CARE PACKAGES for our Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, 2006

patriciaruth ^ | 1-21-06 | patriciaruth

[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.

[patriciaruth]

Hey!

I just figured out that the mysterious email was the notice of your pledge payment to Paypal!

THANK YOU!!

[Enterprise]

480 pencils ordered and soon to be enroute to Operation Crayon. They have bunny & chick design on 240 of them, and zoo animals on the other 240.

[fanfan]

Letter from Afghanistan.......

---

Fanfan;

We received your package a little while ago. Thank you for the movies, popcorn, chocolate, etc. I have given the box to my replacement LCol XXXXX XXXXXXXX. He will set up a movie night for the incoming nurses.

We appreciate you thinking of us and taking the effort to send the items to the unit.

Take care

XXXXXX

[patriciaruth]

Whoopie! It is so great when you hear back, isn’t it?

God bless you and the Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.

[SENClander]

Hi, Patty,

Three more boxes (flat rate) went out to NPTT, Camp Liberty.

Box 1:
1 box (10 each) Orville Redenbacher popcorn
4 shakers various flavored popcorn salt
1 plastic jar horseradish mustard (not for the popcorn!)
7 boxes (10 ea) Crystal Light on-the-go drink mix
1 DVD, “The Mummy” (Brendan Fraser)

Box 2:
1 box (10 ea) Orville Redenbacher popcorn
2 shakers various flavored popcorn salt
1 plastic jar Dijon mustard
8 boxes (10 ea) Crystal Light on-the-go drink mix
1 DVD, “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” (Clint Eastwood)
2 American Rifleman magazines

Box 3:
11 bars Irish Spring soap
11 Schick Xtreme razors
11 travel size shaving cream
11 travel size mouthwash
11 travel size deodorant

I also ordered 11 prepaid phone cards which were sent on August 21.

[patriciaruth]

Update:

9/11 is coming soon, and I’m preparing a couple boxes of movies to send to Bagram, Afghanistan. If anyone would like to send some toiletries (personal care items) for the guys out at the fire bases, please let me know if you don’t have the latest APO. They also like edible goodies.

SENClander sent 3 boxes to NPTT at Camp Liberty (see post above), which they will especially treasure as they prepare to return stateside.

Due to Mom-care and heavy expenses (new roof, rebuilt transmission), I haven’t had time or money to adopt as many units this year as last year. With the passing of kattracks and the loss of some regular troop supporters to another website, we could use some more people stepping up to the plate to send care packages or donations toward care packages.

I’m holding off on adopting follow-on units in Iraq until I hear who will be able to help out with Halloween candy and Christmas packages this year. A little bit can go a long way toward letting them know we care.

My sister will be coming in a couple weeks to look after Mom for 4-5 days and I’m hoping I can finally get the next thread and the 2007 audits posted and maybe attract a few new active members.

Also needed is someone to follow in kayak’s footsteps (now in Heaven) and post the daily or semi-weekly prayer list for soldiers in the war zones.

Meanwhile, for the financially challenged, thank you cards or notes/letters of appreciation are most welcome for 9/ll. Mail generally gets to Bagram in 7-8 days from the west coast, so mail that goes out by the 4th of September should make it from most locales in the U.S.

Bless you all (members and lurkers of the Merry Band of Patriots) for all your prayers and efforts over the past 6 years!!

Cheers!
Patty

[yorkie]

I don’t know how to handle this situation:

Over two months ago, one of our troops said that he would love beef jerky. (I guess they can wash it off if it gets sand on it, and it is a pure source of protein.) I twisted a friend’s arm, and we went shopping.

We got the best price we could - but management wouldn’t give us a discount. So what? It was for our troops! We went for it - big time, and splurged!

We each bought over 80 pkgs. of beef jerky, and sent it to the ‘soldier’ that day. We totally filled the ‘flat rate’ box, filled out the custom’s forms and were greatful that we could help our troops in this way.

I emailed the ‘soldier’ twice, requesting that he let me know when he got his jerky - but he never replied to my emails. (I know he is ok - he still posts here.)

I have never gotten another response - and do not want to email him again - for fear that he might think I am a ‘stalker’.

I am really reticent to send another pkg. to our guys and gals - because, if they don’t let us know they get it - we will always be wondering.

