Posted on 03/29/2008 11:24:00 PM PDT by patriciaruth
Here it is, finally! I'll be adding many posts over the next couple of days to update our activities during the last 3 months.
Believe it or not: a new thread!
Prayer update on daybreakcoming (who has sent a half dozen prelit Christmas trees and ornaments to our units over the last few years). She did well after the first round of chemotherapy, and another round started in January. I haven’t heard since, as my mother is deteriorating and is taking up a lot of my time.
Interesting thank you’s sent to us from our adopted units can be found in the 2006-7 thread at the post numbers listed.
Thank yous:
post 1671, to Enterprise from 315th PSYOP at Bagram
post 1690 to Enterprise from Baghdad
post 1965 to patriciaruth from Stryker at FOB Stryker and later at Baqubah
post 2022 to patriciaruth from NPTT for 11 Petzl headlamps to NPTT at Camp Liberty
post 2072 to JustAmy from Bagram, Afghanistan
post 2118 to patriciaruth from Stryker at Baqubah, received headlamps, movies, etc
post 2153 to SW6906 from NPTT at Camp Liberty, Baghdad
post 2155 and 2177 to patriciaruth from HHC of NPTT at Baghdad for Christmas tree sent by MJY1288 and for the ornaments we sent to decorate it.
post 2168 to 4Godsoloved...Hegave from Stryker at Baqubah
Mailed March 14, 2007, to Stryker at Ba’qubah 3 more boxes
Box 5 (new large 12x12 flat rate), insured 99.52 (value100.52), postage $13.00
10 DVD movies:
Airplane! (Leslie Neilsen, Lloyd Bridges)
The Mask of Zorro (Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta Jones)
Independence Day (Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum)
Braveheart (Mel Gibson)
Gladiator (Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix)
Dodgeball (Vince Vaughn)
Lethal Weapon 4 pack with Lethal Weapon I-IV (Mel Gibson, Danny Glover)
19 bags/packs gum and Easter candy:
5 Packs 8 small Reese’s Peanut Butter crunch bars
3 Packs 8 fun size Snicker’s bars
2 bags Hershey’s dark chocolate with almond miniatures
3 bags Butterfingers’ chocolate foil wrapped eggs
4 bags Whopper’s malted milk robins eggs
2 packs 14 Eclipse sugarless gum
Box 6 (large 12x12 flat rate), insured $79.26, postage $13.00
6 DVD movies:
Men in Black (Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith)
Men in Black II (Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones)
Jeff Foxworthy: Totally Committed
The Untouchables (Sean Connery, Kevin Costner)
Witness (Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis)
Click (Adam Sandler)
14 bags Easter candy:
4 Hershey’s creamy milk chocolate foil wrapped eggs
2 Butterfingers chocolate foil wrapped eggs
8 Whoppers malted milk robins eggs
Box 7 (large 12x12 flat rate), insured $98.90, postage $13.00
6 DVD movies
The Passion (Jim Caviezel)
Walk the Line (Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon)
Frequency (Dennis Quaid, Jim Caviezel)
The Alamo (Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton)
There’s Something about Mary (Carmen Diaz, Ben Stiller)
My Cousin Vinny (Marisa Tomei, Joe Pesci)
17 bags/packs Easter etc. candy:
2 packs 8 small Reese’s Peanut Butter crunch bars
4 packs 8 Snickers fun size bars
4 bag Butterfinger small chocolate foil wrapped eggs
2 bags Hershey’s dark chocolate with almonds
5 Whopper’s malted milk robins eggs
Mailed March 13, 2008 to Stryker at Ba’qubah, 2 more, boxes
Box 3, value $56.98, postage $25.05
2 battery operated boot and glove dryers
11 packages Peeps chicks, yellow, pink, green, lavendar,and blue
1 Phillips screwdriver
Box 4, value $48.77, postage $8.95
4 cans of body powder
4 packages of 4 batteries D size
7 magazines:
3 Readers Digest Feb, March, April 2008
3 Weekly Standard’s on McCain, Obama, and Clinton v. Obama
