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.
My husband bought me a copy at Target yesterday; and I read it avidly, as it is fascinatingly written with much colorful detail. And it definitely would be a great gift for the troops, or anyone.
At the end of the book, which details the first year or so of the Revolutionary War--the siege and victory at Boston, the great losses while trying to defend New York, the retreat through New Jersey, and the victorious battles of Trenton and Princeton after re-crossing the Delaware-- the historian author remarks that six more years of war would follow before the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown and the signing of the Treaty of Paris ending the war in 1783.
And then David McCullough writes these MUST READ paragraphs:
“Financial support from France and the Netherlands, and military support from the French army and navy, would play a large part in the outcome. But in the last analysis it was Washington and the army that won the war for American independence. The fate of the war and the revolution rested on the army. The Continental Army—not the Hudson River or the possession of New York or Philadelphia—was the key to victory. And it was Washington who held the army together and gave it “spirit” through the most desperate of times.
“He was not a brilliant strategist or tactician, not a gifted orator, not an intellectual. At several crucial moments he had shown marked indecisiveness. He had made serious mistakes in judgment. But experience had been his great teacher from boyhood, and in this his greatest test, he learned steadily from experience. Above all, Washington never forgot what was at stake and he never gave up.
“Again and again, in letters to Congress and to his officers, and in his general orders, he had called for perseverance—for “perseverance and spirit,” for “patience and perseverance,” for “unremitting courage and perseverance.” Soon after the victories of Trenton and Princeton, he had written: “A people unused to restraint must be led, they will not be drove.” Without Washington’s leadership and unrelenting perseverance, the revolution almost certainly would have failed. “
Patty-
I recently bought 1776 but I haven't started reading it yet. As soon as I finish it, I'll send it along to the troops.
It sounds like a great book - I'm looking forward to digging in!
In his interview about his new book 1776, David McCullough said to Tim Russert that if we'd have the same press in 1776 as we have today that we would have lost the Revolutionary War.
And I think that McCullough leans Democrat, so this book may have been a bit of a coming to grips with reality lesson for him.
Just start reading it, and if history interests you at all it will carry you along.
Let me know when you're ready to send it and I'll give you an address.
I'm still reading through this thread - and how exciting it is to read of someone suggesting the headlamps, and hearing about their arrival.
And this list of goodies you've sent? WOWSER!!! The folks at the receiving end of your goodies have to feel like it's Christmas every time they open one of your packages.
Way to go, Patriciaruth, and the Merry Band of Patriots. God love all of you for sendng so much to our heroes in the getting-hotter Iraq and Afghanistan!!!
Email from Kirkuk! (our new Battery unit that replaced Beast Battery)
Patty,
Thanks for the packages, We got 5 of the 7 today. Should get the others tomorrow. The cookies made it in good shape and are going fast. I passed out the powder, we use this alot more in the summer months.
What a crazy story about your family in Texas. Those Meth Heads are nuts. I work in the as a Probation officer in ND and have dealt first hand with these guys. Sad cases.
Ladder 49, Great movie but is very emotional, I am a Volunteer Fireman for my town and with my military experience I can really relate to the brotherhood of the movie. Please send it. I would be good to see again. I saw it in the theater before we deployed. I cried at the end.
Take Care,
***
Sending you a big cyberhug, Patty, for doing God's work for our troops!
Baghdad Engineers Combat Battalion just let me know one of their 2 boxes arrived, and let me know they finished building the rec room.
I don't know if you remember last year when the commanding officer was telling them--'well, if you have time and energy to build the rec room, you are able to do this Iraqi project instead...'
And I told one of the guys there...okay, we'll send so much stuff that they'll have to finish the rec room so they have a place to put all the stuff to get it out of the commander's office...LOL! Oh, I'm a sneaky gal.... Still, he ended up writing us some of the nicest emails and was a really nice guy for all I put him through.
The new commanding officer of the new ECB that replaced the 511th out of Hawaii doesn't want the stuff coming to his office either, and gave me the name of the command sergeant major in charge of the rec room.
