Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

CARE PACKAGES for our Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, 2005
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1273305/posts ^ | 2-18-05 | patriciaruth

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.


TOPICS: Announcements; Extended News; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; carepackages; iraq; oef; oif; soldiers; supportourtroops; troops
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 741-760761-780781-800 ... 1,281-1,288 next last
To: nina0113

See patriciaruth's post # 757. I think she may have more details than I do. (who doesn't)


761 posted on 09/28/2005 5:45:19 AM PDT by airborne (My hero - my nephew! Sean is home! Thank you God!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 760 | View Replies]

To: airborne

Ah, I just remembered. It was DJ Skelton that was at Walter Reed late last year, not Bret.


762 posted on 09/28/2005 6:09:58 AM PDT by patriciaruth (They are all Mike Spanns)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 758 | View Replies]

To: The Right Stuff

FReep me your real name and address for our records, and I'll give you more info later today on how and where to send anything the kiddies make or write.


763 posted on 09/28/2005 6:17:21 AM PDT by patriciaruth (They are all Mike Spanns)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 759 | View Replies]

To: patriciaruth
FYI, I sent a small box with microwave popcorn and some red hots(her favorite) to the lady soldier i told you about. I explained your concern about sending candy, and asked her for information on her unit mission and her unit CO's approval for use as a secondary contact, as a way to get more current information.

I'll let you know when I get something back.

And, have I told you lately? Thank you!!!


764 posted on 09/28/2005 7:43:04 AM PDT by airborne (My hero - my nephew! Sean is home! Thank you God!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 763 | View Replies]

To: airborne

I am so glad that you put us in touch with Sean in the first place. All this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't given us a contact in Stryker Brigade.

We are all so happy to see the pictures of him and his buddies home!


765 posted on 09/28/2005 11:49:22 AM PDT by patriciaruth (They are all Mike Spanns)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 764 | View Replies]

To: All

GOOD NEWS POST:

Karzai, Musharraf agree on joint anti-terror drive
S. Mudassir Ali Shah & Borhan Younus

Afghanistan and Pakistan Thursday renewed their resolve to push ahead with their joint campaign against the menace of terrorism, which posed a grave threat to both the countries.

The reiteration of the vow came during an hour-long telephonic conversation between President Hamid Karzai and his Pakistani counterpart Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a senior official at the Presidential Palace told this news agency late Thursday night.

Karim Rahimi, spokesman for President Karzai, said the two leaders discussed the whole gamut of bilateral relations in a frank and candid manner. "They agreed on continuing high-level discussions on expanding mutually beneficial relations between the neighbours.

He added Musharraf and Karzai conferred in detail on security issues, the ongoing joint campaign against terror and ways of further strengthening relations between the two nations. "It was the Afghan president who made the telephone call after 7.00pm," the spokesman revealed.

During the call lasting 57 minutes, Rahimi said, the two leaders agreed on continuing with dialogue on questions of bilateral interest including trade and political cooperation. The two leaders would exchange visits, for which dates would be firmed up later on, to carry forward the process of mutual consultations, he continued.

Rahimi skirted the question if the border-fencing proposal, floated by President Pervez Musharraf during his recent US trip, was also discussed during the lengthy conversation. He, however, suggested the sheer duration of the call indicated wide-ranging talks on all subjects of interest to the two countries.


766 posted on 09/30/2005 2:58:58 PM PDT by patriciaruth (They are all Mike Spanns)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 765 | View Replies]

To: Abigail Adams; AIC; airborne; Alamo-Girl; ALOHA RONNIE; angelsonmyside; apackof2; AquariusStar22; ..
I got a box off to Bagram last week. Hopefully it'll be there in time for Halloween. Contents:

96 nab-packs Chips Ahoy
300 dumdum pops
500 tootsie roll midgees
150 minibags candy corn
3 bags peanut butter kisses
2 bags mini candybars
1 bag minibags raisinets & goobers
48 AA batteries
2 plastic jackolanterns
1 cd Halloween music (Monster Mash, Purple People Eater, etc.)

