Does anything here look familar?
Posted on 02/19/2005 12:40:42 AM PST by patriciaruth
Time for a new thread!
Our Merry Band of Patriots has seen a psy-ops unit at Bagram, Afghanistan, help educate voters in Afghanistan and come home successfully, while we supported them and special forces in the field by sending over 100 movies and many packages of snacks and toiletries and Hallowe'en candy. A Christmas tree and decorations (Daybreakcoming) and stockings (Ican'tbelieveit) and cards and over 400 candy canes were sent for their follow-on unit, and a box with movies and magazines and misc is just beginning to fill for their next care package. The movies and books we sent previously went into the Special Forces library there.
We've seen Beast Battery at Kirkuk, Iraq, through till their deployment home, sending them over 100 movies and dozens of books and a microwave and DVD/VCR player (from arjay) and many big boxes of snacks. Plus a huge wave of goodies was organized by McLynnan for Christmas in Kirkuk (2 prelit trees, ornaments, Santa suit, many stockings with stuffers, many cards, and a couple thousand candy canes to share out with all the forces there).
We've supported the 411th Engineers at Baghdad in 2004 with about 70 movies and several dozen books, a Playstation 2 and a Nintendo console with a couple dozen games (from asgardshill and ican'tbelieveit), a 4 foot Christmas tree and ornaments and boxes of snacks and many cards and 600 candy canes. In the next couple months we will be bidding them Godspeed as they return to their homebase in Hawaii.
We've sent over 50 movies, a DVD/VCR player (from arjay), and a dozen and a half books to an MI unit near Kirkuk, plus some Christmas decorations and stocking stuffers, and many cards and 156 candy canes. They have mostly left for home now and we just sent a package with more movies to their follow-on unit.
Also we have sent some packages to an Aviation unit at Balad, Iraq and to an Infantry Medics unit, and a small Christmas package each to another AVN unit and an MP unit.
Stryker Infantry company formerly at Fallujah and now at Mosul since November has been the major focus of our care packages these past months. All of Stryker at Mosul has taken fire, and our adopted company has suffered a KIA and some soldiers with severe injuries.
Early on we sent food items (mostly power bars and dried fruit and nuts) then Christmas stockings stuffed with goodies and many cards and 200 candy canes, and since Christmas have begun sending movies. They recently received a DVD/VCR player (from arjay) and with the movies just mailed today their collection will total about 75 movies and a dozen books.
And all this happened because our grassroots volunteer group began forming in the early summer of 2001 to send care packages to Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, when the 101st Airborne and then the 10th Mountain were there.
The contents of packages just mailed will be listed in post below.
Sounds great!
We have APO's for
Bagram air base near Kabul, Afghanistan
Tal Afar, Iraq
Mosul, Iraq
Camp Ramadi, Iraq
Kirkuk, Iraq
Engineers at Baghdad
Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for our wounded who have been evacuated to Germany
Also have APO for psyops at Baghdad, but I think Ros42 got a bunch of cards sent from her family and friends so they aren't as needy for cards as our other APO's.
Daybreakcoming sent out 35 messages from FReepers printed on Christmas stationery to many of the above.
Veni, Vidi, Vici sent out a whole lot of Christmas stockings with cocoa, candy, toys, etc. to MI at Kirkuk. How much "a whole lot" is is classified.
He also sent them 2 DVD players, 10 magazines, and at least one plush Santa Hat. I think how many hats went may be classified, too.
What I sent to Kirkuk is in the next post and what other FReepers and the local optometrist sent out recently to other bases are in posts above.
Boxes for all the bases with movies, DVD recordings done by MJY1288 and some Christmas cards and misc items will be going out this coming week.
I'm simply flabbergasted by how much stuff our Merry Band of Patriots has managed to mail off already, and we aren't done yet.
Great going everyone for past, present and future support!
December 2, 2005, VeniVidiVici mailed 3 huge boxes to MI at Kirkuk weighing 30 lbs each and containing:
2 DVD players
1 Santa hat
10 magazines and newspapers.
Large number of Christmas stockings stuffed with cocoa mix, candy, toys, etc.