So, we're set up now to send them some things in the coming months. We'll put the Engineers at Baghdad at the head of the list for our next project.
I'm going to write the CSM and ask what they would like.
It's so great to hear our stuff is getting through quickly.
Indeed it is!
Encouraged by news that some of the 4th of July boxes had already made it to Baghdad and Kirkuk, when I happened to see some neat 4th of July decorations (made in U.S.A.) at Wal*Mart while shopping for more Gold Bond body powder, I got a few and mailed them out late today.
Mailed June 22, 2005, to Engineer Combat Battalion at Baghdad, insured for $50, postage $9.00
2 DVD’s
Hitch (Will Smith)
The Right Stuff (Ed Harris, Sam Shepard, Dennis Quaid, Scott Glenn, Jeff Goldblum)
1 box 100 push pins
4th of July decorations:
2 large red, white and blue bows with ribbons and stars hanging down.
2 velveteen flag swags
And these have the Clint Eastwood and Adam Sandler movies (and more Gold Bond body powder) that our adopted Battery company at Kirkuk wanted.
Box 8, mailed June 22, 2005, insured for $108, postage $10.90
11 DVD’s
White House Correspondents’ Dinner, 2005 (Laura Bush, Cedric the Entertainer)--recorded by MJY1288
Will Smith in Concert
Firefox (Clint Eastwood)
Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood)
Heartbreak Ridge (Clint Eastwood)
Flight of the Phoenix (Dennis Quaid)
Space Cowboys (Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner)
Waterboy (Adam Sandler)
The Quick and the Dead (Sam Elliott)
Magnum Force (Clint Eastwood)
Without a Paddle (Burt Reynolds)
6 cans Gold Bond body powder (4 oz.) (5 gold, 1 green)
2 pkgs 20 flag luncheon napkins
1 magazine: Popular Science (new attack plane)
Box 9, mailed June 22, 2005, insured for $110, postage $10.90
9 DVD’s
Hang Em High (Clint Eastwood)
Warriors
Ladder 49 (Joaquin Phoenix)
I, Robot (Will Smith)
Blood Work (Clint Eastwood)
Pale Rider (Clint Eastwood)
In the Line of Fire (Clint Eastwood)
Maverick (Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner)
Master and Commander (Russell Crowe)
6 cans Gold Bond body powder (2 green, 4 gold)
2 travel floss (mint, waxed, 50 yd)
1 pkg 20 flag luncheon napkins
1 pk 8 AA batteries + a free mini flashlight
1 box 100 push pins
1 magazine: StreetTrucks
My hubby has a lot of car magazine's. Would you like me to send to you or right to Iraq?
I need an address for which ever.
Freep mail please.
If you can pry those car magazines away from your hubby, I'm sure lots of soldiers would like to read them.
You have FReepmail!
Wow, that's a lot of good stuff! Thanks for all that you are doing for our troops.
I have been a bit on the sidelines here because we have been sending packages to a local soldier, which has been costing us about $100 every 4-6 weeks. We sent our last package to him, as he will be coming home in a few months. We just adopted another soldier through Operation Military Support, wrote him a letter, and are hoping to hear back from him soon. I'll help out here occasionally as we are able.
Way to go Merry Band of Patriots!
ping.
In today's The Washington Times, is an article about the arrest of three baggage handlers (Michael Harlee, Derek J. Murray, and Shaka N. Watson all of Maryland) made a point of stealing thousands of dollars worth of electronics from the luggage of our troops headed for Iraq and Afghanistan.
The following report was at post 288 but I asked the moderator to remove it as I had inadventently left the name of one of the soldiers some of the packages were mailed to in the body of the report.
So, here are reposted the contents of the packages mailed out June 13, 2005.
Mailed June 13, 2005, 7 boxes to a Battery at Kirkuk.