3 books to fill up the last of the space:
Sum of All Fears - Tom Clancy
Death Qualified - Kate Wilhelm
Cat Who Saw Red - Lillian Jackson Braun

Total weight: 44 lbs. The lady at the post office berated me for risking my back putting it all in one box & STRONGLY advised me to use two next time.




I didn't get in on the Popcorn for Iraq drive, but the BJ's warehouse store here has cases of Act II Butter Lover's at 36-bags for $7.59. I'll be sending some to Bagram for Christmas. I'm not affiliated with BJ's in any way, but I've got to put in a plug for warehouse stores - even though it's just the two of us, what we save on milk alone in six months pays for the annual membership. Most of the stuff on the list above came from there at a vast savings over even Wal-mart's prices.

One more comment: You can't imagine how surprised I was when I previewed this post and the short row of asterisks I typed for a separation became a full horizontal line. I did NOT know how to do that.
767 posted on 10/08/2005 6:55:05 AM PDT by nina0113
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 766 | View Replies]

To: nina0113

Nina, you're a dear. My sister-in-law is at Bagram and may be sampling some of your goodies. :o) Packages I've been sending to Kabul have taken between 10 and 14 days, regardless of the size/weight. I did an experiment last month sending three different sized boxes simultaneously, and the enormous heavy one arrived before the little 5x8 Priority box! I'm sure your box will make it in time to be the source of much enjoyment for Halloween festivities.


768 posted on 10/08/2005 8:17:02 AM PDT by shezza (God bless the folks in the trenches)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 767 | View Replies]

To: xsmommy

Here's my thread.

I'll get back to you on Monday.


769 posted on 10/09/2005 6:06:21 AM PDT by patriciaruth (They are all Mike Spanns)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: patriciaruth

thanks so much : )


770 posted on 10/09/2005 6:23:59 AM PDT by xsmommy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 769 | View Replies]

To: patriciaruth; All

Mailed today for the new Stryker Brigade:

5 big bags of Halloween candy in 2 boxes

Total pieces of candy: 343




patriciaruth, a couple of questions:

- Do you know about how many soldiers are in this unit?

- Is anyone else sending Halloween candy to this unit?

We were just wondering. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to give a little something to these soldiers!


771 posted on 10/11/2005 9:43:23 AM PDT by Abigail Adams
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 765 | View Replies]

To: Abigail Adams; The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff and I are also mailing out Halloween candy to our new adopted company of troops in Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Mosul. I don't know yet how many troops are in this company.

The Right Stuff is putting in letters and pictures from kids. Wish I could see them!


772 posted on 10/11/2005 6:09:00 PM PDT by patriciaruth (They are all Mike Spanns)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 771 | View Replies]

To: patriciaruth

Oh, letters and pics from kids...how cool! I hope the soldiers feel the love we are sending!


773 posted on 10/11/2005 6:16:20 PM PDT by Abigail Adams
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 772 | View Replies]

To: All

Mailed October 11, 2005, to an Army vet of war in Iraq now working as a civilian contractor in TAL AFAR (see map at post 625). He will pass these items on to the Marines, Soldiers, etc, who are there, whose deployment is still too fluid to be sure their APO’s are going to be stable for a while.
Box 1 (Thank you, Tunehead54, for your contribution toward this box for the troops to give to the kids)
Value $65.32, postage $7.70
4 boxes 24 packs Bazooka bubble gum
10 loose packs Bazooka bubble gum
Book: Hondo (Louis L’Amour)
Miniflashlight freebie in pack of 8 AA batteries
2 packs tissues
Couple garbage bags with cinches for stuffing

Box 2, insured $67.27, postage $9.90
4 DVD’s:
The Sixth Sense (Bruce Willis, Joel Haley Osment)
Gettysburg (Jeff Daniels, Martin Sheen)
DC 9/11: Time of Crisis (Timothy Bottoms)
In Memoriam NYC 9/11/01 (narrated by Rudy Giuliani)
Halloween candy:
22 oz Bag Reese’s miniature peanut butter cups
29.25 oz Bag Reese’s Snack Assortment (peanut butter cups, white chocolate cups, inside out cups)
1 can 11.6 oz Folger’s Hazelnut ground coffee (I think Ros42 sent this back in July)
1 small plastic bat
1 small plastic spider
Recordings: 1 June, 1 July, 1 set of 2 Sept. of Rush Limbaugh; Company of Heroes; and President Bush's May speech on Iraq--MJY1288


