Posted on 01/21/2006 3:06:06 PM PST by patriciaruth
Welcome to the 2006 thread of the Merry Band of Patriots!
Our grassroots, volunteer group of troop supporters has been sending care packages to servicemen and women in war zones since the summer of 2001 when we began by sending VHS movies and Snickers candy bars to the 101st Airborne and then later the 10th Mountain at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo.
This last year we sent a couple hundred care packages to troops at Baghdad, Kirkuk, Mosul and Tal Afar in Iraq, at Bagram in Afghanistan, at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo and to our wounded at Landstuhl Regional Hospital in Germany.
Our specialty in the past has been movies, books, snacks, holiday decorations and some appliances like DVD players and Playstations, and we have sent hundreds of movies to various bases.
This last year we had 6 main projects in addition to the usual care packages:
1. We sent over 80 state-of-the-art Petzl headlamps to our adopted company of Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Mosul and 35 to an MI unit at Kirkuk. This was probably the most appreciated item we've ever sent, thanks to a project that got off the ground due to the work of Spanaway Lori, HannaUSA , and Oatka and 3/4th of which was funded by my optometrist.
2. There was the Personal Care items "Emergency" Airlift to Bagram air base in June and July. (mathluv, nina0113, Coop, JustAmy, airborne, iceskater, Tunehead54, jtill participated.)
3. The 4th of July Party Decorations and Snacks blowout for all our adopted units. (pictures at posts 357, 358, 368 of our 2005 thread)
4. Operation Popcorn in August and September for the Engineers at Baghdad (iceskater, mathluv, SENClander, Coop, Abigail Adams, Ros42, Ican'tbelieve it, jtill and ebay's mshoponline sent over 600 bags of microwave popcorn, while omegatoo's were lost in the shuffle of her evacuating New Orleans prior to the Katrina flooding)
5. The End of Summer Luau for psyops at Baghdad in September and October (MJY1288 mailed off the party things we bought at eBay and Amazon with contributions from fanfan, kattracks, jtill, Just mythoughts, Ros42, Pig Rigger, MJY1288 and Kitty Mittens. Pictures at post 809 of the 2005 thread)
6. Halloween candy and movies for the Troops (kattracks, SENClander, Ican'tbelieveit, Abigail Adams mailed boxes in addition to the ones I sent with donations)
7. The Amazing Christmas and New Years Deluge, when it rained packages at all our adopted bases, especially at Tal Afar.
Special mentions go to Teams captains: mathluv (Engineers Baghdad), Ros42 (psyops Baghdad), CAluvdubya (Tal Afar), Abigail Adams (Stryker at Mosul), VeniVidiVici (MI at Kirkuk), nina0113 (Bagram, Afghanistan). Fairy Godmother Dept. (kattracks), Christmas Trees and Christmas Cards R Us (daybreakcoming), Shipping Dept (MJY1288), DVD Recording Dept (MJY1288), Webhosting and Photoshopping Dept (New Perspective), Daddy Warbucks Dept (my optometrist).
Among the many care packages sent by our troop supporters are these projects.
Boxes of school supplies for Iraqi children were sent by mathluv, Ican'tbelieveit, and my mother to Operation Crayon in Kirkuk.
Some members (CAluvdubya, angelsonmyside, 4integrity, ebay's susiemck) helped fill requests for Western Movies from an MI unit at Kirkuk (now home, movies still there) and Clint Eastwood and Adam Sandler movies from Fox Battery at Kirkuk (now home, movies still there).
bjcintennesse made many dozens of cooling neck scarves and sent them to pysops and Engineers at Baghdad.
DAVEY CROCKETT mailed boxesful of car magazines to a couple units.
A copy of the hardback book about the first year of the Revolutionary War (1776 by David McCullough) was sent to most of our units by DrDeb, iceskater, SwatTeam, and Just a Cowgirl.
Ros42 and mscht adopted a unit at Camp Ramadi for Christmas. (picture at 1195 of the 2005 thread).
CheneyChick and daybreakcoming saw to it that some care packages went to a remnant of our troops still in Kosovo.
Daybreakcoming's sister helped the staffers of the Louisiana legislature send about 8 boxes with around 32 bags of Christmas candy to Tal Afar.
Our many generous donors of checks, cash, money orders, Paypal, shopping cards, phone cards, etc are listed in the Accounting posts in our 2005 thread which can be linked from the post below.
We were surprised and emotional when we received back from our adopted units some of the items pictured below, and a big thank you to jkphoto for taking the pictures and webhosting them.
Well, as long as the disaster is controlled...seriously, Patty, we miss you here and hope things get on a more even keel soon and your brother will be OK. I know your husband misses you. You're irreplaceable!
We're all getting our Christmas stuff together and mailed and we'll keep posting to you so you'll know what's happening. In the meantime, stay well!