December 3, 2005, I mailed 6 boxes to MI at Kirkuk with 11 stuffed stockings. Postage of $52.70 total for all boxes was paid by a local optometrist. I had some specialty soaps on hand and a recent donation by Mass55th enabled me to put more items in the stockings than originally planned.
Box 1
Insured $42.68
2 decorated Christmas stockings (contents below)*
Box 2
Insured $45.14
2 decorated Christmas stockings
Box 3
Insured $44.36
2 decorated Christmas stockings
Box 4
Insured $44.30
2 decorated Christmas stockings
Box 5
Insured $37.06
2 decorated Christmas stockings
Box 6
Value $20.29
1 decorated Christmas stocking
11 bags Act II microwave popcorn, 6 Butter, 5 Kettle Corn
2 snowmen inflatable beach balls
*All stockings contained:
1 regular size Spangler’s peppermint stripe candy cane
Christmas print ziplock baggie with 1 Cella’s chocolate covered cherry with clear liquid center, 1 Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolate ball, 2 half dollar gold foil chocolate coins, 6 Hershey’s Kisses (2 almond, 2 milk chocolate, 2 cherry crème cordial), 1 Russell Stover chocolate Santa (marshmallow or caramel), tiny bag of 10 Jelly Belly jelly beans),
1 pack of 4 Chips Ahoy cookies 1.4 oz or 1 pack of 4 Oreo cookies 2 oz
1 pack of 4 Austin cheese crackers with cheddar cheese 1.38 oz
1 envelop of Quaker oatmeal (maple and brown sugar, apples and cinnamon, banana bread or cinnamon roll)
1 envelop of Swiss Miss hot chocolate with marshmallow bits or plain
1 Slim Jim spicy smoked jerked all beef sausage .28 oz
1 penguin print cellophane bag with 3 oz cashew nuts and 2 bite size Reese’s peanut butter cups
1 tube .85 oz Colgate toothpaste
Bonus item: either box 30 Q-tips, box 55 yds J&J mint waxed floss, or tube 1 oz. Jergen’s ultra-healing skin cream
2-3 toys [an unfortunate purchase from a catalog]: sponge reindeer shooter, Santa or snowman balloon racer car, pop-up figures (snowmen, Santa, toy soldier, penguin), rocket flyer, sponge glider.
7 stockings also had:
Mennen speed stick 27/7 deodorant .5 oz
Tube of Gillette shaving gel in 4, 2.5 oz aerosol can of Gillette shaving gel in 3
1 pack 5 Gillette Twin disposable razors
Pert Plus medium shampoo 1.7 oz
1 plastic bottle Gold Bond body powder 1 oz
1 soap box with 4.2 oz Vermont sandalwood soap in 6, 4.5 oz bar Jergen’s soap in 1
4 stockings also had:
Suave raspberry solid deodorant 1.6 oz
Aerosol can of Skintimate raspberry shaving gel 2.75 oz
1 pack 4 Personna Speed3 lavender colored razors
1 Dove conditioning shampoo 2 oz
1 tube 2 oz moisturizing cream (sun-kissed plumeria or morning flower scent)
1 travel soap box with 3.5 oz English soap (hibiscus, orchid, jasmine, cherry blossom)
For details on what went out to the troops in care packages these past 5 days, see posts below
Post 1093, Daybreakcoming sent 34 Christmas messages from FReepers in boxes with other goodies to Tel Afar, Engineers at Baghdad, and Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo
Post 1112, kattracks mailed 2 boxes to the Engineers at Baghdad
Post 1117, Ros42 mailed 1 box to Mosul and 2 boxes to psyops at Baghdad
Post 1118, Nina0113 mailed 5 boxes, some large, to Bagram air base in Afghanistan.
Post 1120, details on the 20 boxes mailed to Tal Afar by a local optometrist.
Post 1123, VeniVidiVici and I sent Christmas stockings to MI at Kirkuk. Veni, Vidi also sent 2 DVD players
Does anything here look familar?
Your optometrist is generous -- probably comes from being around you!
How pretty! They did such a great job decorating!! :) They are further along than I am! LOL
Well, you didn't get a quick answer, but a same day reply. And you can mail your package out by December 8 and it should still get there.
