CARE PACKAGES for our Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, 2005

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1273305/posts ^ | 2-18-05 | patriciaruth

[Abigail Adams]

I haven't heard anything from our contact in Mosul about Christmas requests yet.

I am going to buy several boxes of hot chocolate to send. I don't think we can go wrong with hot chocolate! It's on sale this week at the grocery store, so I thought I'd go ahead and buy it.

If any of you see candy or other treats on sale and want to get them for the Stryker soldiers for Christmas, I'd say go ahead. Then when you are ready to send stuff, let me know what and how much you are sending. I'll let you know as soon as I hear back from Mosul about their Christmas requests. I would guess that they would like some Christmas movies and music, as well as decorations, but hopefully we'll hear from them soon.

Patty, any idea how many soldiers are in the Stryker brigade?

[ican'tbelieveit]

If they don't mind Halloween Candy, that should be on sale now.

[CAluvdubya]

I heard on the radio today that the U.S. Post Office is recommending that packages to the troops be sent by Nov 12th, in order to guarantee they will be there by Christmas. That is a week earlier than I was planning but I have no experience.

What do you all think?

[Abigail Adams]

The Nov. 12 date is for parcel post. We should all be using Priority Mail, and the dates for that are December 5 and 10 (depending on the APO #). So we have some time to get our stuff together, thank goodness!

[CAluvdubya]

Thank you. Priority Mail, got it. That scared me for a minute. :-)

[patriciaruth]

Mailed October 31, 2005, to TAL AFAR, 2 boxes
Box 1, value $33.02, postage $7.70
3 boxes 10 envelopes Swiss Miss cocoa (2 chocolate, 1 chocolate marshmallow)
5 Renuzit “airwicks” (3 After the Rain scent, 2 Cinnamon Apple)
3 bars Caswell-Massey sandlewood soap
1 DVD movie: Frequency with Dennis Quaid, Jim Caviezel
Thanksgiving pamphlet

Box 2, value $42.23, postage $7.70
9 Renuzit “airwicks” (4 After the Rain, 5 Cinnamon Apple)
1 box 10 envelopes Swiss Miss cocoa, chocolate
2 DVD movies:
The High and The Mighty (John Wayne) [for the airmen]
Kicking and Screaming (Will Ferrell, Robert Duvall, Dick Butkis) [donated by jtill]

---

Packed 1 box with left over Halloween candy and will mail tomorrow:
5 unopened bags individually wrapped (M&M plain, M&M peanut, Reese’s pieces, Reese’s mixed assortment, Snickers with Almonds)
6 sandwich bags with assorted loose candy (chocolate eyeballs, Reese’s minature cups, Dove chocolate caramels, etc.)

Would have been more, but we had 300 trick-or-treaters this year.
******

MJY1288's grandkids donated half their Halloween candy loot to the soldiers and MJY1288 packed it up and is mailing it out tomorrow. How about that!!

*******
All others who sent boxes this past week or are sending out in the next day or so, please post below.

[patriciaruth]

They do get bunched up toward the end at the Army staging area and receiving unit depots in country, so the sooner boxes, especially bigger ones, are sent out, the better.

But everything I sent from California by December 2 (priority airmail) made it last year, but I don't recommend shaving it that close.

There are more soldiers deployed this Christmas than last, so it may be more clogged than usual this year.

[CAluvdubya]

Okay thanks. I'm starting to catch on a little bit. Can you let me know if there are any tricks or known things about mailing that I should know. Priority mail is the way to go. Is there anything else? Do I have it insured?

[Fawn]

BUMP FOR LATER

[Fawn]

I tried reactivating my Paypal account and it was so screwed up I gave up.

LOL! Mine is too...I give up on it --forever. It was hacked...so now they want me to send them telephone bills and DNA for Gods sake to reactivate. They won't cancel without tons of proof...so I leave it in limbo. I don't trust it anymore either.

[patriciaruth]

I got another credit card and another bank account and now have an active and open Paypal account for receiving donations for care packages for the troops.

But Paypal is a pain to deal with.

[Abigail Adams]

Halloween candy on sale...That's a good idea!

[SwatTeam]

I packed 3 boxes today that will be sent to Kirkuk tomorrow.


The following books:
Running Blind by Lee Child
The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks
1776

3 boxes of tea bags, assorted flavors
68 individual packages hot chocolate mix, some with marshmallow bits
5 bags of candy, kit-kats, hersey's kisses,2 snickers, reeses peanut butter cups. These are big bags of individual bars.
And last but not least, 4 packages of Oreo cookies, 2 of them are the new peanut butter ones. There are so good. I hope the troops like them.

[patriciaruth]

I'm confused.

I thought these were going to the Engineers in Baghdad.

The Kirkuk units are leaving and not receiving mail any more.

I have a new APO for a new MI unit at Kirkuk.

[patriciaruth]

Insurance depends on total value and whether anything in it is a risk for theft.

DVD movies and computer games and appliances (like Xbox, DVD players, microwave, etc. are things that should be insured.)

We need to talk about redirect addresses. If you don't have one, check return to sender as return postage is already paid if you send a box priority.

[SwatTeam]

The only address is the one you gave me. It could be for Baghdad for all I know. I think it is for the Engineers.

[patriciaruth]

Yes, CSM ** is our contact for Engineers Combat Battalion in Baghdad.

All is well...

:-)

[SwatTeam]

Good. All I knew for sure was that they were going to Iraq. I think I got Kirkuk from reading all the milblogs I read every day. I'm off for the night. I've got about 6 more rows on a lap blanket I'm knitting so I am going to finish that tonight.

[CAluvdubya]

thanks, Patty. I'm actually being organized and saving info in one place so hopefully I won't be asking any questions twice, but you never know! :-)

[Ros42]

I made contact with Baghdad Psyops...he is forwarding my email to the Chaplain and "elves" to coordinate Christmas for them. ;) I'll let you know when I hear from them...in the meantime, I'm still sewing stockings! :)