All under control for Bagram. I don't have time to post much because Thanksgiving is at my house and the latest count is 12. Painting & flooring of the guest rooms continues. I have individual gift bags for the 100 soldiers which I expect to ship Sat after T-day, but another week would still be okay. I'm still trying to think of a group gift for the unit.
Hi Patty!
Your life sounds like a whirlwind right now.
I hope you find spots of peace along the way.
:-)
I have a Canadian contact!
A nice big Christmas package is going out, and I only have to mail it in my province.
Thank you so much for the inspiration, Patty.
*HUGS*, and my prayers for your strength.
Fan.
Congratulations!!
I'm a whirlwind and you're a spin-off. Makes me proud.
God bless all Canadian soldiers!
Cheers!
Patty
I'm home and trying to find a place to set up my laptop since Mother moved into the guest bedroom.
I have a Santa Claus outfit here that I don't know which unit would enjoy the most. Any opinions?
My husband had decorated the house and her room welcoming her here to live...brought tears to my eyes.
I've been busy unpacking the boxes with her things that I and my brother packed. They keep arriving in huge lots and I have to keep clearing them and putting the items in their new places. Taking care of Mom is a bigger job than I thought. Actually I didn't think about it as I knew that would worry me. Better to forge ahead and figure out ways to do things more efficiently...
I am so greatful for all of you for keeping the doors open here. Let me know if I forgot to include anyone. I have no organized records for the last couple of months.
So far we're all doing fine. She and hubby played Scrabble while I tried to get back on line.
Please see post 2 down.
(I am eternally confused by your new name....)
Make that see the post 2 UP from this one...
Forgot to mention, I also sent a copy of "A Different Christmas Poem" by Jeff Giles.
Today I sent off the last boxes to the new unit in Baghdad -- 1 big 24 pound box and 3 flat rate boxes:
Big box:
2 bags chex mix
12 bags teddy grahams
60 individual packs hot chocolate mix
1 bag marshmallows
11 Christmas stockings, each filled with candy, nuts, mechanical pencils, ballpoint pens, memo pads, beef jerky, thick socks, handwarmers, and a candy cane.
Flat rate box 1:
1 big bag Christmas Hershey miniatures
1 big bag Christmas M&M's
1 gift travel pack (a WWII vet made these -- they include candy, cookies, snacks, kleenex, toothpaste, and toothbrush)
Flat rate box 2:
1 big bag Christmas Hershey kisses
3 gift travel packs
Flat rate box 3:
1 big bag trail mix
1 Claxton fruitcake -- had to do it :o)
2 gift travel packs
Christmas tree and decorations were sent earlier.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and everybody else on this thread.
Yesterday I mailed a box to Ramadi.
It contained:
3 1/2 doz scented votive candles
1 doz packages of incense
1 box of buttered popcorn
I put the candles in heavy duty plastic bags. Chris had requested "smelly" candles so when we went to the store to get fresh veggies for Thanksgiving we picked up that stuff.
Mosul Stryker unit it is.
Will pack and send them the Santa suit, and then see if we can send a bunch of candy canes or something for their "Santa" to pass out.
I don't think this suit has a beard with it. Any suggestions anyone?
A bag of cotton balls, an elastic ribbon, and some glue?
Hello, Merry Band of Patriots!
Anyone who wants to mail some Christmas goodies to our adopted soldiers in Iraq (Mosul, Ramadi, Baghdad) or in Afghanistan (Bagram Air Base near Kabul), just let me know. They need to be sent by Dec 5.
I'm going to be posting consolidated lists of what has already gone out to these bases tonight so we can see who could use a few more boxes.
I have a large box of just over 200 regular sized peppermint candy canes ready to be mailed to Stryker at Mosul tomorrow, for the Santa Claus to pass out. (Just sent them a Santa suit).
If anyone can quickly make a Santa sack (red velvet and drawstring tie) for the Santa to put the candy canes and other candy in, please let me know.
The 4 boxes I mailed November 1 (to Mosul, Baghdad, Ramadi) just before I flew to Texas and the 4 boxes I mailed yesterday to Mosul are listed in the next post.
