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.

[Abigail Adams]

Thanks Patty! Have a nice break.

[patriciaruth]

Mailed October 15, 2005, to PsyOps unit at Baghdad
1 box, insured $118.23, postage $10.90
1 bag Halloween candy: 19.5 oz bag of Hershey’s miniatures Nut Lovers
1 small plastic spider
1 small plastic bat
6 DVD movies:
The Butterfly Effect
Don’t Say a Word (Michael Douglas)
City Slickers (Billy Crystal)
Conagher (Sam Elliott, Katherine Ross)
Hitch (Will Smith)
Shrek 2 (Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas)
6 Books:
Reagan’s War (Peter Schweizer)
The Connection (Stephen Hayes)
Hondo (Louis L’Amour)
Tunnel in the Sky (Robert A. Heinlein)
Russka (Edward Rutherford)
Shogun (James Clavell)
Enchantment (Orson Scott Card)
Recordings by MJY1288:
Rush Limbaugh MPG files, Set of 2 DVD’s each for August and September;
President Bush’s War on Terror speech
3 magazines/newletters:
NRA Outlook magazine on Bagging Birds
Nature Conservancy magazine on Facing Warmer Future (has beautiful photographs)
Article by Markman on Constitutional Myths and Realities

Mailed October 15, 2005, to Engineers Combat Brigade at Baghdad
Box 1, insured $80.41, postage $9.90
1 box 15 bags Act II Butter microwave popcorn
1 small plastic bat
1 small plastic spider
6 DVD movies:
Freddy vs. Jason
Spiderman 2 (Tobey McGuire)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Luther (Joseph Fiennes)
Tombstone (Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott)
Hurricane Express (John Wayne)
Magazine: Popular Mechanics
Recordings by MJY1288:
Rush MPG files for August, 2 DVD set;
Pres. Bush speech on War on Terror
2 packs travel tissues
1 large pack Carefree sugarless spearmint gum

Box 2, insured $79.36, postage $9.90
1 box 15 bags Act II Butter Lover’s microwave popcorn
1 small plastic bat
1 small plastic spider
7 DVD Movies:
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Jaws (Roy Scheider, Richard Dryfuss)
Men in Black I (Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith)
Ice Age
Island in the Sky (John Wayne)
Mystery, Alaska (Russell Crowe)
Winchester 73 (Jimmy Stewart)
Recordings by MJY1288: Rush MPG files for September, 2 DVD set
Bumpersticker Ronald Reagan saying: America is Too Great for Small Dreams
Picture of U.S. aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan
2 packs travel tissues
1 large pack Carefree sugarless spearmint gum

[airborne]

I'd like to volunteer the services of my son's Boy Scout Troop. We would like to make up and send several hundred Christmas Cards.

And the pictures are very cool! Quite the morale boost, which is definitely a plus!

[patriciaruth]

I was told by the Dept of Defense in 2001 that airmail priority was necessary because it added a security screen to the packages...that security screen is only done if the package gets on a plane.

If package doesn't come to the army staging area via priority mail, it may be placed on hold for further security inspection.

So, regular package mail may get there about the same time as a priority airmailed package, but it may be held up a lot longer once it gets to the mail staging area.

And it may not be. I just don't know for sure. I only know what I was told by DoD.

[patriciaruth]

You can mail the Boy Scout Christmas cards out before the end of November directly yourself, or send them to arrive at the home of one of our volunteer commanders for the various units by mid-November.

[nina0113]

Perhaps the clerks don't know about the security issues, just the time factor. The $$ difference is just a few dollars, so I'll mention that to them next time if they try to stop me from buying priority.

I realized I should have sent that as a private reply so clicked the abuse button, but you saw it immediately.

You're supposed to be taking a break - go watch a movie!

[patriciaruth]

I've got the first two requests from soldiers at Tal Afar.

1. Halloween candy
2. Anything to make the air in their rooms smell better. Can't send aerosols or alcohol based things like perfume/aftershave. Burning candles or incense not advised due fire hazard. Anything requiring plugging into an electrical outlet is also not good idea.

So, looks like airwicks are the winner, or other aeromatic delights, like pot pourri, redolent soaps, etc. May want to lean toward more masculine scents rather than superflorals, as I don't think they have any female Marines/Army in this combat zone.

They say they can get most movies for $2-3 bucks locally, so you may want to run titles by them if you are thinking about getting any.

Let me know if you are able to do anything about these requests in the near future. I'll FReepmail you the army vets address if you can.

[patriciaruth]

I got an email from Tal Afar so I was alerting CAluvdubya and SENClander about early requests.

The Angels game is almost over (they're being slaughtered 8-2 in the 9th) so the TV may become available soon for watching a movie.

:-)

[PGalt]

Outstanding! Thanks for the ping. Thanks for your work.

[CAluvdubya]

1. Halloween candy 2. Anything to make the air in their rooms smell better.

If I'm sending Halloween candy I need to move quickly. how about if I send out some candy (approx. how much, do you think?) and maybe some other small Halloween stuff. (like in your boxes)

I'm thinking a box out this week, in time for Halloween? Might as well throw a few Thanksgiving items in as well. Then start working on Christmas boxes.

Am I on the right track?

[SENClander]

OK, I'm ready to do my part for Christmas in Tal Afar. A list is definitely helpful.

What is one step below a novice -- that's me!

[patriciaruth]

If you can get Halloween candy in the mail by Tuesday, it will probably make it.

Anybody who didn't get something out of SENClander's boxes or the couple bags I sent and all the bubble gum that Tunehead54 asked me to get...they'll be real glad to see your box show up no matter when it gets there.

Airwicks can go out any time.

[SnarlinCubBear]

Great pictures. Did someone send the hawaiian shirts?

Had to laugh at the "pool".

[SnarlinCubBear]

I just read that they were "government issued." LOL

[patriciaruth]

Pinging you to our troop support thread.

Thought you might want to scroll up and see some emails and pictures we've gotten and some of the care packages we've sent out recently.

Let me know if you want on the ping list so you can follow our activities.

[iceskater]

I think I'm helping you. I can't remember but I think we were going to take one of the groups in Baghdad...??

[mathluv]

I knew someone had volunteered, but I have not taken the time to read back through to see who. I think you are correct!

[iceskater]

Just let me know what you need help with. :)
I'm glad I'm not totally losing my mind.

[patriciaruth]

You sent those books including the Harry Potter book to the Engineers in Baghdad and also 140 bags of microwave popcorn.

Would you be willing to head up the effort for Christmas for the Engineers? This will be a challenge due to the sheer numbers of them. We'll have to be creative and send something that will make their Christmas warmer, as we won't be able to send individual stockings.

I will be available to help, and I will start rounding up volunteers to assist you.

I've just been out rounding up a means for major donors here in town to get their donations tax deductible.