:-) What a great bunch of stuff in your box!!
My town is very patriotic. They lost more soldiers per capita in the Vietnam war than any other town/city in American.
>Tal Afar Troop Support Package 12/5/05
150 packets - Nestle Hot Cocoa Mix (powder) 6.7 lb.
30 packets - Alpine Spiced Cider Mix (powder) 22.2 oz.
100 packets - Splenda No Calorie Sweetener 3.5 oz.
1 box - Dixie Crystals Sugar Cubes 1 lb.
2 bricks - Maxwell House Coffee 2 lb.
2 cannisters - Pepperidge Farm Holiday Cookies 1 ½ lb.
1 package - Oreo Cookies 1 lb. 12 oz.
1 box - Pepperidge Farm Ginger Family cookies 10.9 oz
1 can - Nature’s First Natural Dairy Creamer
(powdered milk) 8 oz.
2 bags - Kraft Mini Marshmallows 21 oz.
1 bag - Kraft Mini Marshmallows 1 lb.
Total Box Weight 21 ¼ lb.
Cost: $51.48
Shipping: $22.95 Insurance: $1.30
We figure the insurance is a good deal 'cause if it gets waylaid by some enterprising soul then they can enjoy it and we can send out another box! We sent a short note of appreciation with the header "Proud Members Of The Merry Band Of Patriots" - signed by all the family. ;-)
Mailed December 7, 2005, to Camp Ramadi
1 box, insured $122.47, postage $10.90.90:
11 DVD movies:
True Grit (John Wayne)
Rio Lobo (John Wayne)
The Cowboys (John Wayne)
Open Range (Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall)
The Man from Snowy River (Tom Burlinson, Kirk Douglas)
Wrangler (Jeff Fahey) [Australian, pretty good]
The Quick and the Dead (Sam Elliott, Kate Capshaw)
Maverick (Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner)
The Last of the Mohicans (Daniel Day-Lewis, Wes Studi)
Shanghai Knights (Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson)
Independence Day (Bill Pullman, Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum)
2 DVD recordings from MJY1288:
President Bush speech in South Korea
President Bush speech in Alaska
Box with about 76 Slim Jims (all-beef) left in it
2 pkgs 3 Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolate balls
Holiday bag with 2 gold coins, 1 choc covered cherry, 3 Kisses
Holiday bag with 12 Hershey’s kisses (almond, chocolate, cherry)
1 inflatable snowman beach ball
Christmas card from ShowMeMom
Joy ornament Christmas card from Mr. and Mrs. patriciaruth
Note from patriciaruth about the Rules of Engagement
Mailed December 7, 2005, 4 flat rate boxes to Psyops in Kosovo
Box 1, insured $44.91, postage $9.00
Box 10 Swiss Miss hot chocolate plus 3 additional
Box 12 individual packages of 4 Chips Ahoy cookies, plus 1 pack loose
Box 12 Austin individual packages of 4 saltine crackers with grilled cheese, plus 1 pkg cheese crackers with cheddar cheese
Bag Kraft marshmallows 1 lb, about 60 count.
18 Homemade lace ornaments done by lurker SS. (White stars, stars with American flags, red stockings, snowflakes, and hearts).
2006 Ronald Reagan movie star calendar
SAE with 2 sheets paper, note
Box 2, insured $32.34, postage $9.00
13 decorated only 1/3 Christmas stockings with 4 toys inside each: pop-up holiday figures, holiday balloon sleds, bubbles, gliders, rocket flyers, ?sponge reindeer shooter
Items to do-it-yourself finish decorating the stockings.
1 jar of green glitter
1 bottle of Elmer’s glue in ziplock bag
(to glitter first names on the cuff)
1 bag with 13 jingle bells, 1 needle and green thread (to sew a jingle bell on each stocking)
1 inflatable snowman beach ball
ziplock bag with samples of lotions, oils, shower gel and soaps (yellow duck soap, tiny green Christmas tree soap, green melon soap, lavender bath cube, Almond and aloe shower gel sample, little clear white round soap, little packets olive oil and lotions.)