Box 1, value 20.85, postage 7.70
3 boxes of 12 packs of Chips Ahoy cookies
DVD: Sudden Impact (Clint Eastwood)
Box 2, value 24.96, postage 7.70
3 boxes of 12 packs of Chips Ahoy cookies
DVD: Alien versus Predator (AVP)
Box 3, value 23.94, postage 7.70
3 boxes of 12 packs of Chips Ahoy cookies
DVD: Team America world police
Box 4, value 28.41, postage 7.70
1 large can 32 qts sugared Country Time pink lemonade mix
6 cans Gold Bond body powder (5 cans green extra medicated) in ziplock bags
pkg 20 small flag napkins
Box 5, value 31.41, postage 7.70
1 can 32 qts pink lemonade mix
6 cans Gold Bond body powder in ziplock bags
pkg 20 small flag napkins
Box 6, value 28.69, postage 7.70
Can 32 qts. pink Lemonade mix
6 Gold Bond body powder in ziplock bags
2 long foil streamer ribbons, aqua blue and light red
Box 7, insured 81.00, postage 9.90
2 cotton half circle flag swags (bunting)
3 bags medium size mobiles (3D eagle, flat foil eagles, flags trailing 3D stacked foil disks)
3 loose large mobile stars (red, silver, blue foil) has hanging ribbons with foil stars
1 pkg of 2 flag star 12’’ plastic cutouts
2 rolls of crepe red, white blue ribbon
2 pkg of 4 American flags 3x5” on sticks
2 red, white and blue cut out banners GOD BLESS AMERICA and flags
5 DVD’s
50 First Dates (Adam Sandler)
Chronicles of Riddick (vin Diesel)
XXX (vin Diesel)
Troy (Brad Pitt)
National Treasure (Nicolas Cage)-
Mailed June 13, 2005, 3 more boxes to MI at Kirkuk
Box 5, value 14.97, postage 7.70
3 boxes cookies @12 pkgs Chips Ahoy
old book for padding: Theories of Everything (John D. Brown)
Box 6, value 14.97, postage 7.70
3 boxes cookies @ 12 pkgs Chips Ahoy
old book for padding: With Lawrence in Arabia (Lowell Thomas)
Box 7, value 14.97, postage 7.70
3 boxes cookies @ 12 pkgs Chips Ahoy
1 large pack Carefree sugarless gum Bubblegum flavor for bracing
Mailed June 13, 2005, 9 more boxes to Bagram, Afghanistan
Box 2, insured $43, postage 7.70
4 pks 25 flag paper plates
pkg 8 small flag paper plates
4 DVD’s
The Day After Tomorrow (Dennis Quaid)
XXX (vin Diesel)
Shaft (Samuel Jackson)
2005 White House Correspondents’ Dinner (Laura Bush)—recorded by MJY1288
Box 3, value 8.19, postage 7.70
28 bags Act II microwave popcorn, Kettle Corn
2 packs of travel tissues.
Box 4, value 8.19, postage 7.70
28 bags Act II microwave popcorn, Butter Lovers
2 packs of travel tissues.
Box 5, value 8.19, postage 7.70
28 bags Act II microwave popcorn, Butter
2 packs of travel tissues.
Box 6, value 8.19, postage 7.70
28 bags Act II microwave popcorn, Butter
2 packs of travel tissues.
Box 7, value 25.68, postage 7.70
1 can sugared Country Time pink lemonade mix, 32 qts
1 bag 10 oz. Hawaiian Vanilla Macadamia Nut ground coffee
4 books:
Comstock Lode (Louis L’Amour)
Hard Eight (Janet Evanovich)
Blind Side (Catherine Coulter)
The Kill Clause (Gregg Hurwitz)
Magazines:
Weekly Standard issue on Pope Benedict
NRA Women’s Outlook on holster handbags
2 packs travel tissue
Box 8, value 29.16, postage 7.70
1 can sugared Country Time pink lemonade mix, 32 qts.
