CARE PACKAGES for our Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, 2005

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1273305/posts ^ | 2-18-05 | patriciaruth

[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.

[patriciaruth]

Form letter sent from Germany and received last week.

TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SENDING GIFTS TO OUR WOUNDED WARRIORS

I am writing to thank you for supporting America’s sons and daughters who are making hard sacrifices for our precious freedom. Your donation provide both comfort and encouragement for the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and their family members that come to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and Ramstein Air Force Base. Such generosity makes it possible for us to assist these wounded warriors and their families.

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center is a beacon of healthcare for America’s servicemen and women abroad. Spiritual support through Pastoral Services and your gifts enhance the holistic healthcare we provide for all those who proudly perform their sacred duty.

What you have given blesses these precious men and women. I want to thank you for your caring and compassionate service to all those who serve their country so well.

Blessings and peace,

D***
Chaplain (Major) U.S. Army
Deputy Chief, Pastoral Services.

[PigRigger]

I am humbled by the sacrifice and difficult times these men and women (and their families) have endured, and continue to endure, for all of us.

I wish God's peace and comfort to all of them; I pray they all come home safe and sound.

May God Bless and Protect our troops as they bring the fight to the enemies of freedom.....

[airborne]

Thanks to all who help make this the kind of America that I want my children to grow up in, and thanks to Mr. Robinson, for providing us with this meeting place, where we can come together to support our great nation.

God bless America!

God bless FreeRepublic!

[ImaTexan]

ping

[Dante3]

BUMP

[DrDeb]

APPRECIATION PACKAGE for 'Sean'
Mailed August 1, 2005


CONTENTS . . .


READING MATERIALS:

David McCullough, “1776”

US News & World Reports, “Inside the Pentagon’s Secret War On Terror (Exclusive Report)”, August 1,2005

Sports Illustrated, “NFL Fantasy Football Preview”, August 2005


DVDs:

“Pirates of the Caribbean”

“TV Classics: Bonanza” (4 episodes)

“TV Classics: Andy Griffith Show” (4 episodes)


FOOD/CANDY:

Strawberry Twizzlers (1 package)

Twisted Berry Twizzlers (1 package)

Harry Potter: Bertie Bott’s Beans (1 package)

Jelly Belly Bubble Gum (1 package)

Dubble Bubble Gum (1 box / 25 pieces)

Cinnamon Candy Drops (1 package)

Stadium Peanuts (1 package)


MISCELLANEOUS:

Carmex lip moisturizer with sunscreen (2)

“What Happens in Gitmo Stays in Gitmo” t-shirt (1)

[patriciaruth]

Great package!

Thanks so much for sending 1776 to Mosul.

I think the What Happens at Gitmo stays at Gitmo T-shirt will be a rave!!

[patriciaruth]

Mailed August 2, 2005, to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for the wounded
Insured $155, Postage $10.10
Pair blue Joseph Banks man's pyjamas (too large for my Dad, he never wore)
Woman’s Sweatshirt
AT&T Phone card 650 minutes (donated by AIC)
2 books:
The Man from the Broken Hills (Louis L’Amour)
Hondo (Louis L’Amour)
4 DVD’s
Charlie’s Angels (Cameron Diaz)
The Rookie (Dennis Quaid)
DC 9/11-Time of Crisis (Timothy Bottoms)
Recordings June Rush Limbaugh (sent by MJY1288)
1 travel bag with 6 travel size Caswell Massey toiletries, sandalwood scent: 3 plastic bottles of shower gel, conditioning shampoo, body lotion, 1 talc, 1 lip balm and 1 oval bar of soap.
5 travel packs facial tissue


Operation Crayon box mailed to Kirkuk, August 2, 2005
Value $9.10, postage $7.70
16 packs of elementary school paper, wide ruled, no hole punch, 150 sheets each.
1 pack college ruled notebook paper, 150 sheets

[patriciaruth]

Update:

Those who have been using APO's for Bagram, the one for Mark has expired as psyops has a new unit there now. Check with me for new contact.

Those who have been using APO's for Mosul, they are expiring any time now. After the turnover and when I have a new contact for Mosul, we will be resuming the headlamps project for the new soldiers there.

For contents of box shipped today to Landstuhl in Germany for the wounded and one sent to Operation Crayon at Kirkuk, see post above.

We will also be doing a project first of September to send 600 bags of microwave popcorn to Baghdad. I'll need volunteers to divvy up this task, each box 24-28 bags will cost about 13.70-15.00 to buy and mail. We'll need 6 volunteers to do 4 boxes or more volunteers to send a box or two a piece.

Finally, anyone who wants off the ping list, please let me know. Or if you want to continue to be pinged to follow our troop support activities, but don't want to be pinged for articles with special new information or insights that affects our country, please let me know.

[MJY1288]

Hi Patti :-)

[patriciaruth]

Hi!

Thanks for volunteering to round up some donors from among your friends! I hope the information about the accounting is useful to them. Let me know if they are interested in anything else.

[MJY1288]

OK Patti, By this time next week I should have some good news for you, and if I have any questions I will FReep Mail you with them. But these local business owner friends of mine will probably just open their wallets and say "Tell Patti we lover her for what she is doing"

[MJY1288]

LOL .... lover = love

[bjcintennessee]

Thanks for the ping. I'm in the process of making "neck cooling scarves" to send to the troops. My army niece recently returned from Iraq and said the heat is brutal. She'll be giving me the address of a unit in Iraq so that I can send them.

These neck scarves are quick and simple to make, so if anyone else wants to make some, either contact me or google "cooling neck scarves". (The scarves are stiched into tube shape and polymer crystals -- available from gardening nurseries -- are placed inside. Once soaked in water, the crystals swell and retain the water for days). They can be worn around the forehead or neck.

[patriciaruth]

Just Amy made us some of those cooling headbands last year and we mailed them off.

I never heard back about whether they could use them when in uniform. Does anybody know?

[Allegra]

the heat is brutal.

It certainly is.

One thing the soldiers love to get is DVDs. DVD players fly out of the PX on military paydays. The DVD selections at the PXs vary, but a lot of them have very limited selections.

[patriciaruth]

We've tried to send a large variety of movies to our adopted units, and they leave them for them for follow-on.

We sent over 150 movies (VHS) to Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo (back when all they had were VCR players) in 2001-2002 after the Chaplain told us that would be appreciated.

We're working toward that number for Bagram (Special Forces Library), Afghanistan, and Baghdad and Kirkuk and Mosul.

Someone once expressed doubt that the soldiers would want to watch movies. But except for the headlamps we sent to Mosul and Kirkuk, that has been the most popular thing we send.

They also like popcorn.

[Jet Jaguar]

We used to have them issued to us in Phoenix. They were acceptable in uniform for us. But, it usually is sort of a case by case basis. Air Force, Army etc. have different regulations.

If they cannot wear them on duty, they will be enjoyed off duty.

[Coop]

These neck scarves are quick and simple to make, so if anyone else wants to make some, either contact me or google "cooling neck scarves". (The scarves are stiched into tube shape and polymer crystals -- available from gardening nurseries -- are placed inside. Once soaked in water, the crystals swell and retain the water for days). They can be worn around the forehead or neck.

Great idea. Good on ya for getting involved!

[Coop]

It certainly is.

How would YOU know? Your vision is skewed! :-P