Letter from patriciaruth
Box 3, insured $31.44, postage $9.00
13 bags Act II microwave popcorn, 8 Butter, 5 Kettle Corn
ziplock bag with 13 all-beef Slim Jims
13 Santa ziplock bags to use for candy
Box 12 pkgs 3 Ferrero Rocher hazel nut chocolate balls, plus 1 extra pkg
Bag with 26 gold coins, half dollar chocolate
Bag with 26 bite size Reese’s peanut butter cups
DVD recordings by MJY1288:
Rush Limbaugh MP3 file for June
Veteran’s Day ceremonies and speech at Arlington
President Bush’s speech in South Korea
VHS movie: A Christmas Carol (George C. Scott)
Box 4, value $23.99, postage 9.00
Box 16 Cella’s chocolate covered cherries with clear liquid centers
Bag 2 lbs of Jelly Belly jelly beans, 49 flavor mix
Box Chips Ahoy white chocolate fudge cookies
Bag with Hershey’s Kisses, 26 almond, 26 chocolate, 26 cherry crème cordial
Box 12 Spangler’s regular sized peppermint candy canes, plus one extra placed in
1 plush Santa hat
Christmas card from ShowMeMom
Joy ornament Christmas card (with Mass55th’s name on it)
Mailed December 7, 2005, to SSG at Mosul
Value $33.07, postage $3.80
2006 Wolf calendar (with arctic wolves on the cover)
Art Institute of Chicago large white and gold foil gothic fold out nativity scene card
2 newsletters from Franklin Graham
I bought 2 Xbox games for Bagram today.
Halo 2
Madden NFL 2006
They didn't have Forza Motorsport at Walmart which I was going to try to get.
The fellow there mentioned that the boxes of Xboxes coming in now have Forza Motorsport included.
As you bought the Xbox for Bagram before Thanksgiving at a lesser price, it probably doesn't have a game in the box.
BUT, if you could check if there is a game in the box (hopefully listed on the outside of the box), I'd appreciate knowing.
EMAIL from STRYKER BRIGADE at MOSUL!
...
Please let [MJY1288}, [kattracks], and [Mr. and Mrs. Abigail Adams] that I have recieved their packages of Christmas Tree, Cabela's Catalog, and lots of Hot Cocoa. All here thank them for their thoughts, time, and packages.
The tree was put up today in our company command post (it was the best spot we could find with electrical hook up).
I was raised to hand write thank you notes, but I have been unable to do so since being here for many reasons, lack of time, envelopes, and the amount of stuff we're receiving being the main reasons. Please pass along this email as my thanks and the thanks from our unit.
I'm keeping everyone's addresses (I rip the return address shipping labels off the boxes) and will make sure to pass along a proper thanks sometime when I'm back in the states (maybe on leave if my wife will allow me the time ;0.
Thanks again.
***
Thanks for the ping, I'm so glad they got the Trees in time
Woohoo! Thanks for posting the email from Mosul! Glad to hear our boxes are making their way over there.
Contents of Care Packages mailed today to TAL AFAR, MOSUL, KIRKUK, BAGHDAD, BAGRAM, LANDSTUHL Hospital for wounded in Germany are listed below.
Mailed December 8, 2005, to Bagram for Marines in c/o a commander there:
1 box, insured $65.92, postage $9.90
1 can 16 oz Planter’s cashew nuts
1 bag 38 Hickory Farm’s strawberry bon bon wrapped candy
Hickory Farms gift pack containing:
3 beef summer sausages, 7 oz.
5 cheeses: 4 oz. American Smooth and Sharp, 4 oz Jalapena, 4 oz Cheddar, 1.75 oz Smokey Bar, 1.95 oz Mission Jack
2 cheese spreads: 3 oz Cheddar, 3 oz. Havarti
2 boxes crackers: 4.4 oz water crackers, 5.0 oz cracked wheat wafers
2 boxes tea: 8 bags Passion Fruit Ceylon, 10 bags English breakfast Ceylon tea
2 little packs ground coffee: 2 oz private blend, 2 oz Columbian supreme
2 butter almond cookies .41 oz
4 tiny jars preserves: 1.5 oz peach, strawberry, blueberry, and lemon curd
5.2 oz jar apple butter
3 oz jar Sweet and Hot mustard
(jars wrapped in bubble wrap and placed in zipper lock bags)
possibly a pack of 5 Gillette twin blade disposable razors, it went in this one or the other.
