at the Gates, Gladiator, Young Frankenstein, Ghost, Moulin Rouge; and VHS Die Hard, Witness, Baby Boom
Misc: 2 disposable cameras, 2 phone cards with 120 minutes, 4 envelops with 4 sheets paper, pens, envelops, note pad, pkg 2 small flashlights Card games: poker chips, 4 decks of playing cards, Skipbo
Snacks: 2 boxes Wheat Thins, 2 boxes of brownies, can Lays potato chips, box Cheezits individual size 2 starburst, 2 pistachio nuts, Snickers, Kitkat, Reese's Peanut butter cups, 2 fig newtons, 2 chips ahoy, 2 vanilla cream cookies, 3 berry Skittles, 1 tropical Skittles, 2 pack sugarfree spearmint gum, 2 bread sticks/cheese, 2 cheese and peanut butter crackers, 3 long smoked deli jerked sausage, 6 American cheese sticks with jerked beef sausage, 4 lemonade Crystal Lite cups, 4 raspberry Crystal Lite cups, humungus decorated chocolate rocky road Easter egg, 2 bags Reese's peanut butter cups; bag Jelly Belly; bag regular jelly beans; bag mixed hard candy, bag candy corn; 3 cans mixed nuts, 2 cans pringles potato chips
Toiletries: lip balm, 4 wet wipes, 3 Kleenex, toothbrush, toothpaste, 3 bottles 45SPF sunscreen, Sunscreen Shade SPF45, 2 chapstick SPF30, hand sanitizer, Charmin t.p., Old Spice aftershave[Post office thought it was an IED due to alcohol content and had me remove it], indulgence items for female soldier: tampons, facial cleaning wipes, night moisturizing face cream, manicure set, nail file, cuticle cream, nail hardening and repair kit, bar mild soap Jergens

MOSUL
VHS recording of Pres. Bush talk and Jay Leno monologue at WH Correspondent's dinner 5/1/04.
15 DVD movies: Gettysburg; Glory; We Were Soldiers; Die Another Day; Tears of the Sun, Galaxy Quest, Total Recall; Second Hand Lions; Independence Day; Last of the Mohicans; Shanghai Noon; Along Came a Spider; Open Range; Signs; Moscow on the Hudson. VHS: Fletch
Books: On War (Clausewitz), Tunnel in the Sky (Heinlein), Tactics of Mistake (Dickson), Scrabble dictionary.
Games: Tin of poker cards, chips and dice; travel Scrabble in case with pencil
Toys: Radioshack radio control racer (yellow wheelies jeep) and batteries; 2 Liquidator supersoakers; 250 water balloons
Snacks: 1 bag mixed hard candy; 2 bags Tootsie pops; 1 bag Lifesavers assorted flavors; Reese's peanut butter cups (double wrapped in Ziplocks); 12 packs Juicy Fruit gum; 2 cups raspberry Crystal Lite drink mix; 1 can deluxe mixed nuts Magazines: AUSA's Army on WWII memorial; Truckers
Toiletriesone each for recipient: bandaids; foot powder; fungal cream; deodorant; hand sanitizer; Charmin t.p.; wet wipes; floss; toothpaste/toothbrush; shaving cream; Q-tips; Kleenex; chapstick SPF30; sunscreen SPF45
Misc: 6 envelops with 2 sheets writing paper in each; 2 retractable ballpoint pens

BAGHDAD
The 4 Valentine care packages that went out 1-16-04 contained 26 movies, 14 paperback books, 6 decks of cards, a Frizzbee, 4 thingees of Crystal Lite mix, 45 sewing needles and 2 spools of thread, 23 notepads of paper (50 ct each), 600 envelopes, 47 packages of Bic pens (11 to a pack), 4 calendars, magazines (3 Army, 2 NRA, Star with Mel Gibson cover, Time with Saddam capture, a Schwarzenegger bio in pictures), 15 packs of gum, 6 each personal care items: travel size Kleenex, wet wipes, toilet paper, hand sanitizing gel, mouthwash, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, shampoo, shaving cream, disposable razors, dental floss, lotion, Q-tips, deodorant, chapstick SPF15, baby powder, 8 mild soaps, special wrapped 6 tampons, 6 small leatherette bag to carry travel toiletries. 2 boxes of bandaids. 1 small package of M&M's. And over 300 Valentines. 5 packages of Hershey's kisses (~670), 5 bags and 5 boxes with 506 lollypops (300 Tootsie Pops, 96 Charm bubblegum cherry and berry pops, and 108 Charm Valentine cherry suckers.
Movies are DVD: Gov. Schwarzenegger in Total Recall and The 6th Day, Crichton's Andromeda Strain, Antonio Banderas in Mask of Zorro, Kurt Russell in Stargate, Finding Nemo, Heinlein's Starship Troopers, Star Wars II, Tim Allen in Galaxy Quest, The Matrix, Samuel L. Jackson in Shaft, Harrison Ford in Air Force One, Will Smith in Independence Day, Tom Berenger in Last of the Dogmen, October Sky, Carl Sagan's Contact. VHS movies are Bruce Willis in Die Hard, the Sixth Sense, and Unbreakable; Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, Morgan Freeman in Along Came a Spider, Good Will Hunting, Mel Gibson in What Women Want, Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet, Casablanca. [Movies previously sent to Baghdad are Die Another Day, Collateral Damage, True Lies, Windtalkers, We Were Soldiers, Lawrence of Arabia, Last of the Mohicans, Return to Me, The Rookie, Antwone Fisher, Shanghai Knights, Tears of the Sun, Sum of All Fears, Panic Room, Ghostbusters, Frequency, Remember the Titans, Forever Young, Predator, Men in Black, The Great Escape.]