2 bags 10 oz. Hawaiian Kona Sunrise ground coffee
book:
To the Nines (Janet Evanovich)
Magazines:
People issue on Tsunami victims
Nature Conservancy issue on finding the Ivory Bill Woodpecker thought to be extinct
Decision magazine on Columbia
1 pkg 20 pantiliners
Box 9, insured $45, postage 32.50
3 straw Baskets with red and blue stripes
110 large plastic cups, 1 pkg 50 red, and 3 packs of 20 blue
6 boxes cookies @ with 12 pkgs (4 Chips Ahoy, 4 Oreos, and 4 Nutter Butter)
2 pkgs 20 pantiliners
Box 10, value 14.97, postage 7.70
36 pkgs of cookies from 3 boxes: 12 Chips Ahoy, 12 Oreos, 12 Nutter Butter
Mailed June 13, 2005, to psyop bn at Baghdad, one more box
Box 3, insured $40, postage 9.00
32 qt can sugared Country Time lemonade mix
1 bag Hawaiian brand Kona Vanilla Macadamia Nut ground coffee (10 oz)
3 DVD’s
Frequency (Dennis Quaid, Jim Caviezel)
Fatal Attraction (Michael Douglas, Glen Close)
White House Correspondents’ Dinner, 2005 (Laura Bush)—recorded by MJY1288
2 books
Teeth of the Tiger (Tom Clancy)
Mitigating Circumstances (Nancy Rosenberg)
2 Magazines:
NRA Women’s Outlook on camping
Decision in New York City
Large 6.2 oz Crest extra whitening toothpaste
1 toothbrush
1 travel floss
2 travel Kleenex
Card from Mr. and Mrs. Swat Team
Mailed June 13, 2005, first 2 boxes to Engineers at Baghdad
Box 1, insured $108, postage 10.90
Note from me, introducing us, as this is a new unit
3 bags of 3D eagle mobiles
1 bag flag mobile
1 bag 3 mobile foil stars with hanging ribbon and little stars attached
14 DVD movies
Waterboy (Adam Sandler)
White Chicks
Enemy at the Gates (Joseph Finnes)
Crocodile Dundee (Paul Hogan)
Day After Tomorrow (Dennis Quaid)
Eraser (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
Beverly Hills Cop (Eddie Murphy)
Double Jeopardy (Tommy Lee Jones, Ashley Judd)
Panic Room (Jodie Foster)
Hamlet (Mel Gibson, Glenn Close)
Under Seige (Steven Seagal)
Black Stallion (Mickey Rooney)
Action Jackson (Carl Weather)
3 Stooges 4 shorts (a freebie)
Box 2, insured $108, postage 10.90
4th of July decorations:
12 pkgs of 4 American flags (3x5”) on sticks
1 pkg 3 cutout American flag stars
1 door flag plastic covering
1 red, white and blue cutout banner GOD BLESS AMERICA with flags
4 flat foil eagle mobiles
2 cotton half circle American flag swags (bunting)
4 red and blue pinwheels with light
1 pk 8 AA batteries
288 cheap American flag pins
5 DVD’s
National Treasure (Nicolas Cage)
Without a Paddle
Troy (Brad Pitt)
Spanglish (Adam Sandler)
Alien versus Predator (AVP)
Mailed June 13, 2005, to our adopted Stryker company at Mosul, 6 1/2 more boxes for the 4th of July.
Box 9, value 15.90, postage 7.70
4 boxes of Chips Ahoy, 2 indiv. packs Famous Amos
DVD: The Quick and the Dead (Sam Elliott)
Box 10 (? Mislabled 8), value 20.20, postage 7.70
4 boxes of Chips Ahoy, 2 indiv. packs of Famous Amos
DVD: Chisum (John Wayne)
Box 11, value 10.45, postage 7.70
4 boxes of Chips Ahoy, 2 ind. Pks of Famous Amos
Box 12, value 8.00, postage 7.70
23 indiv. packs of Famous Amos
Box 13, value 7.00, postage 7.70
Famous Amos 23 individual packs of chocolate chip cookies
Box 13 ½ small priority box, value 3.50, postage 5.75
With 13 famous Amos indiv pks cookies
ping.
ping.
One time ping.
Just to let you know about our troop support group. We post here our care packages to the troops, and emails/letters from the soldiers at the front.
We are sending packages to 6 units in the field, one in Afghanistan and 5 in Iraq (Mosul, Kirkuk, and Baghdad).
If you want to be on our permanent ping list to follow our activities, let me know.
Cheers!
Patty
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