American flag card from Let's Roll
Mailed December 8, 2005, to Bagram air base in Afghanistan.
1 box, insured $196, postage $10.90
Cabella’s catalog
1 bag 16 oz Dean & Delucca Expresso coffee beans
1 snowman inflatable beach ball
2 tiny cakes, chocolate and mint
2 Xbox games:
Madden NFL 2006
Halo 2
6 DVD movies:
Star Wars III, Revenge of the Sith
Batman Begins (Michael Caine, Liam Neeson)
S.W.A.T. (Colin Ferrel, Samuel L. Jackson)
The Mummy (Brendan Fraser)
The Fast and the Furious (vin Diesel)
Elf (Bob Newhart, Will Ferrell)
11 DVD recordings by MJY1288:
5 Speeches by President BushWOT speech (Oct), Alaska, South Korea, January Naval Academy speech, December Naval Academy.
Veteran’s Day ceremonies at Arlington and speeches
Rush Limbaugh October MP3 files-2 disc set
Rush Limbaugh November MP3 files2 disc set
Winning Iraq program
Decision Magazine on Peru
AUSA newspaper on Hunting the Bad Guys
Christmas card from ShowMeMom
Christmas card from Coop and family
Mailed December 8, 2005, to MI at Kirkuk
1 box, insured $76.10, postage $9.90
3 DVD movies:
Hondo (John Wayne)
Batman Begins, comic book extra edition (Michael Caine, Liam Neeson)
Batman, 2 special episodes from old Batman matinee series [freebie]
1 bag 16 oz. Dean and Delucca’s House Blend coffee beans
30 envelops instant Quaker oatmeal (maple and brown sugar, apples and cinnamon, cinnamon roll, banana bread, plain, cinnamon and spice)
1 bag 14 oz Hershey’s Kisses cherry crème cordial
2 Reach toothbrushes*
1 pkg 3 Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolate balls (plus 4 loose in a bag)
box 76 little Slim Jim’s
6 DVD recordings by MJY1288:
President Bush speeches in South Korea, Alaska, 2 Naval Academy (Jan and December)
Rush Limbaugh MP3 files for November, 2 disc set
Christmas card from Coop and family
*from jtill
Mailed December 8, 2005, to Engineers at Baghdad
1 box, insured $125.46, postage $10.90
8 DVD movies:
March of the Penguins
Apollo 13 (Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon)
Mercury Rising (Bruce Willis shoots Alec Baldwin)
Elf (Bob Newhart, Will Ferrell, James Caan)
Predator (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura)
Black Hawk Down
Regarding Henry (Harrison Ford, Annette Benning)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Richard Dryfuss)
4 bags 2 lbs. Jelly Belly jelly beans
1 inflatable snowman beach ball
Mailed December 8, 2005, to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for our wounded in Germany
1 box, insured $149.25, postage $10.90
2 pkgs lace Christmas tree ornaments, handmade by lurker SS (each pkg has 1 red/white/blue American flag star, 6 white stars, 5 pale cream snowflakes, 1 red stocking, 2 pale cream hearts) with an American flag card enclosed in each with expression of gratitude and the name of the person who made the ornaments. [undervalued each at $2 a piece for customs form]
10 DVD recordings by MJY1288:
Rush Limbaugh MP3 files for October, 2006, 2 disc set
Rush Limbaugh MP3 files for November, 2006, 2 disc set
President Bush speeches (South Korea, Alaska, Naval Academyx2, WOT, Veterans’ Day)
2 boxes of 12 Spangler’s regular size peppermint stripe candy canes
8 DVD movies:
Frequency (Dennis Quaid, Jim Caviezel)
Batman Begins (Michael Caine, Liam Neeson)
The Man from Snowy River (Tom Burlinson, Kirk Douglas)
October Sky
Crocodile Dundee (Paul Hogan)
Tombstone (Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott)
Elf (Bob Newhart, Will Ferrell, James Caan)
True Lies (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis)
1 inflatable snowman beach ball
1 toothbrush
Christmas card (ShowMeMom)
4 Christmas cards with preprinted messages for wounded vets on which I printed names of MJY1288, Tunehead54, jtill, mass55th.