Books are Crichton's Timeline, Clancy's Without Remorse and Sum of All Fears, L'Amour's Last of the Breed, Heinlein's Starship Troopers and Double Star, Larry Bond's Red Phoenix, Stephen Horn's Law of Gravity, Don Coldsmith's Runestone, T.E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, Olson Scott Card's Postwatch and Enchantment, Zane Gray's Riders of the Purple Sage. [Books previously sent to Baghdad are Ice Station Zebra, Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength, Manifold Time, Manifold Space, The Pilgrimage, No Different Flesh, Glory Road, Tunnel in the Sky, Ender's Game, The Virginian.]

June2003 personal care items sent to Baghdad: 3 bottles sunblock 45 10 each travel size, gum, eyedrops, wet wipes, toilet paper, pens, small notepads, SPF45 chapstick, Kleenex, 3 magazines, music CD Have you Forgotten, music tape, q-tips in a baggie, box of Ziplock baggies, Box Cheezit crackers.

So far In the next boxes:
Mosul: Book's: Clancy's Without Remorse, Sun Tzu's Art of War, Goodbye Darkness (WWII Pacific memoir), Olson Scott Card's Enchantment, Heinlein's Starship Troopers, 50 Pocket constitutions (at cost by Vetscor
Movies: Fifth Element, Count of Monte Cristo, True Lies, Starship Troopers

Balad: Book's: Nevil Shute's Pied Piper and A Town Like Alice, 50 Pocket constitutions
Movies: Last of the Dogmen, Moscow on the Hudson
Envelops, Writing Pads
President Bush Address to the Nation on Iraq 5/24/04 recorded on VHS


TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Announcements; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: carepackages; iraq; penpals; supportourtroops; thankyounotes
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Anyone on the ping list who does not want to continue being informed of the activities of this particular support the troops group, please let me know so I can remove your name.
1 posted on 05/29/2004 5:13:25 PM PDT by patriciaruth
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To: RedWing9; MJY1288; esther2; Left_Coast_Conservative; lonestargal; lonestar; zgirl; McGavin999; ...
General ping for notes and letters of support for the troops.

Anyone who wants off the ping list, let me know.

2 posted on 05/29/2004 5:16:09 PM PDT by patriciaruth
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To: patriciaruth

BTT


3 posted on 05/29/2004 5:51:50 PM PDT by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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To: patriciaruth

This is such a great thing to do for this holiday! My husband says DVDs and CDs are what he's heard the warriors over there really like, as opposed to VHS. Anybody know about that? The reason I ask is because used VHS movies are pretty cheap on the internet, while DVDs are more expensive. Could send them four VHS flicks for the price of one DVD, but if the VHS technology isn't over there in a big way, all the videos in the world won't give them much enjoyment.


4 posted on 05/29/2004 5:56:33 PM PDT by Finny (God continue to Bless President G.W. Bush with wisdom, popularity, and victory.)
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To: patriciaruth
Oh -- a DVD of "Aliens" will be in one of your next shipments, God willin' and the crik don't rise.

Can't imagine a movie that would be more beloved by troops in a desert: "Yeah, but it's a dry heat, man!"

5 posted on 05/29/2004 5:58:54 PM PDT by Finny (God continue to Bless President G.W. Bush with wisdom, popularity, and victory.)
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To: Finny

VHS does not do well in a hot, sandy environment. DVD is a better, more robust technology. Most new purchases are DVD players, not VHS players.


6 posted on 05/29/2004 6:22:57 PM PDT by nwrep
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To: nwrep

Thanks -- I figured it might be something like that. Glad I ordered a DVD for the troops.


7 posted on 05/29/2004 7:16:02 PM PDT by Finny (God continue to Bless President G.W. Bush with wisdom, popularity, and victory.)
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To: patriciaruth

.

NEVER FORGET


Our Hero American Soldiers...
fighting for...
the Freedom of others,
those that train them...
in their Freedom Mission...
and those who wait for them...
to come home...
or not...
are...



