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.

[fanfan]

MJY1288 mailed off the party things we bought at eBay and Amazon, with contributions from Kattracks, jtill, Just mythoughts, Ros42, Pig Rigger, MJY1288 and Kitty Mittens.

No fanfan?

*pout*

[patriciaruth]

Oh, I am so behind! So sorry!!

The full report for the donations for the months of May, June, July and August is being delayed by personal difficulties, but you will be on it then for sure.

Some others who were contributers to the other projects will be on that report as well. So this is not a complete list of people who have been involved in our various projects, like toiletries for Bagram and popcorn for the Engineers in Baghdad, and movies for MI and Battery in Kirkuk. None of that is mentioned in this update.

[patriciaruth]

Check out post 677.

[patriciaruth]

I have down that you were sending your Harry Potter to the Engineers at Baghdad.

Swat Team already sent 1776 to the Engineers.

Could you send your copy of 1776 to Bagram, Afghanistan?

I'll FReep you the APO. It'll go to the soldier in the picture posted at 677.

[patriciaruth]

I have down that JustaCowgirl was originally going to send her copy of 1776 to Bagram, but I switched her to psyops in Baghdad and gave her that APO.

Can you confirm, Cowgirl, if your book has gone out yet, and that you have the address for Phillip?

Iceskater, the APO I just sent you for Bagram and the contact there is the one that needs a copy of 1776, but you may want to wait till Cowgirl confirms that I have it straight now.

[not2worry]

the anysoldier.com program is excellent! We have participated in it for more than a year now and we need to continue to support our Troops.

I am very concerned that Katrina has taken our focus away from our men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. We cannot let our Troops down...they cannot be forgotten....PLEASE support a soldier, even just a letter of encouragement means so much to these young men and women.

[patriciaruth]

I did give you credit with the unit in Bagram.

This was in an email I sent one of them:

"A nice lady in Canada is paying for the silk leis and the little paper parasols. How about that!"

[patriciaruth]

Correction:
psyops unit in Baghdad, not Bagram.

Man, I am not on top of anything lately....

[Ros42]

re: #677

WHEW! For a minute there I thought they were dropping your luau stuff out of the plane! LOL Great picture! And thank you Patty for all you do! God Bless our wonderful troops!!

[fanfan]

Awww. Thanks Patty.

I hope they have a great party.

Thanks for your tireless work.

[airborne]

Patty, do you have room on your mailing list for one more? There's a local lady I know who is in Afghanistan. They are desperate for hard candy, and I'm sending some, but I thought I'd give you a ring too.

[patriciaruth]

JustAmy was just telling me that she has a lot of lollypops that she wants to mail out.

I was going to give her our ususal Bagram APO, but if you have another validated soldier APO to give her for her to send her candy, please contact her.

She also has some other stuff, so check that stuff would be wanted, too.

[patriciaruth]

For a minute there I thought they were dropping your luau stuff out of the plane!

That gave me a good laugh. Thanks!

I'm now rounding up the information about Operation Popcorn to see how many bags of microwave popcorn we managed to get out to the Engineers in Baghdad in spite of Katrina.

You may have already told me, but did you manage to get your popcorn in the mail? How many bags (in how many boxes)?

[Ros42]

Patty~

I got them in the mail from Arizona, on August 29, and here's what I sent:

Box #1 is ActII Butter Flavored (28-3.5 oz bags)

Box #2 is ActII Butter Lover's (28-3.5 oz bags)

Thanks :~}

[patriciaruth]

I found your post that you were mailing them the next day.

It's been like a Wal-Mart in New Orleans here lately.

[patriciaruth]

Mailed 5 boxes on Saturday, Sept 10, 2005, to Psyops at Baghdad
Box 12
Bag 200 flexible straws multicolored pastels
Set used plastic measuring spoons
Plastic box 75 mini skewers for hors d’ouevres/drink garnishes
Bottle 30 maraschino cherries with stem in
Tupperware box

Box 13
2 bags 81 oz. Dole “Tropical Gold” premium cut pineapple in own juice
in Hefty bag

Box 14
12 cans 8 oz. Dole tropical fruit salad

Box 15
12 cans 11.5 oz Kerns Guava nectar

Box 16
1 bottle 12 oz. Rose’s sweetened lime juice
1 Tupperware box
4 pkgs Strawberry Ice Mist powdered drink mix

More going out Monday....

[airborne]

Thanks, patty.

BTW, I'm flying to Ft. Lewis in September 20th!

The Stryker boys are coming home!!

[patriciaruth]

Prayers up for a safe journey!!

[patriciaruth]

TOTALS sent already or this Monday to Baghdad luau

CONSUMABLES drinks and food:
6 Cans of 16 oz Coco Casa Cream of Coconut
6 Bags 81 oz Dole Tropical Gold premium cut Pineapple in own juice
4 Bottles 12 oz Rose's sweetened lime juice
2 bottles 64 oz Mr. and Mrs. T's margarita mix
22 cans 11.5 Kerns guava nectar
39 cans 8 oz.Dole tropical fruit salad
8 tubs of Marie's strawberry glaze
8 pkgs of Strawberry Ice Mist powder
2 bags 2 lbs. shredded coconut
4 bottles 1 liter Schweppe's ginger ale
2 bottles 30 maraschino cherries with stem in

(You will need to supply your own fresh bananas, 3-4 for each blender recipe that makes 2 drinks)

DVD's: Blue Hawaii (Elvis Presley), Songs of Aloha, Sunsets of Hawaii volume one

DECORATIONS, PARTY SUPPLIES
2 blenders/ice crushers
50 silk flower leis, various colors
6 artificial sprays of orchids (3 white, 3 purple)
2 envelop packages of card board and paper wall decorations and centerpieces
100 large plastic Hibicus print disposable drink cup (possibly washable and reusable)
24 plastic coconut cups
box 244 little paper parasols
bag 200 plastic flexible straws multiple pastel colors
2 boxes 40 light blue flexible straws
Plastic box 235 white stirrer straws
Plastic box 240 toothpicks with red and green cellophane frills
Plastic box 75 little plastic skewers, multicolored
set of measuring spoons
set of measuring cups
6 small plastic tubs (could put in them the drink garnishes already skewered or toothpicked, and straws in for dispensing)