8^)
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.
Beautiful.
8^)
My wife and I could send a care package. Please let us know what would typically be included and how much, and to what unit and we’ll put a package together.
Patty, I will be glad to send at least one, maybe more - jerky, personal care, etc. Just let me know what and to who.
Patty, I’ll send a couple to NPTT Liberty.
Hi Patty. Happy Wednesday.
I will get a couple of care packages in the mail for July 4th.
I’ve been trying to get something in the mail this week. As I buy, I store whatever I’ve bought in the pantry. Yesterday I was searching the pantry for items to send. My “grand-daughter” wanted to help. In my collection, she added 1 small cup of pudding and a small applesauce. She also put in plastic spoons.
After she went to school today, I removed her contributions. Maybe I should leave them in and write a note saying they were contributed by my 7 year old.
I think you should keep her contributions in the package. It’s good for her to make this part of her definition of herself and will be touching to the troops.
I’d think you have enough needs to fill with the 10th Mountain now; but if you want to send something to Afghanistan, FReepmail me your suggested retail price and I’ll recommend some things to put in a flat rate priority box for them.
Maybe you could just send the 10th Mountain some little American flags or other decorations for the 4th of July?
Thanks for the pretty bouquet!
I’ll FReepmail you an APO for Bagram Air Field in AFGHANISTAN.
THANK YOU!
There was a post and some addresses for the British soldiers on our Texas board. It said they had no one sending them things liike we do our soldiers. Do you know anything about that?
I know that fanfan is supporting her Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.
I’m sorry to hear about the Brits. If you can get me more information and a contact in Iraq or Afghanistan, I can order DVD movies from Amazon.co.UK that will play on Region 2 DVD players from England.
The Planet Earth series done by the BBC and narrated by David Attenborough was much better than the one they released in America narrated by Sigourney Weaver. The U.S. version was also much shorter with a lot cut out.
Let me check with snugs and find out what she knows about troops support for her Brits. I understand they are pulling out of Iraq, however, so it may not be timely to do anything there except a parting thank you gift.
Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Baghdad recently got a 4 month extension on their tour of duty. We are trying to send them some consolation gifts to show our gratitude for their dedicated and dangerous service.
Anyone who can send some games to use on the Wii, please let me know.
Mailed May 30, 2007, to our adopted company at FOB Stryker near Baghdad, 5 boxes, all donations from my optometrist, except for the postage and 4 boxes of drink mix.
Box 1, insured $57.84, postage $11.65 with delivery confirmation
Extra Wii remote controller and battery pack
1 Wii game that came with the Nintendo console (?Zynthia, twilight princess)
30 packages Boy Scout microwave popcorn, Kettle Corn
4 boxes CL On the Go singles (peach tea, raspberry ice, raspberry lemonade, and fruit punch)
Box 2, insured $356.34, postage $31.20 with delivery confirmation
Nintendo Wii game console (unopened box wrapped in bubble wrap)
Box 3, valued $45.00, postage $8.95
45 bags Kettle Corn microwave popcorn (valued at price he paid the Boy Scouts)
Box 4, valued $45.00, postage $8.95
45 bags Kettle corn microwave popcorn
Box 5, valued $45.00, postage $8.95
Wonderful, patriciaruth. I am so grateful to our troops.
More to come, thanks to you! :-)
Your optometrist is a good guy!
Privately I call him Daddy Warbucks. He has a heart of gold when it comes to our soldiers.
Okay .... I will send Marissa’s contributions in the same package that I’m putting the first grade letters in. The letters are not very original, since their teacher told them what to say. But the pictures they drew are.
I think I will pick up some more crackers tomorrow and some fillers so I can fill at least 2 boxes .... will try for three. :)
Sounds terrific! :-D
The soldiers will especially love the pictures from the kids— that’s a wonderful thing to have gotten them.
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