What do I do with all these books - Ship them to the troops?

rface - today's question | 12.08.02 | rface

[rface]

I have a house that has too much clutter - so I took apart a bookcase, along with some other uncluttering actions. I have a stack of 50 or more "Tom Clancy types of books" that I have finished and, after some agony, have decided to part with.

To some of you this may not seem like a big deal - I mean what good is a cheap novel after you've read it? I don't know, but I have this habbit of keeping every book I have read. Are my bookshelves a type of trophy case? ..... well maybe they are. I don't have any bowling trophies, no baseball trophies, no 4-H or FFA trophies. I don't have my college degree hanging on the wall, but I do have a set of deer horns from my WVa hunting trip - last years Thanksgiving.

Why do I horde these books? Yes - there is a select few books, actual novels, that I have read more than once. I think I read Uncle Toms Cabin twice, I have read one (maybe more than one) of Mitchner's books twice. I think I read Contact (by Carl Sagan) twice - I will put this novel at the top of my "A" list..... even though it is written by Sagan. I have read "NorthWest Passage", by Kenneth Roberts twice.

My Grandfather, now dead, used to be Ken Roberts golf caddy up in Maine in the 1920's. I now almost have Roberts complete set of books and a few of them are 1st ed. signed copies. I am missing one or two he published in the 1950's about dowsing .... I cannot find any copies of these. Maybe I'll spend a day on the internet and hunt these down. I don't think many people in todays reading circles know about Kenneth Roberts, but I would say that he wrote in the style that made Mitchner famous. Roberts was a big-shot writer in his day.

Another book I picked up at the Wal-Mart a few months ago that I place high on the "A" list is "By the Rivers of Babylon", by Nelson DeMille. I had never read any of his titles before, but I now hold him in high regard. I have read several of his books, but "By the Rivers of Babylon" is my best pick. It was written in 1978 and it is about an Israeli passanger airliner that is knocked out of the sky to crash land in Iraq. The passangers, including some UN officials, are forced to fight for their lives as the Iraq forces fight to take the plane's passangers hostages. I am including this prized gem in my stack of 50 or more.

.

I don't know if it can be done , and I don't know how to do this, but I wonder if some of the troops over-seas has a use for these items. I would rather give these books to some of them than to dump them off at the GoodWill store..... I'd even pay high postage to ship them to Afghanistan or to some of the bases in Arabia or Turkey or wherever.

Who here can tell me how to forward these books to our troops?

Who do I contact?

[rface]

I have a bundle of paperback novels I want to ship to over-seas troops. How dod I do this? I e-mailed Oliver North this morning, and maybe he'll get back to me soon.

Maybe the guys and gals don't need these items - that's not a big deal. I was just wondering if this was something I could do.

Ashland, Missouri

[D. Miles]

Contact a military base near you ask if perhaps they'd like the books, or the USO, or perhaps a vertrans hospital would like them.

[rface]

VA hospital sounds good to me - just down the road.

[rface]

Not that it matters a whole lot - that is until April 15 rolls aroud. Are gifts to the VA tax deductable?

[Lokibob]

VA hospitals always need this kind of donation.

Volunteer services in the hospital will take care of it.

While you are at it, pick up a dozen donuts, or a cake and take it in too. They always appreciate it and is a way to thank the troops for their service to the country.

I try to volunteer once a month in the VA hospital and it is fun. The old geezers love to talk about their experiences and I take away much more than I give everytime.

A word of warning. I volunteered last News Years Eve. Late afternoon, the patients convinced me to make a beer run. The nurses and orderlies seemed to to be looking the other way thru the evening. 2 beer runs later, after midnight, things quieted down in the ward.

[Conservababe]

Try contacting our own Freeper USO Canteen.

[hole_n_one]

BUMP for a great idea!

[Betty Jane]

I have a list of about 10 young men serving in the DMZ of Korea. I asked my local school if they would like to 'pen pal" with them. The answer was no takers. If you would like to ship them there Freepmail me and I will give you several names and adresses.

[KKing]

I'm in Kuwait and working with the military. The soldiers here would love any books you or anyone sends. Here's the best address for the soldiers here:

Warfighters
CFLCC - C1
APO AE 09304

Thanks!

ps.. On the customs form just put 'Books for the Soldiers'

[arjay]

I have a lot of books that I could send. Is it very expensive to ship them overseas like that? There is a VA hospital nearby I could give them to, but I would really like the men in action to receive them.

[kayak]

FYI

[KKing]

You can save a few dollars by not shipping Priority mail. USPS parcel post eventually gets on a military space available transport and will get here in 7 days to 3 weeks.

It's mostly schools that send cards and huge thank you posters that are hung up at the chowhall (or DFAC as its called in these parts).

Try http://www.arcent.army.mil/familynews.html for some info and maybe they have a lead as to the individuals or groups that set up care package deliveries.

Thanks again

[Rocko]

Those Kenneth Roberts books may be worth some money...check bookfinder.com and you'll see what I mean. Instead of sending them overseas, you could sell them on eBay and send the proceeds to a good veterans' charity.

[snippy_about_it]

You've got freep mail.

[KKing]

Nada so far

[rface]

for the record, I will not be parting with any of the Kenneth Roberts collection.

[D. Miles]

not sure...ask if they give a receipt for the value of the books for tax purposes.