1 Sports Illustrated on “The Catch”
Box 40 quart size zipper lock plastic bags
Prilosec little DVD of old Super Bowl highlights
Mailed March 7, 2008, to Stryker at Baqubah, 2 boxes,
Box 1, valued at $72.50, postage $8.95
29 shaving gel (donated by Enterprise)
Box 2, valued at $72.50, postage $8.95
29 shaving gel (donated by Enterprise)
Mailed January 18, 2008, to Stryker at Baqubah, 4 boxes
Box 1, value $32.10, postage $8.95
17 small Valentine heart boxes of 1.75 oz Russell Stover candy (3 pcs, dark choc truffle, choc caramel, choc nut chew)
1 small Valentine heart box of 1.6 oz Whitman candy
3 invidually wrapped Russell Stover choc Santas (2 marshmallow, 1 raspberry cream)
9 individually wrapped Russell Stover chocolate hearts, strawberry cream filled
1 magazine: Sports Illustrated Best Pictures of 2007
Box 2, value $34.71, postage $8.95
24 small Russell Stover 1.75 oz Valentine heart boxes of candy
9 small 2 oz Russell Stover Valentine decorated rectangular box candy
Box 3, value $29.34, postage $8.95
24 small Russell Stover 1.75 oz Valentine heart boxes of candy
1 bag cherry Tootsie Pops (~35)
2 small 2 oz Russell Stover Valentine boxes of candy
Box 5, value $29.34, postage $8.95
24 small Russell Stover 1.75 oz Valentine heart boxes of candy
1 bag cherry Tootsie Pops (~35)
2 small 2 oz Russell Stover Valentine boxes of candy
Mailed January 19, 2008, to Stryker at Baqubah, 4 more boxes
Box 4, value $27.85, postage $8.95
24 small Russell Stover 1.75 oz Valentine heart boxes of candy
4 blueberry candy canes
1 individually wrapped Russell Stover chocolate heart, strawberry cream filled
1 bag cherry Tootsie Pops (~35)
Box 6, value $38.46, postage $8.95
24 small Russell Stover 1.75 oz Valentine heart boxes of candy
7 magazines (Weekly Std 11/19 and 1/14; Readers Digest 11/07 and 12/07; Sports Illustrated 11/26 and 12/17; Decision 1/08),
5 newsletters (Imprimis: What Statesmen have to Teach us; 2 campaign letters from Fred Thompson; 1 campaign letter from Mitt Romney; Billy Graham letter 11/07)
1 local newspaper Jan 16
Box 7, value $31.00, postage $8.95
24 small Russell Stover 1.75 oz Valentine heart boxes of candy
6 magazines (1st Freedom 12/07, Sports Illustrated Man of the Year, Weekly Std 12/3 and 1/21, Readers Digest 12/07 and 1/08)
Newspapers: 1/17 issue local paper and L.A. Times Sunday comics
RNC 2008 Calendar
Box 8, value $31.75, postage $8.95
24 small Russell Stover 1.75 oz Valentine heart boxes of candy
7 magazines (Weekly Std 11/26, 12/10, 12/24, and 12/31; Sports Illustrated 1/14 and Year in Sports issue; Decision 12/07)
2 newsletters (Imprimis: Return to the Constitution; copy article on Holland’s post secular future)
1 L.A. Times Sunday comic section
Mailed March 13, 2008 to HHC of NPTT at Camp Liberty (MAJ C)
1 box, value $51.62, postage $8.95
3 packages Dove dark chocolate foil wrapped eggs
3 packages of Brach’s jelly bird eggs
3 packages of Whopper malted milk robins eggs
14 Cadbury chocolate orange crème eggs
14 Russell Stover coconut crème eggs
14 Russell Stover strawberry crème eggs
14 Hershey’s small chocolate bunnies
SENClander mailed March 7, 2008, to NPTT at Camp Liberty (MAJ H)
2 boxes (new larger flat rate boxes)
1 bag Tootsie products
1 bag Reese’s peanut butter eggs
4 packages Peeps chicks
1 bag marshmallow chicks and bunnies
1 bag large Robin eggs, chocolate filled
1 bag mini Robin eggs, malted milk filled
1 bag Cadbury mini eggs
1 bag Hershey miniatures
1 bag pastel candy corn
8 plastic eggs containing a Lindt chocolate bunny
1 wind-up chick/1 wind-up rabbit
1 package of capsules which expand into animals when water is added (thought maybe they could share these with the kids)
packed it all in green Easter grass.