.........HOLY........!!!!!


See:


MEL's -PASSION- sparked by -WE WERE SOLDIERS-

http://www.TheAlamoFILM.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=39081



Signed:.."ALOHA RONNIE" Guyer / Veteran-"WE WERE SOLDIERS" Battle of IA DRANG-1965

http://www.lzxray.com/guyer_set1.htm
(Photos)

http://www.lzxray.com/guyer_collection.htm
(Photos)

Contributing Author -'MODERN DAY HEROES: In Defense of America'

http://www.ModernDayHeroes.com



NEVER FORGET


8 posted on 05/29/2004 7:17:40 PM PDT by ALOHA RONNIE (Vet-Battle of IA DRANG-1965 http://www.LZXRAY.com)
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To: patriciaruth; Kathy in Alaska; MoJo2001; LindaSOG; LaDivaLoca; Fawnn; Bethbg79; bentfeather; ...
Support the military PING

patriciaruth : Thank You for always caring about our military!
9 posted on 05/29/2004 8:44:59 PM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (Thank You Troops! Past, Present and Future)
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

bump


10 posted on 05/29/2004 8:46:11 PM PDT by Soaring Feather (~The Dragon Flies' Lair~ Poetry and Prose~)
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

Bump!


11 posted on 05/29/2004 9:33:51 PM PDT by F14 Pilot (John ''Fedayeen" sKerry - the Mullahs' regime candidate)
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

Thanks for the ping Tonk.

What I'd like to know is how the various Freepers are (or were) associated with the military.

Personally I spent my entire career (7 years) in the same building in San Antonio (Air Force Intelligence Command/Electronic Security Command/Air Intelligence Command) in communications.

I even met my little lady in the Air Force. She was a programmer.

Æ


12 posted on 05/29/2004 9:45:13 PM PDT by AgentEcho (If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers)
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To: patriciaruth

Patricia,

Send this to the troops: Price of Freedom

Freedom isn’t cheap. It’s the most expensive asset in America. Without freedom, all other assets would become negligible. If we take a look at a balance sheet, freedom would be listed as a Long Term Asset, the kind of asset that takes years and years to pay off.

Who pays it off? The United States Armed Forces. The men and women in the military make that payment on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. Over the years, those sacrifices made have been an installment to freedom. Each deployment and death have made life in America all the more perfect. Those in uniform have provided us with a balance sheet of long term assets like no other country in the world.

We have become a superpower through the use of our U.S. Armed Forces. Each entity of those forces-Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard-provide us with ample protection against enemies, foreign and domestic. Their blood has allowed the pursuit of excellence, in business, in politics, and around the world.

The freedom to make those daily choices in our lives is provided by strangers at home and in far and distant lands. Every stranger stood at a podium and took an oath to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution. Within the Constitution lie our inherent daily freedoms and rights. The rights the media loves to wave their flag at.

The media loves to tout their freedom of speech. Oh, yes, their freedom of speech, the First Amendment to the Constitution. The one they cherish so closely. The one they champion vigorously, even if it means putting our soldiers in harm’s way. No matter what it takes, the story must go forth, in accordance with the U.S. Constitution. That is their belief. That is their sentiment. It is those principles that drive them, day after day, without any regard for those that bear the responsibility for allowing that very freedom.

Liberalism and the liberal media have done more to endanger our soldiers lives than any war. Over the last ten years-Bosnia, Kosovo, and Mogadishu-are examples of bright, shining liberal causes, placing our troops in danger. All of these deployments were to foreign countries on liberal humanitarian missions. These causes were pushed heavily by the U.S. and World media. President Bill Clinton, the most liberal President since Jimmy Carter, governed all of these exercises after “The Big Media” insisted we intervene for the cause of humanity.

Recently, with the release of pictures from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, the liberal media has chastised Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, President Bush, and our soldiers. Quickly, they chant fond remembrances of John Kerry’s testimony and atrocities of Vietnam.

Single-handedly, they make the likeness to the “murder of innocent women and children,” as testified by John Kerry in 1971. In their push to blame the sons and daughters of America, they point out the First Amendment to the Constitution. They identify their freedom of speech as their “cause.” The right of the American people to know. They press the story, harder and harder, making it seem as if it broke only a few short days ago. In truth, the story has been circulating since January, when the silence in the media could be compared to a small town library on Sunday afternoon.

They sit on their lofty chairs, as if they were kings, pointing their fingers at a few bad apples, and stating, “See this is what are military does. They are to blame for everything wrong in Iraq. We told you so.” In their haste, they scold the personnel responsible for giving them an opportunity to sit on their thrones.