Mailed December 8, 2005, 2 boxes to Tal Afar:
Box 1, insured $79.96, postage $9.90
5 DVD movies:
Batman Begins (Michael Caine, Liam Neeson)
Star Wars III, Revenge of the Sith
Island in the Sky (John Wayne)
Total Recall (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone)
The Quick and the Dead (Sam Elliott, Kate Capshaw)
2 books:
Jubal Sackett (Louis L’Amour)
Russka (Edward Rutherford)
6 DVD recordings by MJY1288:
Rush Limbaugh MP3 files for November, 2 disc set
President Bush speeches: Alaska, South Korea, Naval Academy January and December
4 air fresheners (2 cedarwood, 2 American flag car strips)
1 box 12 pkgs 3 Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolate balls
Left overs: 1 individual package Chips Ahoy, 6 envelops Swiss Miss cocoa mix, 3 Tootsie Pops, 2 Russell Stover chocolate Santas (caramel, strawberry cream)
Christmas card from Coop and family
Christmas card from ShowMeMom
National Geographic sample magazine The Future of FLYING
Box 2, value $30.48, postage $7.70
2 boxes 28 Cella’s chocolate covered cherries with clear liquid centers
150 gold coins (quarter size) divided into 2 zipper lock bags
1 bag 2 lbs. Jelly Belly jelly beans
1 plush Santa hat
Mailed December 8, 2005, to our adopted company of Stryker Brigade at Mosul
11 DVD movies:
Star Wars III, Revenge of the Sith
Batman Begins (Michael Caine, Liam Neeson)
The Warriors
Elf (Bob Newhart, James Caan, Will Ferrell)
Hondo (John Wayne)
Firefox (Clint Eastwood)
Enemy at the Gates (Joseph Fiennes)
You Might be a Redneck if (Jeff Foxworthy)
Alien vs. Predator
Striking Distance (Bruce Willis, Sarah Jessica Parker)
Mr. Deeds (Adam Sandler)
10 DVD recordings by MJY1288:
Speeches by President Bush: October WOT speech, Alaska, South Korea, 2 Naval Academy speeches (Jan and Dec)
Veterans Day Ceremonies and speeches
Rush Limbaugh MP3 files for October, 2 disc set
Rush Limbaugh MP3 files for November, 2 disc set
1 inflatable snowman beach ball
1 bag of Jelly Belly jelly beans (about 5.5 oz)
2 travel cans of Gold Bond body powder
5 tubes 6.4 oz Gleem toothpaste*
Imprimis newsletter with article on C.S. Lewis on Moral Education
Christmas card from Coop and family
Christmas card from ShowMeMom
*sent by jtill
(still got 6 soap and 2 books, jtill, but they will go out this year. Had so much food that I didn't want it tasting of soap, and the books just haven't found an empty spot yet)
We're winding down, and most care packages have now been mailed for Christmas although a few major things are about to go out. See posts below for details on recent shipments.
Anyone who has wanted to contribute, but is a bit short prior to Christmas, can still join in helping send Christmas cheer to our soldiers, airmen and Marines in harm's way by
1. charging a donation through Paypal
2. pledging to send a certain amount by the end of January
3. buying a WalMart shopping card with a credit card and sending that.
FReepmail patriciaruth for details.
Be sure to see the picture of the Christmas tree, post 1125, that mscht and Ros42 sent to Camp Ramadi.
Post 1131, Tunehead54's package to Tal Afar
Post 1132, Merry Band's package to Camp Ramadi
Post 1133, Merry Band's 4 packages to Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo
Post 1134, Merry Band's package to Stryker at Mosul
Post 1136, EMAIL from MOSUL
Post 1139, 8 care packages to BAGRAM (2), TAL AFAR (2), MOSUL, KIRKUK, BAGHDAD, and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for wounded in Germany.
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