Posted on 02/19/2005 12:40:42 AM PST by 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.
Email from PsyOps in Baghdad:
Patty;
The first six boxes evidently got here pretty quickly--we were lucky. I certainly hope the lady who had to evacuate has more luck, and is able to go home as soon as possible. Please tell her the troops over here are very concerned about the impact Katrina has had on so many lives--units are trying to organize a diversion of excess supplies to assist the evacuated victims instead.
So, we were able to surreptitiously open the boxes and take stock today (remember, this is theoretically a surprise to most of the crew *g*)
We rec'd the Rose's Lime Juice and the maraschino cherries just fine. Also rec'd six flower branches, two bags of crushed pineapples in juice, 10 cans of tropical fruit salad, the straws, the toothpicks, 1 bag shredded cocoanuts, stir sticks, and the DVDs.
Plus lots of MWR stuff mixed in, for which we are suitably grateful. Thank you!
[bjcintennessee] sent a box of neck scarves, and we will be sending her a thank you as well.
We have our family members chasing down final items, and are taking the money raised here to order things online. To make certain we do not duplicate stuff, there were just a few questions (there are always questions!)
You have referred several times to recipe tryouts--are you going to send us the ingredients as well as the recipes, or let us know enough in advance what we should be getting?
And should we be ordering bottles of mixer (like for Margaritas) We've been so busy (although evidently not as busy as you) that I've lost track a little on that plan.
Elsewise, we are keeping an eye out for the leis and drink umbrellas *g*
By the way, at SSG **'s direction we have gotten a shirt for the big boss to wear labeling him "The Big Kahuna" heheeehe.
This is going to all be great. Morale here has definitely had its ups and downs; this luau is going to put everyone in a better place.
Much thanks as always for your efforts; stay healthy and happy, know that we are thinking of you.
v/r
SPC **
[Totals for what we are sending are in the post above, addressed to all]
BUMP!!!
ping.
Another email from Baghdad (psyops unit) is posted at #701.
This email just came in from the Engineers Combat Battalion at Baghdad.
****
Patricia,
The popcorn has been a huge hit.
The smell of buttered popcorn now permeates our BN Headquarters and each of our Company Orderly Rooms.
The Soldiers have truly been amazed by your group's generosity.
On behalf of all of us in the ** Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart.
God Bless, Take Care.
***
Post 700 has the Totals of what is being sent to psyops for the luau.
Good news BUMP! Thank you so much for being there.
Patty
Please send our love to these brave young men and women.
Thank you again for all you do and letting us be a small part of it.
Just got this email from ECB in Baghdad:
We received neck scarves a few weeks ago. I gave them to the BN Supply sections to be evenly distributed across the BN.
Once again, a heartfelt thanks to everyone in your organization. Your support has been tremendous and very much appreciated.
We have been deployed about 7 1/2 months now and all the support we've received has really helped to keep morale high. Your efforts make a big difference in the lives of our
Soldiers!
Thanks you.
***
It's nice to hear the popcorn has arrived and is being enjoyed. Thanks again! :-)
Well, I'm still reading 1776 so I'm not quite ready to mail it out yet. I'll send it wherever it's wanted - not a problem!
Mailed Monday, Sept 12, 2005, to psyops in Baghdad
Box 17
1 bag 81 oz Dole “Tropical Gold” premium cut pineapple in own juice in
Hefty bag
1 plastic 1 liter bottle Schweppe’s ginger ale
Box 18
2 tubs Marie’s strawberry glaze
1 liter plastic bottle Schweppe’s ginger ale
2 cans Kerns Guava nectar
1 can Dole’s tropical fruit salad
Box 19
1 bottle 12 oz. Rose’s sweetened lime juice
1 Tupperware box
4 pkgs Strawberry Ice Mist powdered drink mix
Box 20
2 bottles 1 liter plastic bottle Schweppe’s ginger ale in ziplock baggies
Box 21
5 cans 11.5 oz Kerns guava nectar
4 cans 8 oz. Dole tropical fruit salad
set plastic measuring cups that measure a bit short
Recipes in duplicate in plastic sleeves.
Box 22
5 limes
2 packs Blue Ice
4 boxes flavor extracts: orange, strawberry, banana, rum
2 “church key” can openers
We have a new unit at Mosul, another company of Stryker Brigade that is taking over for the one we had adopted before.
See post above for more items mailed out to psyops in Baghdad for their Hawaiian party.
Mailed September 12, 2005, to new Stryker Brigade company at Mosul
16 DVD’s:
9/11 Filmmaker’s Commemorative Edition (firefighters inside WTC)
In Memoriam, NYC, 9/11, narrated by Rudy Giuliani
Alamo (John Wayne)
American Pie
Charlie’s Angels (Carmen Diaz, Lucy Liu, Drew Barrymore)
Conagher (Sam Elliott, Katherine Ross)
El Dorado (John Wayne, Robert Mitchum)
The Man who Shot Liberty Valence (John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart)
The Shootist (John Wayne, Lauren Bacall)
Sons of Katie Elder (John Wayne, Dean Martin)
Spanglish (Adam Sandler)
Star Trek: Nemesis (the second generation cast)
S.W.A.T.
Tears of the Sun (Bruce Willis)
Tombstone (Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer)
True Grit (John Wayne)
1 BOOK:
The Connection (Stephen Hayes)
2 decorated thank you letters from Ros42, 5 cards (from angelsonmyside, Lion Den Dan, JustaCowgirl, Theresawithanh, iceskater)
4 DVD recordings done by MJY1288:
Rush June and July
Company of Heros
President Bush’s speech on Iraq
2 Army magazines, 1 Army newspaper
1 pk travel tissue
BUMP.
BUMP
Glad to hear our popcorn made it to Baghdad!
I was just thinking, I wonder if any of the soldiers in the new group at Mosul would like pen pals? Maybe we could ask, and people here in our Merry Band of Patriots could volunteer to be pen pals to them. What do you think?
I just read a review of a book that would make a great gift: ROBERTS RIDGE by Malcolm MacPherson. It was published about two weeks ago and received excellent reviews. Deals with stories of courage and valor in the war in Afghanistan.
I'm tied up with family until Thursday. I'll talk with you then about that.
Cheers!
Patty
This email came:
Just wanted to let you know that the Waring Blender arrived. Yippee skippee! The packing list cites cups and decorations; we presume they are in another box. Please tell Mr. Young how cool he is!
[I'll be out of touch till Thursday. But another email said my boxes 7-11 arrived also, and mentioned "blenders", so they may both be there now.]
Gott run...family calls....
Thanks so much for the popcorn and the books. The Soldier’s really do appreciate everything you and the “Merry Band of Patriots” do for us. We have been deployed here in Baghdad for *** months so far with *** more to go. The support of people like yourself makes a big impact on morale. It is very easy to start thinking everyone has forgot about you while deployed. Once again, thanks for everything. Take Care,
Oh, that's wonderful!
I've been out of touch. My Mom's modem was broken while I was visiting her in Texas (north of Dallas) these past 8 days.
Looks like your books got there!
Yippee skippee....LOL! That was in an email from one of our contacts in Baghdad.
Me, I'm just a plain ole "yippee" kinda gal.
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