With a few exceptions-Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Free Republic, etc…-they jeer at them in their hypocrisy. There are few media personnel and liberals today that can really appreciate the plights of our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, and mothers and fathers. In their heyday, they spit upon my father’s generation. Now, they attempt to spit upon mine. I will not bow my head in shame.

They scream their vitriol, attempting to once again relive the Vietnam War, and forgetting that Mogadishu harmed the reputation of the U.S. Military far more than these pictures in Iraq. Liberals, and the media elite, seem to become absent-minded in their rage. They seem to misplace the demoralizing stain Mogadishu left on are Armed Forces and Special Forces. The U.S. Special Forces, among the best to serve in our military, were handcuffed like prisoners going to trial in Mogadishu. President Bill Clinton branded our military as “cowards” that cut and run, making it near impossible to earn the fear and respect of terrorists.

Now, as we approach Memorial Day, a new president sits in office. President George W. Bush, a fine example of moral integrity, leads our troops in Iraq. Today, he roots out terrorism, as if it were termites invading the foundation of American homes. He sends our men and women into battle on a cause for freedom, liberating the Iraqi people from dictatorship and establishing a democracy. He apologizes for the actions of a few, but keeps his faith in our military.

Never have I felt more patriotic than on this day. Never have I been reminded of what it meant to have served this fine country. This America, the beacon of freedom for the rest of the world. And never have I been so lucky to have those individuals make sacrifices for the price of freedom.

There hasn’t been a president, like George W. Bush, since President Ronald Reagan brought us from our liberal slumber. He (Reagan) made us feel patriotic again. He made us proud to brandish the title, American. President Reagan brought excellence to business, to culture, and to our spirituality as Americans. He made us whole again. President George W. Bush follows that same legacy. He took a broken country away from President Bill Clinton and is attempting to piece it together.

President George Bush has taken a once defeated military and made them confident and strong again. He has made the price of freedom all the more worth it in the 21st Century. Today, I am a prouder American, a thriving American, and a more patriotic American than five years ago.

Despite the claims of the liberal media, I am thankful for the sons and daughters, brothers and sister, and mothers and fathers serving in our military. I am forever grateful of their sacrifices for the price of freedom. Despite a few bad apples from Abu Ghraib prison, I remain filled with honor. I have served with some of the finest individuals I’ll ever know, those that knew the price of freedom.

Withy my warmest regards,

Christopher R. Davis


13 posted on 05/29/2004 9:46:19 PM PDT by writer33 (The U.S. Constitution defines a Conservative)
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To: patriciaruth

Bump!


14 posted on 05/29/2004 10:11:47 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: AgentEcho

"What I'd like to know is how the various Freepers are (or were) associated with the military."

See my FR profile page.


15 posted on 05/29/2004 10:31:06 PM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (Thank You Troops! Past, Present and Future)
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To: patriciaruth

bttt


16 posted on 05/29/2004 10:51:11 PM PDT by lainde (Heads up...We're coming and we've got tongue blades...And panties!)
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To: writer33

Your missive was copied to my Word program, and I will send it. Thank you.


17 posted on 05/30/2004 12:19:44 AM PDT by patriciaruth
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To: patriciaruth

Linking to NASCAR weekly thread now.

Thanks


18 posted on 05/30/2004 12:32:32 AM PDT by ChefKeith (NASCAR...everything else is just a game!(Except War))
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To: Finny
In regards to movies. In Kosovo, at Camp Bondsteel, they had VHS capacity only. In Iraq, they can view both ways, but prefer DVD's to use on the computers. Also they are smaller, less weighty to have as part of your kit, especially if you remove them from the crystal cases and put into vinyl CD wallets.

I know the cost problem. It has definitely been more expensive to buy DVD's for Iraq than it cost to send VHS to Kosovo. I shop Wal-Mart and get preused at Hollywood video mostly.

I had only one request for music, and sent over a bunch of my classical and jazz tapes, and bought a couple CD's.

I'm sure music CD's are tops in interest, but it's hard to get them to tell you exactly what--they have a lot of other things on their minds I think.

The last boxes I sent I included a questionnaire for requests from soldiers around them, so maybe we'll get some more specific information.

The box to Mosul had some suggestions from soldiers in it, which is why it had foot powder and toys. Kosovo depleted my entire collection of action, etc. films, but I was glad I had sent them as the 101st Airborne and the 10th Mountain later went not much later to Afghanistan and then Iraq, and I hoped they carried the memory of someone caring about them before 9/11.

With a couple dozen faithful others I call the Merry Band of Patriots we sent over 150 movies to Camp Bondsteel, and they and the boxes of Snickers candy bars where the most appreciated gifts then.

19 posted on 05/30/2004 12:33:34 AM PDT by patriciaruth
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To: ALOHA RONNIE
I copied your whole post to send along. Let me know if that is okay.

Cheers!
Patty

20 posted on 05/30/2004 12:37:11 AM PDT by patriciaruth
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