[patriciaruth]

What should I be buying & where should I send it? To you, or to someone directly in Iraq/Afghanistan?

Not very many of our troops need combs, but we are doing a toiletries drive for Bagram, Afghanistan, (soap, shaving gel, toothpaste, deodorant still needed). FReepmail me if you want to make up a box.

Or you could send me a check, money order, cash (for popcorn and cookie snacks for the troops), Walmart shopping card (for Gold Bond body powder for a Battery Combat Team at Kirkuk), or a Target gift card (for toiletries for Bagram), or an Amazon gift certificate (for movies and books or a DVD player for the troops).

We have a Paypal account, but about the only place I can use it is at eBay, and I have already bought the 4th of July decorations and about all the movies I care to there. And Paypal will take $2.50 off the top of whatever you send.

I'm going to hit up a generous, patriotic local donor in the next few days for some more headlamps for Mosul. If he can't afford any more, I'll be looking for other donors to continue that project.

Or you can suggest something you have or think they might like and I can check if any of our adopted units would want it.

We kind of go with the flow here. We send what they ask for and dream up stuff they might like.

Let me know.

[tax]

please put me on the ping list..

[shezza]

Hey, patriciaruth. You are an ANGEL! Thanks for taking such good care of our troops. DH is on his way to Afghanistan (he did Iraq in 2003 -- at least this tour won't be nearly as hot), and we also plan on sending him items to hand out to the places he visits as a coalition liason officer (orphanages, hospitals, schools). My sons' Boy Scout troop is collecting socks, because very few people have socks, even in the dead of winter (and many don't even have shoes).

One of the girls at church is engaged to a soldier in Iraq and she says whenever she sends him a care package, his buddies all gather around to see what he got, because many soldiers never get anything and just get pleasure out of seeing someone else get a goodie box. So she started sending little things for lots of others, and now practically the entire unit cheers when this soldier's name is called out during mail call, because they know there will be something in his box for them. She said there are many soldiers in her fiance's unit that don't even get a letter from back home, much less a box. Can you imagine?

Again, thanks for keeping this Care Packages for the Troops program going. Big hugs!

[Yaelle]

I would also like to know how my family could help the troops. We could just send you a donation but I think it would be move involving if my sons could go and buy stuff for them -- but really, whatever is best for our troops is best of all. Let us know how to help.