Mailed February 4, 2008, to MAJ C’s HHC of NPTT
1 box, insured for $59.36, postage $11.00
1 TV series DVD boxed set: 24, season 6 (Kiefer Sutherland)
14 small heart shaped boxes of Russell Stover candy (3 pieces in each)
2 bags cherry Tootsie Pops
5 packets chicken flavoring
1 magazine: Sports Illustrated, latest one
2 newsletters:
Franklin Graham
Imprimis: Economy and Canada
Sunday comic section local newspaper
Mailed January 18, 2008, to Battle Company on Pakistan border of Afghanistan, bought with donation from airborne (90 power bars, 9 boxes Valentine candy)
1 box, insured $98.04, postage $11.00
9 small 2 oz. boxes of Russell Stover Valentine candy
1 box 12 Power Bars — oatmeal raisin
1 box 21 Marathon Snickers bars
2 boxes 6 Marathon Snickers bars
1 box 21 Power Bars Variety (chewy peanut butter and chewy choc peanuts)
1 box 24 Triple Treat Power bars (smores, caramel choc almond, forgot the other one ?peanut butter?)
NOTE: 2/20/08: APO now changing and will be kept dark from all but family.
My extended family always wants to send care packages, but we can't always get the name of a contact to send them to. Bless you all for the good things you, and the other FReepers, do for our soldiers!
Thanks so much, Sing!
When I was in Afghanistan the best care packages were homemade cookies and treats. The BX had pretty much everything else we wanted.
BTTT and prayers for your mother and you.
It’s great to see the new thread! Prayers for your mother, Patty, and prayers for daybreakcoming. And thanks to AlaskaErik for his service.
New thread woo hoo!
Most homemade cookies arrive moldy, so the DoD has asked us not to send them. Especially after 9/11 there was also concern that items from strangers might deliberately be contaminated and not just a source of accidental food poisoning.
Thus our group can only send commercially wrapped food items with an outdate on the package.
I’ll be posting the Restrictions list again on this thread, along with mailing tips later tonight.
Meanwhile, we would enjoy hearing a bit about your service if you would oblige us?
Not much to tell. One of millions who went into theater and did his duty. I was with the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. I flew on 77 combat missions all over Afghanistan as a C-130 loadmaster. Some of my more memorable flights...air dropping ammo while a firefight was raging on below us, flying some of the Gitmo detainees back to their country, flying a Canadian soldier from Kandahar to Bagram for airlift to Landstuhl after he was hit by friendly fire from one of our A-10s and flying Hamid Karzai to one of the villages in the northeast part of the country.
I know why you are modest about your service, as we have pictures of adopted soldiers doing many of the same services for our war effort and our country.
But you could have been unlucky and been chosen to make a really large sacrifice, and what we honor you all for is that you stood in the line and took your number and were willing to do what was necessary and take your chances.
We cannot ever thank you enough for that.
fanfan is a Canadian who has been involved with our group early on and sent packages to our American soldiers, and then graduated after a bit of experience and began sending packages to the Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. I know she will be interested in reading your post above about your experiences.
When was your service? I know we killed some Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan with friendly fire early in the course of the war and that caused large difficulties in our relations with Canada. People often only see the movies that glorify war, and don’t appreciate the reasons why war is so terrible, including really tragic mistakes that occur in the fog and confusion of war.
Your experiences listed are all amazing, and you have truly been a part of history in the making.
Thank you for your prayers, dear Sister. We were playing with your stuffed gold finch this past week as it was in Mother’s Easter basket again. And she delights to her the bird song when the spot is pushed.
Mostly I am trusting God step by step day by day, and hoping that it is His will that she have an easy time as she winds down and passes to her next life. Probably some of that is selfish, that I not have a really difficult time taking care of her. :-)
How did you fare in the recent thunderstorm?
SwatTeam has just mailed me some knitted caps to put in care packages.
She must read your post above; it will warm her heart.
Thanks for posting.
Thanks for the ping, Patty.
Thank you so much for your service, Alaska Eric.
It is very appreciated. :-)
We didn't Get Any Hail, so I was Thankful for that, but the Pastures were a Sight; it Looked Like a World of Water! The King's Pond is Filled to the Brim, and Looks So Beautiful. There had been a Small Group of Ducks there Lately, but they Finally Flew Away. 7 or 8 Turtles Line Up Everyday on a Log in the Water, Sunning themselves, and Look Very Cute.
Your Mother was in my Prayers this Morning, and will be from Now On whenever she Comes to Mind. I'm Glad she Likes the Goldfinch; Bless her Heart, she is the Sweetest Person! I'm So Thankful our Lord's Mercies are New Every Morning, and that He is with her Daily, Surrounding her with His Love.
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