This whole situation has really bothered me. Why didn’t the ‘soldier’ tell me he didn’t get the jerky (if, in fact he didn’t?) At least I could have had the Postal Service do a trace on it.

Anyone have any suggestions?

[SENClander]

Patty,

Count me in on sending some Halloween candy and Christmas goodies. I can send a box or two to Bagram, but I’d also like to send a box or two to Camp Liberty — if we continue with the replacement unit.

[PGalt]

FR’s finest support America’s finest. Thanks Patty. BTTT!

[norton]

"I know he is ok - he still posts here."

Seems that would be sufficient to get his attention.

[JustAmy]

Patty

I can help with 3 or 4 boxes for Halloween and another 3 or 4 for Christmas.

I have some candy and granola bars that can go anytime.

Do you know if the temps have cooled off enough for chocolate?

[patriciaruth]

Our first chocolate goes out with the Halloween candy in mid-October. Thanks so much for volunteering ahead of time.

I’ve got you on the list now.

:-D

[patriciaruth]

You have FReepmail...

:-)

[patriciaruth]

I’ll see about getting you a new APO as soon as possible.

:-D

[nina0113]

I finally, finally, got my box off to Iraq.

Mailed Saturday, 26 lbs, postage $35.80

9 boxes drink mix (those little tubes that go in the water bottles)
4 packs sliced beef sausage (6 oz)
Brachs FruitSnacks (50 .6 oz bags)
3 10-paks of gum (Big Red, Juicy Fruit, doublemint)
48 bags peanuts
30 paks oreos
60 oz miniature candy bars (I know it’s early for chocolate, but they’re in the mylar packages)
12 bags mini Chips Ahoy
Books:
Shadow Prey, by Lucas Sandford
Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
Serpent, by Clive Cussler
Field of Dishonor, by David Weber
Prey, by Michael Crichton
Ender’s Game, By Orson Scott Card
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling.

[patriciaruth]

NOTE to all: All our Iraq APO’s are void now. I’m in process of getting new ones.

Mailed September 4, 2007, to Bagram, Afghanistan, 3 care packages, practically all paid for by contributions from jtill, Ros42, PigRigger, manna, and my mother

1st package, value $10.72, postage $4.60
16 month National Parks calendar, Sept 07 - Dec 08

2nd box, insured $88.28, postage $11.00
12 DVD movies:
City Slickers (Billy Crystal, Jack Palance)
Galaxy Quest (Tim Allen, Tony Shalhoub, Sigourney Weaver)
Last of the Dogmen (Tom Berenger, Barbara Hershey)
Lethal Weapon 1, 2, and 3 (Mel Gibson, Danny Glover)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne)
Outland (Sean Connery)
Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
Total Recall (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone)
Walk the Line (Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon)
2 bags 28 oz tropical trail mix
7 packs 12 Orbit sugarless gum (spearmint, cinnamon, peppermint, bubblemint)

3rd box, insured $143.50, postage $11.40
1 TV series:
Planet Earth (BBC complete version, narrated by David Attenborough)
11 DVD movies:
Along Came a Spider (Morgan Freeman)
Air Force One (Harrison Ford)
Beverly Hills Ninja (Chris Farley) – not recommended if not a dumb movie fan
Escape from New York (Kurt Russell)
The Kentuckian (John Wayne)
My Cousin Vinny (Marisa Tomei, Ralph Macchio, Joe Pesci)
Shanghai Knights (Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson)
There’s Something about Mary (Cameron Diaz, Ben Stiller)
Tombstone (Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott)
True Lies (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis)
The Tuxedo (Jackie Chan, Jennifer Love Hewitt)
1 bag 28 oz tropical trail mix
8 packs 12 Orbit sugarless gum (mixed variety)

[Abigail Adams]

I’m hoping I’ll be able to help out with Halloween, at least. We’ve been very busy this summer with in-laws visiting, and money has also been a bit tight. Put me on your list!

[Ros42]

I too, will be able to send at least a few boxes for Halloween, so let me know where to send them when you get new addy’s. Thank you for all you do Patty.

[patriciaruth]

Thanks for volunteering for Halloween!

I’ve put you on the reminder list, and hope I remember to remind you.

If October 1 rolls around and you haven’t heard from me, please FReepmail me....

[patriciaruth]

Forgot to list in the third box, one movie (Flight 93) and one sample tea bag (ginger peach green tea.