Cheers!
a busy patriciaruth
Mailed November 25, 2006, to our new adopted Stryker company (from Ft Lewis, Washington) at Mosul, Iraq, 4 packages
Box 1, value $25, postage $8.10
½ Santa Claus suit (jacket and belt)
9 magazines (4 Sports Illus, 3 Washington Times, 1 Decision, 1 December Reader’s Digest)
1 Indian card calendar
Box 2, value $28.50, postage $8.10
½ Santa Claus suit (pants, hat, boot tops
snow drape to make beard out of
Army Green Book
Box 3, value $38.19, postage $8.10
2 bags 32.5 oz Hershey’s Nugget miniatures
2 bags 2 lbs Jelly Belly jelly beans
1 bag 20 oz Hershey’s milk choc kisses Christmas foil wrapped
4 assorted Russell Stover chocolate Santa Clauses
Box 4, value $38.19, postage $8.10
2 bags 32.5 oz Hershey’s Nugget miniatures
2 bags 2 lbs Jelly Belly jelly beans
1 bag 20 oz Hershey’s milk choc kisses Christmas foil wrapped
4 assorted Russell Stover chocolate Santa Clauses
Mailed November 1, 2006 to new Stryker at Mosul:
1 box, value $36.13, postage $8.10
3 bags Halloween candy:
1 bag 11.18 oz Snickers
1 bag 11.5 oz Heath bars
1 bag 22.53 oz M&M’s plain
1 Buffalo Snow drape with glitter (3 ft x 5 ft)
6 toothbrushes (donated by my dentist)
pkg of 12 Wet Ones (donated by my optometrist)
pkg 24 soap towelettes
Mailed November 1, 2006, to HHC of Stryker at Baghdad
1 box, value $51.50, postage $8.60 with delivery confirmation
4 books:
Collected Works, Shakespeare
Collected Works, Robert Louis Stevenson
Homer’s The Iliad
Unholy Alliance (David Horowitz)
1 educational tape:
Alef Bet (Introduction to Arabic, sounds of vowels,etc.)
4 half used bags Halloween candy (chocolate eyeballs, Indian corn, caramel kisses, Reese’s miniatures)
Mailed November 1, 2006, to the training unit at Baghdad
1 box, insured $99.97 (value $107), postage $10.40
3 TV boxed series:
Stargate SG-1, Season 5
CSI, Miami, Season 2
CSI, NY, Season 1
1 DVD movie:
The Last Samurai (Tom Cruise)
2 bags Halloween candy and 7 loose miniatures:
Hershey’s coconut Kisses,
Hershey’s nut lovers miniatures
1 laundry bag
1 CSI Transylvania Halloween card
1 magazine
Mailed November 1, 2006, to Camp Ramadi
1 box, insured $62.46, postage $10.40
1 TV boxed series:
Scrubs Season 4
2 movies:
Open Range (Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall)
National Treasure (Nicolas Cage)
Holiday Buffalo Snow Drape with glitter (3x5 ft)
Sports’ Illustrated with Trick or Treat cover
3 bags Halloween candy:
Reese’s peanut butter cups
Strawberry Twisler’s 60
1 bag 22.54 oz M&M’s peanut
Misc.
You're one fine lady Doc.
EMAIL from Camp RAMADI received November 5.
I got your box today with all the goodies and thank you very much. The trail mix is fantastic and is a healthy snack.
I love the way you fill the boxes to the hilt. The laundry bag is a unique stuffer, lol. I know there is a standard rate for priority mail boxes regardless of weight so you might as well jam pack them.
Well, amazingly we thought we would never see the end of the kool-aid and other drink mixes but we are nearing the end. Everyone is thankful for them. We drank a whole lot of water this summer, more than we ever thought possible. We are still drinking it because the only other option is the diet pepsi, diet 7 up and the juice boxes are what comes from the Dining Facility on base. Although, the chocolate milk boxes are a major success. When we get milk in, we mix it with the chocolate syrup that we still have too.
Things here are in limbo. We don't have any idea of when we will be packing up from here We think we are here at this site through the beginning of the year. We don't have any more information about pack out date.
So how are you doing? You never talk about yourself or how things are going. I am enclosing some pics of our wedding. [Wife] and I are working on seperate presentations as a competition. Do you have PowerPoint? You need it to view my presentation. Take care!
****
EMAIL from HHC of Stryker at BAGHDAD received November 23.
Dear Patty -
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. I hope the move is going well for you with your mother coming up. I received your last box of goodies with the movies, thank you. I just had my Thanksgiving dinner in the chow hall here in Kuwait. We will be back in frigid AK in the next 2-3 days. I'm not looking forward to the cold, but I am looking forward to being in the good 'ol USofA.
I should be in AK for a few weeks, then fly out on or about 15 DEC. The wife and I are going to spend a few days in GA, then drive up to NY to spend the holidays with some family I haven't seen in years, my grandfather especially. He and I have been real close, but I haven't seen him since my wedding over 4.5 years ago. I'm looking forward to the trip.
Thank you and the Merry Band of Patriots for all the support and care packages who have sent over the past 16 months. Your undying support is a real morale booster for the guys to know there are people out there, complete strangers to us, who vocally show their support helps out. I hope you are able to continue your good deeds for as long as we have Soldiers over here.
Thank you and have a Happy Holiday Season.
Sincerely,
***
Emails from Iraq received during November are posted above.
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.