Mailed October 11, 2005, to a Stryker Brigade Combat Team company at MOSUL
Box 1, value $20.41, postage $7.70
6 bags Halloween candy:
38 oz. CreepyPeepers (Chocolate eyeballs with fudge, caramel or peanut butter centers)~80
19.5 0z. Hershey Nut Lovers ~70
11.6 oz. Payday 17
25 0z. Brach’s Mellowcreme pumpkins ~100
12 oz Hershey kisses with almonds ~80
29.25 oz. Reese’s Snack assortment ~38

Box 2, insured $143.78, postage $10.90
Halloween candy: Bag 14 Snickers with almonds, divided into sandwich bags and tucked into nooks and crannies.
1 small plastic spider
1 small plastic bat
10 DVD movies:
Red Dragon (Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Fiennes, Ed Norton)
The Alamo (Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton)
The Fifth Element (Bruce Willis)
The Last of the Mohicans (Daniel Day-Lewis, Russell Means)
The Man from Snowy River (Tom Burlinson)
Mercury Rising (Bruce Willis shoots Alec Baldwin)
Rockwell (Karl Malone)
Spiderman 2 (Toby McGuire)
Shane (Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur)
True Lies (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis)
3 Books:
Hondo (Louis L’Amour)
The Virginian (Owen Wister)
Deliver us from Evil (Sean Hannity)
4 magazines:
Slam 2005-2006 NCAA preview
Surfer /Slater vs. Irons Part II
Automobile/Z06 vs. Ford GT vs. Viper
Decision /on evangelical mission in Moldavo
Recordings:
August and Sept. Rush Limbaugh recordings, 2 DVD set for each month-- MJY1288
Article by George Will on Doctrine of Preemption

Mailed October 11, 2005, to MI unit at KIRKUK
1 box, insured $99.17, postage $9.90
9 DVD movies:
Silence of the Lambs (Anthony Hopkins, Jody Foster)
Scream (Courtney Cox)
The Wild Bunch (William Holden)
3:10 to Yuma (Glenn Ford)
The Rare Breed (Jimmy Stewart, Maureen O’Hara)
Nevada Smith (Steve McQueen)
My Darling Clementine (Henry Fonda)
Tombstone (Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Charlton Heston)
The Ranger, the Cook, and the Hole in the Sky (Sam Elliott)
Recordings of Rush MPG files for August and September (each a 2 DVD set)MJY1288
4 bags Halloween candy:
2 bags 22 oz miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups
25 oz bag Brach’s mellowcreme pumpkins
10 oz.bag Snickers with almonds
1 small plastic bat
1 small plastic spider

Mailed October 11, 2005, to a Battery at KIRKUK
1 box, insured $56.59, postage $7.70
3 DVD movies
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Scary Movie
White Hunter, Black Heart (Clint Eastwood)
5 bags Halloween candy:
25 oz bag Brach’s Mellowcreme Pumpkins
2 bags 19.5 oz Hershey’s miniatures Nut Lovers
2 bags 22 oz. Reese’s miniature peanut butter cups
Rush recordings MPG files for 2 set DVD’s of August and Sept.MJY1288
1 small plastic bat
1 small plastic spider
3 bottles of 100 aspirin tablets 5 grains [last of items sent by jtill]--for Chaplain to give to local clinic
Picture of U.S aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan

Mailed October 11, 2005, to BAGRAM air base, AFGHANISTAN
1 box, insured $99.53, postage $9.90
6 DVD movies:
The Others (Nicole Kiddman)a ghost story
Kiss the Girls (Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd)a horror thriller
Sons of Katie Elder (John Wayne, Dean Martin)
Tombstone (Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott)
The Cowboys (John Wayne)
The Man from Snowy River (Tom Burlinson)
2 Books:
Reagan’s War (Peter Schweizer)
The Connection (Stephen Hayes)
2 magazines:
Slam 2005-2006 NCAA preview
People October 17 issue
2 sets August and Sept Recordings of Rush MPG files (2 DVD’s per set)-MJY1288
6 TicTacs (last of items sent by jtill)
6 packs of 6 Blow Pops (last of items sent by jtill)
sheet of children’s comic stickers
1.9 oz tube of hair conditioning crème
box 42 Cottonelle’s flushable wipes
6 packs Bazooka chewing gum
1 small plastic bat
1 small plastic spider
Newsletter about evangelism in Moldova




774 posted on 10/11/2005 6:26:25 PM PDT by patriciaruth (They are all Mike Spanns)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 772 | View Replies]

To: Abigail Adams; AIC; airborne; Alamo-Girl; ALOHA RONNIE; angelsonmyside; apackof2; AquariusStar22; ..

Posted a couple posts above are the lists of the contents of care packages just mailed out to TAL AFAR, MOSUL, KIRKUK in Iraq and to BAGRAM air base, Afghanistan.

I am almost finished with a few boxes going to our 2 adopted units at BAGHDAD.

Anyone who wants to mail out some Halloween candy to TAL AFAR (see map at post 625) or to MOSUL by next Tuesday, please FReepmail me.

A big THANK YOU to nina0113 who is taking over command and control for BAGRAM.


775 posted on 10/11/2005 6:32:43 PM PDT by patriciaruth (They are all Mike Spanns)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 774 | View Replies]

To: nina0113

I forgot to put my name on the ping list I gave you to report on the packages you were sending and to post updates on your Christmas for Bagram project.

patriciaruth

:-)


776 posted on 10/11/2005 6:42:24 PM PDT by patriciaruth (They are all Mike Spanns)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 775 | View Replies]

To: Abigail Adams

WOW! You sure mailed a nice lot of candy there. It's going to be exciting for them to get your boxes first and then mine and The Right Stuff.

Airborne's nephew Sean was in the company that preceded this newly adopted company and he says they do feel the love when we do this.


777 posted on 10/11/2005 6:49:06 PM PDT by patriciaruth (They are all Mike Spanns)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 771 | View Replies]

To: Abigail Adams

WOW! You sure mailed a nice lot of candy there. It's going to be exciting for them to get your boxes first and then mine and The Right Stuff.

Airborne's nephew Sean was in the company that preceded this newly adopted company and he says they do feel the love when we do this.

I watched all those Halloween horror movies...to make sure they were okay. Scary Movie 2 was screened out and sent back to the seller because it was not only incredibly disgusting, but also boring. Scary Movie (the first one) was much better (despite some over the top scenes), a funny take off on I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream among others. So I sent those movies to the same base.

The best of the Halloween horror flicks--Red Dragon (Anthony Hopkins prequel to Silence of the Lambs) and, of course, The Sixth Sense with Bruce Willis.

When I was screening Westerns for MI at Kirkuk, my husband got so he'd abandon ship rather than watch another one. I hardly ever saw him while I was wading through the slasher movies.

Tonight I get to watch The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It's a replacement from the seller...the first one was too slashed up to play....



778 posted on 10/11/2005 6:58:21 PM PDT by patriciaruth (They are all Mike Spanns)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 771 | View Replies]

To: patriciaruth

Thank you letter from Operation Crayon:

Thank you very much for the school supplies you sent to ***. He was kind enough to pass them along to a sub-unit in the battalion working in eastern Iraq. We really appreciate the support that you and groups like Merry Band of Patriots provides to the children of Iraq. The village schools that we typically give these supplies to have little or no electricity or water in the building. The kids are very thankful and happy to see us and it fosters good will in the future generations of Iraqis.


779 posted on 10/11/2005 7:11:17 PM PDT by ican'tbelieveit
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 775 | View Replies]

To: patriciaruth

That's real commitment to make yourself watch those slasher movies. You couldn't pay me enough to watch those!(I'm a sensitive viewer!) I'm sure the soldiers will love the movies!


780 posted on 10/11/2005 7:16:49 PM PDT by Abigail Adams
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 778 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 741-760761-780781-800 ... 1,281-1,288 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson