Posted on 03/29/2008 11:24:00 PM PDT by patriciaruth
Welcome to the 2008 thread of the Merry Band of Patriots!
Our grassroots group of troop supporters started in the summer of 2001 by sending VHS movies and Snickers candy bars to the 101st Airborne and later the 10th Mountain at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo. We are not an organized charity as no one of us has the time or energy to do all that paperwork, and any contributions made are not tax deductible.
Our specialty in the past has been movies, books, snacks, personal care items, holiday decorations and some appliances like DVD players, microwaves, and Playstations; and we have sent many hundreds of movies to various bases. Normally we adopt a whole unit and send care packages to a contact in that unit who distributes the goodies to all in the unit. When our adopted units rotate back stateside, they leave the items which are not consumable for the use of their follow-on unit. Thus we have helped build up entertainment libraries throughout the war zones.
REVIEW OF 2006
In 2006 we entered our 6th year of sending care packages to our troops in war zones We adopted the follow-on PSYOP company at Bagram air base in Afghanistan and a follow-on Stryker Brigade company at Mosul in Iraq. We also adopted a new company of 141st Signal battalion in the 1st Armored Division that started at Tal Afar and was soon moved to Ramadi as a tip of the spear there in 2006, just after another adopted unit (Old Sarge’s unit) at Ramadi left. Here are a couple emails from Chris that say it all for what they went through there.
“The bad news is that my team has been activated and now has a mission in downtown Ramadi, the most dangerous place in Iraq.” –June 15, 2006
“…can you say, BOMB MAGNET?!!” -- June 16, 2006
[It didn't help that a reporter with a major news service helped the terrorists spot their RPG trajectories by publishing that one had fallen 20 feet short, resulting the next day in an RPG killing one of our contact's fellow soldiers.]
“Last week another soldier and I were at our communication trucks when an RPG hit a humvee right outside our compound wall about 10 feet away. It rocked the trucks. We both opened the doors to our trucks to run inside when a 2nd RPG flew over the wall, through our camouflage net, bounced off the top of our trucks and hit the ground exploding right in front of us. I was closest, about 2 feet away. The blast threw us back into the trucks. The other guy only had his glasses knocked off. He got right back up and ran inside. I don't remember the exact details but I remember the blast throwing me back inside the truck and into the signal equipment. I think I was stunned and dazed because I sat there for a few minutes before I regained situational awareness and got the hell out of there. I suffered a concussions and some hearing loss.” –August 10, 2006
A lot of prayers were said for our guys at Ramadi, which is now a relatively peaceful city under Anbar Awakening, and our contacts are safely home.
In 2006 we were also glued to a couple companies of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Richardson in Alaska. (Most of the Brigade bases at Ft Wainwright.) Our adopted company in an SBCT the year before had been at Fallujah 2004 and then met evil face to face and endured some horrific times at Mosul (2004-2005). They witnessed atrocities to the civilian population by the terrorists and they experienced IED attacks and the mess hall bombing at FOB Marez that left some of our company very severely injured with one KIA.
Their follow-on unit and a sister company that we also adopted were faced with pacifying the towns along the Syrian border. In 2006 they moved out from Mosul into Ft Talafar, FOB Heider, COP Rawah, and other locations and brought a return to sanity for the locals from the murderous reign of radical and vicious terrorists enforcing their idea of Sharia law.
Alpha company of 4-23 infantry regiment of SBCT was out in the sand in tents at COP Rawah in the late winter and into the blistering summer heat with few amenities, so we concentrated on sending them packages.
In May of 2006, because I believed our adopted 172nd Stryker units and our 1AD unit at Tal Afar were going to be in an upcoming major offensive, I urged our troop supporters to send a great many care packages for the Fourth of July.
The Merry Band of Patriots responded by sending over a hundred care packages to our adopted units for the Fourth of July. More detail will be in one of the first posts of this new thread.
As feared, just as their tour ended and they were getting on planes to go back to Alaska, our two adopted 172nd SBCT companies had their tours extended and were turned around and sent to Baghdad in 120 degree heat. They pretty much arrived with just the clothes on their backs, having given away to their follow-on unit or mailed home most of their “comfort” and recreational items. They had to beg back their Stryker vehicles and unpack and reassemble and resight their weapons. ‘Stryker at the special location’ (FOB Heider) went, too; and all were reunited again at FOB Stryker at Baghdad. Some 200 plus of them returned from Alaska.
We did an emergency mailing of packages to help reequip them with odds and ends, like surge protectors, flexible cold packs, pillows, sheets, soccer ball inflators, drink mix, DVD movies and boxed TV series. kattracks, bjcintennessee, daybreakcoming, DAVEY CROCKET, JaneAustin, Just A Nobody, SwatTeam, JoyjoyfromNJ, Enterprise, MJY1288, norton, JustAmy, Abigail Adams, DrDeb, Ros42, my optometrist, SENClander, patriciaruth all sent packages.
In return a few of us got T-shirts from the Apache Renegades (Juan’s Stryker unit), with their mascot [skull with Indian war bonnet] over a map of Iraq with this inscription:
OIF
Aug 05 – Dec 06
Mosul Rawah Baghdad
“STRIKE FEAR”
We adopted a new unit in the Fall of 2006, an NPTT unit (National Police Transition Team) at Baghdad, on the recommended of Juan in the 172nd SBCT, because his brother Andy was a member of the unit. (Another brother was serving in Afghanistan. What a family!)
We also sent 19 packages to Kirkuk for Operation Crayon summer 2006 with school supplies for the local kids.
We communicated with and sent some packages to a few wounded warriors at a Fisher House for transitional treatment of those just discharged from Walter Reed.
We sent some packages to Irbil where some MI soldiers were liaisoning with servicemen from Republic of Korea, and some to a military intelligence unit at Kirkuk.
I sent a few packages to a Marine from my town who was near Baghdad.
2006 had its victories.
Zarqawi was killed at Mosul in June and Saddam was executed in Baghdad in December. But the bombing of the Golden Mosque at Samarra by al Qaida early in 2006 sparked escalating sectarian violence that almost derailed everything we had accomplished. Anbar Awakening (where the Iraqis in Anbar Province decided the al Qaida types were evil and decided to band with the Americans to get rid of them) and the Surge in 2007 put Iraq back on the freedom track and our soldiers closer to seeing a victory for their heroic and costly efforts in Iraq.
2006 had its sorrows.
2006 was a difficult year for me due to personal and family health problems and the beginning of kattrack's final illness, and thus I never posted a new 2007 thread with a summary of 2006. The advantage of the delay is that I was able to include much more detail about what was going on with our adopted units in 2006.
kattracks was our Fairy Godmother Dept for our soldiers in harm's way. In the first 9 months of 2006 she sent at least 92 care packages, many of them large. 7 went to Camp Ramadi and included an large inflatable wading pool, 9 went to Stryker at Mosul. 23 went to Tal Afar for general distribution to all the units there. 11 went to A company of Stryker at COP Rawah and then 11 more went to them after they were redeployed to Baghdad; 2 went to C company of Stryker at Ft Talafar and 11 more after they redeployed to Baghdad. 9 went to Kirkuk for Operation Crayon, and 9 went to Bagram air field, Afghanistan.
kattracks was given the precious gift of the Rapture in May, 2007, and we were left to carry on without her.
A few other special projects in 2006 that caught my eye as I was counting the packages from kattracks:
18 boxes of school supplies were sent in 2006 to Operation Crayon in Kirkuk by Coop, kattracks, Jane Austen, patriciaruth, my mother, Just A Nobody, Enterprise, DrDeb)
Two framed quit claim deeds to Zarqawi’s safe house were donated by doug from upland (together with copy of the ad on eBay) and sent to MI at Kirkuk and to 1AD at Ramadi.
Christmas, 2006, packages went to
Bagram (from Nina0113, Enterprise, daybreakcoming, airborne)
Baghdad:
10th Mountain: (from patriciaruth)
NPTT (from SENClander, daybreakcoming, with 11 Petzl headlamps sent directly)
a local Marine near Baghdad (patriciaruth)
4th ID north of Baghdad. (from patriciaruth requested by Abigail Adams)
Mosul: Stryker that was redeployed to Baghdad (from jtill, a Santa suit from patriciaruth, LittleBlogSpot, Freedom is eternally right, SwatTeam)
Ramadi: (from jtill, fanfan, SwatTeam, daybreakcoming and her sister, Merlinator, Abigail Adams, Enterprise, Just A Nobody)
Wounded:
Walter Reed (from Enterprise)
Mologne House for recovering wounded (from patriciaruth)
daybreakcoming sent pre-lit Christmas trees to Ramadi and Mosul, and her tree to Stryker at Mosul ended up at FOB Stryker in Baghdad as they were redeployed there just before Christmas. SENClander sent a pre-lit Christmas tree to NPTT at Baghdad.
Many care packages went out throughout 2006 which are not listed, like all those nina0133 sent to Bagram; but I have decided to cut the effort to list everything now so I can manage to get a new thread posted.
REVIEW OF 2007
In 2007 we sent out over 71 care packages to Afghanistan, over 105 to Stryker Brigade Combat Team units in the Surge to pacify Baghdad and environs, over 83 to NPTT units at Baghdad, and 4 to Balad for an estimate of over 263 packages sent to our adopted units in the war zones.
. The Surge meant our guys were on walk about more than they were at home base -- looking for and finding AI (al Qaida in Iraq) as well as enough caches of weapons to carpet California.
Afghanistan heated up and we ended the year 2007 sending a few care packages to a group holed up on high mountain ledge near the Pakistan border and scoring 400 plus fire fights with Taliban and al Qaida trying to infiltrate back into Afghanistan.
Last year 2007 we grieved at the loss of troop supporters kattracks, kayak, 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub, GretchenM (formerly GretchenEE), and the husbands of jtill and SENClander. We also continued to miss COB1 (AKA Texas Cowboy). God holds them all now in the palm of His infinite hand.
CREDITS:
AFGHANISTAN 2007:
BAGRAM Air Field near Kabul:
SENClander's sister sent 3 care packages in January to 315th PSYOP unit just before they left, and we [nina0133, Ros42, Abigail Adams, Just Amy, Jim Robinson, jtill, Paperdoll, PigRigger, manna, patriciaruth] sent 61 care packages (5 were large) to A Co, 13th PSYOP who took over and who have now departed early this year. These packages included 55 bags of beef jerky given to a Special Forces unit there from airborne, norton, Kitty Mittens and my mother. SW6906 sent most episodes of 3 TV series.
KANDAHAR: fanfan sent packages to Canadian troops
BATTLE Company on Pakistan-Afghan border:
Early in December 2007 we sent them 7 care packages for Christmas:
5 boxes of Hickory Farms cheeses (with 37.5 oz of cheese in each) from Enterprise and patriciaruth, a box with 17 packs with 1/2 lb of beef jerky from 4Godsoloved...Hegave, and a box with 14 Hickory Farms 14 oz beef sausages from by cshnorthcarolina.
Email to maine-iac7 from her grandson: “We ate all of that cheese and meat, it was amazing. We really pushed through all of it fast. awesome. I can’t find the box to tell who sent it - if you know, PLEASE thank them and let them know how great it was! Best food in some time! It means a lot to us that people back home know we are here. We;re so isolated that it really is awesome to know. It means a lot to all of us.”
IRAQ 2007:
In 2007 we [[nina0133, SwatTeam, manna, jtill, patriciaruth, Enterprise, Ros42, Abigail Adams, mathluv, Just Amy, Jim Robinson] sent 66 care packages to our adopted Stryker unit at FOB Stryker at Baghdad up to their departure at the end of the summer --including a microwave [Enterprise], a Nintendo Wii [my optometrist], and 210 blue ice gel packs [SwatTeam and jtill].
We sent 39 care packages [deadhead, SENClander, JustAmy, Jim Robinson, Paperdoll, Abigail Adams, patriciaruth, 4Godsoloved...Hegave], 18 Petzl headlamps [Enterprise, jtill, manna, PigRigger, Kitty Mittens, MEG33] and a Christmas tree with ornaments [mass55th] to the current Stryker unit at Baqubah in Diyala Province, after we made contact in November.
To 3 NPTT (National Police Transition Team) units in Baghdad (at Camp Liberty) we [SENclander, patriciaruth, mass55th, Yaelle] sent 56 care packages including 22 Petzl headlamps [MEG33, SwatTeam, norton, Enterprise, jtill] and a Christmas tree [MJY1288] and ornaments. To one of these units (to Juan's brother Andy) we [Enterprise, Tunehead54, patriciaruth, my mother] also sent 12 boxes of school supplies for him to distribute to local school children.
To an NPTT unit at FOB Falcon near Baghdad that left in September we [patriciaruth, iceskater, Enterprise] sent 15 care packages and SW6906 sent most or all episodes of 5 TV series.
BALAD, Iraq 2007: 4 care packages sent for Christmas to mystery-ak's husband (doing another tour of duty).
FOB Prosperity, Iraq 2007: 1 care package
****
Our many generous donors of checks, cash, money orders, Paypal, shopping cards, phone cards, etc are listed in the Accounting posts toward the end of our 2006 thread (which also covers 2007) and which can be linked from the post below. Many of our members are now trusted to mail their packages directly.
Dear Faithful Troop Supporters,
I’m going to be sending out a bunch of congratulation/party time boxes this week for our soldiers to celebrate the disembarkation of Osama bin Laden from Earth to Hell.
Anyone who wishes to send a party box also, please get an APO from me. We now have two APO’s in Afghanistan.
Anyone who wants to contribute to the boxes I will be putting together, please let me know what you’d like sent and how much you can afford to spend.
Finally, YAHOO!!!
I need the address! Please send it to me. I have about 20 pounds of Beany Babies, plus more DVDs and also other goodies. Just tell me what else needs to be sent.
Way to go Navy Seals! Let us ALL celebrate! Let’s have a Fizzy Party! Uh, oh, does anyone else remember Fizzies?
Please let me know what DVD’s you’ve got so I don’t go out and buy them also.
Address FReepmailed.
:-D Cheers!! Have fun!
Per the request of our “CIC” for this project, I’m posting that I sent a box of 30 large Pringle cannisters, along with red/white/blue garland, r/w/b treat bags, and a 4-in-1 DVD (with Steve Martin’s Sgt. Bilko & Brendan Fraser’s Dudley Do-right and 2 others I don’t remember) to the contact. I also enclosed a note of congratulations from the Merry Band to the unit for all their hard work.
I mailed out 10 boxes Wednesday to the Kandahar base...with lemonade mix, cookies, popcorn, Tootsie pops, nuts, Ding Dongs and lots of movies and books. Included medium paper plates and cocktail napkins.
Will post details tomorrow evening or Friday.
The APO we are using for the Kandahar base will be expiring at the end of this month, but we have a new one at another base that norton has already mailed some requested items to. And I am hoping our present volunteer at Kandahar will give us the name and unit of his replacement so we can continue to supply that base with tokens of our appreciation for their service.
Big Thank You to norton who sent a couple care packages with “Six foot powder, six drink mix, six wipes, and six (five?) pringles with four canned dips” on request from a soldier at another base in Afghanistan.
Also big THANK YOU to JoyjoyfromNJ for mailing out a big box with 30 canisters of Pringle’s potato chips and she is trying to get another box out by Saturday to our adopted base near Kandahar. WOW!!
And more big THANK YOU’s to Enterprise, jtill, and Kitty Mittens who helped finance the following care packages.
Mailed May 25, 2011, to base near Kandahar, 10 flat rate priority boxes 12x12
Box 1, value $50.96, postage $12.95
5 canisters Country Time 8 qt pink lemonade sugared mix
4 canisters Country Time 8 qt yellow lemonade sugared mix
6 movies on 4 DVD’s:
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly/Hang ‘Em High (Clint Eastwood)
Fistful of Dollars/For a Few Dollars More (Clint Eastwood)
Secondhand Lions (Robert Duvall, Haley Joel Osment)
Fletch (Chevy Chase)
6 Kleenex travel tissue packs
Westways magazine on Great Barrier Reef
Box 2, value $67.03, postage $12.95
9 canisters Country Time 8 qt pink lemonade sugared mix
4 DVD movies:
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Ransom (Mel Gibson, Gary Sinise)
Hidalgo (Viggo Mortensen)
6 Kleenex travel tissue packs
Baggie with 2 perfume sheets and shiny American flag stickers, and star stickers
Box 3, value $34.85, postage $12.95
4 boxes of 12 Ding Dongs (filled cupcakes)
3 bags Pepperidge Farms 8 soft cookies (dark choc brownie, milk choc chip, oatmeal dark choc cherry)
BOOK: The Lord God Made Them All (James Herriot)
1 box Crystal Light 10 lemonade singles mix
6 Magazines: Sports Illustrated for 4/28, 5/2, 5/9. 5/16, and 5/23
Decision: Christ in the World
Box 4, value $44.34, postage $12.95
4 boxes of 12 Ding Dongs (filled cupcakes)
3 bags Pepperidge Farms 8 soft cookies (dark choc brownie, milk choc chip, oatmeal dark choc cherry)
BOOK: All Things Wise and Wonderful (James Herriot)
2 Readers Digest, May 2011, Jun/July 2011
1 DVD movie with bonus disc: The Wizard of Oz (Judy Garland), and bonus film The Dreamer of Oz (John Ritter, Annette O’Toole) and note: Ding Dong The Wicked Witch is Dead!
1 box Crystal Light 10 lemonade singles
Bumpersticker: God Bless America
Congratulations and Thank you American Flag card
page of Sunday comics
Box 5, value $31.39, postage $12.95
9 bags Pepperidge Farms 8 soft cookies (2 milk choc chunk, 2 dark choc chunk, 1 oatmeal raisin, 1 snickerdoodle, 1 oatmeal dark choc almond cherry, 2 dark choc chip)
1 DVD Movie: Coal Miner’s Daughter (Sissy Spacek)
3 magazines: Westways Civil War Pilgrimage, Popular Mechanics June 2011, Imprimis: Humanists versus Economists
Box 6, insured $146.11, postage $16.50
2 boxes Quaker Oats 8 fruit cereal bars (strawberry, mixed berry)
1 can 17 oz Planter’s mixed nuts
1 DVD TV Miniseries: Roots (Levar Burton)
10 DVD movies:
Ivanhoe (Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Taylor)
Young Victoria (Emily Blunt)
The Next Three Days (Russell Crowe)
Black Irish
The Presidio (Sean Connery, Mark Harmon)
The Alamo (Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton)
Tombstone, copy 2 (Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer)
Independence Day, copy 2 (Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum)
Gettysburg, copy 2 (Jeff Daniels, Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen)
Gone with the Wind (Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh)
1 Weekly Standard magazine on Converting Mamet
Box 7, insured $197.72, postage $16.50
1 DVD TV miniseries: The Kennedys (Greg Kinnear)
1 box 10 Crystal Light lemonade mix singles
1 can 17 oz Planter’s mixed nuts
15 BOOKS:
Russka (Edward Rutherford)
Sarum (Edward Rutherford)
The Chequer Board (Nevil Shute)
Pied Piper (Nevil Shute)
No Highway (Nevil Shute)
Most Secret (Nevil Shute)
A Town Like Alice (also published as The Legacy) (Nevil Shute)
Without Remorse (Tom Clancy)
Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
The Lieutenants (W.E.B. Griffin)
The Captains (W.E.B. Griffin)
The Majors (W.E.B. Griffin)
The Colonels (W.E.B. Griffin)
The Generals (W.E.B. Griffin)
1 magazine: Readers Digest April 2011
18 Tootsie Pops in a baggie
Box 8, insured $197.46, postage $16.50
1 DVD TV series: In Plain Sight, Season 3 (Mary McCormack)
6 BOOKS:
An American Life (autobiography of Ronald Reagan)
Decision Points (Memoirs of George W. Bush)
Known and Unknown (Memoirs of Donald Rumsfeld)
The Things Bright and Beautiful (James Herriot)
All Creatures Great and Small (James Herriot)
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (James Hilton)
7 DVD Movies:
The King’s Speech (Colin Firth)
The Fighter (Christian Bale)
The Right Stuff (Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn, Dennis Quaid)
Grand Canyon (Kevin Kline, Danny Glover, Alfie Woodard, Steve Martin)
Crash (Matt Dillon, Sandra Bullock)
Frequency, copy 2 (Dennis Quaid, Jim Caviezel)
Galaxy Quest, copy 2 (Tim Allen, Tony Shalhoub, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman)
3 boxes 10 drink mix singles (1 Country Time sugared lemonade, 2 Crystal Light - one lemonade, one fruit punch)
1 Imprimis newsletter: Reasserting Federalism and defending Liberty
Box 9, value $22.71, postage $12.95
28 bags Act II microwave popcorn (14 Kettlecorn, 14 Butter)
6 pkgs 24 blue paper plates
6 pkgs 30 red cocktail napkins
Box 10, value $28.04, postage $12.95
28 bags Act II microwave popcorn (14 Kettlecorn, 14 Butter)
2 cans 17 oz Planter’s mixed nuts
103 Tootsie Pops divided in 3 ziplock baggies
Below are a few emails we’ve had from the base near Kandahar over the last month. First are the packages that we sent out for 9/11. They have gone in fits as I am still recovering from a long bout with brochopneumonia. I still have a couple more to mail.
I need help doing the Halloween boxes. It would be great to have at least 6 volunteers who will send one or two boxes with bags of Halloween candy to go out around the first of October. We have two FOB’s in Afghanistan that we are in touch with. Postage for a 12x12 box is now $12.95. I’ll give one of the new APO addresses to any trusted volunteer for Halloween care packages. Also, as usual, contributions are much appreciated.
Mailed August 13, 2011, to FOB Joyce, the first of 3 care packages 12x12
box 1, value $39.85, postage $12.95
9 bags Pepperidge Farms soft baked cookies, assorted varieties
2 DVD movies:
Flight 93
9/11: The Filmmakers Commemorative version
8 bags BBQ corn nuts
Mailed August 15, 2011, second of 3 packages
box 2, insured $193.07, postage $15.80
1 DVD TV miniseries:
John Adams (Paul Glamatti, Laura Linney)
20 DVD movies:
Braveheart (Mel Gibson)
Gettysburg (Jeff Daniels, Martin Sheen, Tom Berenger)
Alamo (Dennis Quaid)
Sean Connery 007 Collection Vol 1 (Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger)
Sean Connery 007 Collection Vol II (Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds are Forever)
The Untouchables (Sean Connery, Kevin Costner)
Outland (Sean Connery)
The Wind and the Lion (Sean Connery, Brian Keith)
Tombstone (Val Kilmer, Kurt Russell)
Open Range (Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, Annette Benning)
Galaxy Quest (Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tony Shalhoub, Alan Rickman)
There’s Something about Mary (Carmen Diaz, Ben Stiller)
2 Clint Eastwood: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly/Hang Em High
2 Clint Eastwood: A Fistful of Dollars/For a Few Dollars More
6 BOOKS:
W.E.B. Griffin’s Brotherhood of War series
The Lieutenants
The Captains
The Majors
The Colonels
The Berets
The Art of War (Sun-Tzu, Ralph Sawyer)
1 Can Plantar’s Mixed Nuts
16 BBQ Corn Nuts
Magazine: Popular Mechanics
Mailing August 18, 2011, third package
box 3, insured $95.07, postage $15.25
3 Books:
Helmet for my Pillow (Robert Leckey)
With the Old Breed (E.B. Sledge)
Lie Down with Lions (Ken Follett)
1 DVD movie:
Batman Begins (Christian Bale)
10 travel Wet Ones
10 small Gold Bond body powder
4 boxes 8 singles Gatorade sugar drink powder
1 box 15 Power Bars peanut caramel fusion
5 travel tissue pks
2 magazines:
Popular Mechanics on Navy Seals
Weekly Standard on Ron Paul
2 newsletters
Imprimis on Right to Work
Popular Mechanics DIY Handbook
Mailed August 13, 2011, to Kandahar, first of 5 boxes 12x12
box 1, value $46.95, postage $12.95
56 bags of Act II microwave popcorn (28 kettle corn, 28 butter)
2 DVD’s
Flight 93
9/11: The Filmmakers Commemorative film
9 Nature Valley nut bars (almond, peanut, pecan)
A BIG THANK YOU to jtill who contributed to the next two care packages
Mailed August 15, 2011, to Kandahar, second of 5 boxes 12x12
box 2, insured $99.70 value $100.70, postage $15.25
4 boxes of energy bars:
1 Power Bars oatmeal raisin 12
1 Power Bars caramel peanut fusion 15
1 Balance caramel nut 15
1 Nature Valley trail mix fruit and nut bars 60
13 individual bars of Nature Valley nut bars (peanut, pecan, almond)
1 DVD miniseries:
Jesus of Nazareth, copy 2 (Franco Zefferelli directing)
1 DVD movie:
March of the Penguins (Morgan Freeman narrating)
3 books:
Ride the Dark Trail (Louis L’Amour)
The Shadow Riders (Louis L’Amour)
Creatures of the Kingdom (James Michener)
Reader’s Digest August 2011
2 travel tissue
5 freebie occasion cards with envelops
sheet of flag stickers
sheet of flower stickers
pocket calendar
Mailed August 18, 2011, to Kandahar, third care package of five, 12x12
box 3, insured $180.80, postage $15.80
1 DVD HBO miniseries:
The Pacific (Joseph Mazzello, James Badge Dale, Jon Seda)
2 DVD movies:
The Adventures of Robin Hood (Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Trigger)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman)
11 BOOKS:
Quantum of Solace (all Ian Femming’s short stories about James Bond)
Casino Royale (Ian Flemming’s first James Bond novel)
The Union Trilogy (James Bond trilogy of novels written by Raymond Benson)
Choice of Weapons (James Bond trilogy of novels written by Raymond Benson)
Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
World without End (Ken Follett)
History of England, vol I (G.M. Trevelyan)
History of England, vol II
History of England, vol III
War Party (Louis L’Amour Western short stories)
Gods and Kings (Lynn N. Austin)
3 bottles 4 oz Gold Bond body powder
1 bag 50 Tootsie Pops
1 NatGeo World Map
****emails****
Ma’am,
I would first like to say, WOW thank you for all the support you have provided us and other troops around the world for over 10 years!!! Dedication like that is hard to come by and on behalf of all of us THANK YOU!!!
For the many boxes that were sent I have volunteers that assist in the care package distribution at the chapel so I don’t recall seeing all of those items however many of the items you described below sound familiar:
Boxes 8,9 and 10 I’m pretty sure we received. I know for sure box 8 was received because we watched The King’s Speech two weeks ago for inspirational movie night and the Soldiers and civilians enjoyed it!!! We also had an increase in popcorn so I believe that accounts for boxes 9 & 10.
I will print this list and ask if anyone remembers seeing these items. It is possible that they went directly to some of our outlying FOB and that could be why I don’t recognize the items. As soon as I get confirmation I will send you a note, and to answer your question please send all Care Packages to [cut] If you ever have any questions please don’t hesitate to send me a few lines!!!
Thank You,
Ma’am,
I do have a movie request. We had a copy of the video Jesus of Nazareth but it seems to have disappeared. I know it is an older movie but if you run across it we would really appreciate it. For snacks if you can find some inexpensive protein bars some of our Soldiers that go out on mission would like these so they can eat health on the go. Please don’t stress over finding these items whatever you send us we will appreciate and use. If you have any questions for us please let me know.
Thanks
Mrs. Patty,
Thank you so much, I guess good luck travels!!! Again don’t stress over the requested items. You can put them in the mail whenever you get a chance. We really appreciate it.
Thanks,
Good Morning Mrs. Patty,
I am so sorry to hear that you have been under the weather ... We really do appreciate all you are doing for us with care packages but I don’t want you to stress the care packages. ...I understand what it is like to keep pushing through when you don’t feel well, but it is nice to know someone cares enough about us to sacrifice their time, money (but not health) to make sure we have things to make our lives a little easier.
[our]Chaplain ... is humbled every time we receive a shipment of packages. To know there are people that remember and care about us outside of our families that spoil us with goodies is a wonderful feeling. When we open packages it’s kind of like opening a birthday present you’re not sure what you’re going to get but you know it something good!
Please take care of yourself and we will be praying for a speedy recovery for you. My mom often spoke of angels living amongst us and as usual she was right. Have a awesome day.
Take Care,
Our church sent some July 4th boxes.
I will be glad to send Halloween boxes. I know Sam's and Walgreens are already putting out some Halloween stuff.
Hi Patty.
I’m been busy and failed to send anything recently. I will send some boxes for Halloween.
I still have some lemonade that didn’t get in the mail; shall I send it for Halloween or hold it for awhile. I also have some pringles.
I bought but didn’t mail. :(
It would be great if you could mail out the lemonade and Pringles before the end of this month and then a box of Halloween candy by the end of September.
I’ll FReepmail you the APO.
JustAmy, mathluv, and airborne have volunteered to send a box of Halloween candy at the end of September to our adopted bases in Afghanistan. Whoopie! Thanks for the help!
Hoping still more of our Merry Band will stop by after following the hurricane and also volunteer to help out.
Mailed August 26, 2011, to Kandahar, fourth of 5 boxes 12x12
box 4, insured $137.15, postage $15.80
6 DVD movies:
Dodgeball (Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller)
Charlie’s Angels (Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu)
Pale Rider (Clint Eastwood)
True Lies (Schwarzenegger, Tom Arnold, Jamie Lee Curtis)
Total Recall (Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone)
Terminator 2: Day of Judgment (Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton)
7 BOOKS:
Hornet Flight (Ken Follett)—gift from my sister
Not by Fire but by Ice (Robert Felix)
The Chilling Stars, A cosmic view of climate change (Svensmark)
The Coalwood Way (Hiram Hickum)
The Eye of the Needle (Ken Follett)
Triple (Ken Follett)
The Art of War (SUN-TZU, Ralph Sawyer)
3 boxes 48 flushable wipes
1 can 4 oz Gold Bond body powder
1 can Planter’s Mixed Nuts
4 pks travel tissue
1 magazine: National Geographic July 2011
index cards with the books and movies sent in boxes 1-4 for the lending library file box
Mailed August 27, 2011, to local marine in Afghanistan
1 box, insured $69.12, postage $15.25 with delivery confirmation
9 bags 8 Pepperidge Farms soft baked cookies (assorted)
2 DVD movies:
9/11 The Filmmakers’ Commemorative Film
Flight 93
4 books:
The Virginian (Owen Wister)
Shane (Jack Schaefer)
The Man from the Broken Hills (Louis L’Amour)
The Quick and the Dead (Louis L’Amour)
1 magazine Sport’s Illustrated (this week’s)
Thank you note
Big THANK YOU to Let’s Roll for donating cost of this last 9/11 care package that my dear husband took to the post office last week.
Mailed September 1, 2011, to Kandahar, fifth box of 5
Box 5, Value $46.27, postage $12.95
28 bags of Act II microwave Butter popcorn
2 boxes 15 Balance nutrition bars (choc mint cookie crunch, caramel peanut)
1 bag 60 Tootsie Pops
2 books:
Brotherhood of War: The Berets (W.E.B. Griffin)
What Men Live By (short allegorical story by Leo Tolstoy)
1 box 48 flushable wipes
1 magazine: Readers Digest September 2011
***
And also, many Thanks to Enterprise, jtill, and Kitty Mittens for pledging to send donations for the Halloween care packages that I’ll be mailing out.
Hoping we get a few more volunteers for mailing a care package of Halloween candy or for sending a donation, as we have two APO’s and one FPO in Afghanistan now. I’m hoping the first taste of American chocolate candy bars after the long summer will be more than one or two bites for our soldiers and marines.
Oooh, they do miss our brand name chocolate. The taste of the local stuff isn’t the same.
EMAIL from KANDAHAR:
Good Morning Mrs. Patty,
You crossed my mind the other day, ... I hope this email finds that you are doing well ...
Thank you so much for the boxes, I know for sure we have received the first three boxes and I will check with the Chaplain for the other two later today. The world map was placed in the chapel and CH *** has requested for stick pins so everyone can identify where they are from on the map. In addition to Soldiers we have contract workers that represent another 25 countries so our map should be pretty well covered. I also saw many of the movies that you sent added to the collection so I know those were received as well. I cannot believe that time is passing so quickly. Don’t misunderstand me the day here seem long however the weeks seem to go by quickly. We just completed our first 100 days so our deployment is moving right along.
The Soldiers will be looking forward to the Halloween candy (big babies) and I will let you know when we receive them.
Please take care of yourself and if you need anything from us please let me know.
Thank you for everything you and your organization does for us you make a Soldiers smile everyday!!!
SSG
Just wanted you to know, I sent a box full of halloween candy to the address you gave me. The contents are as follows -
1 - 11 oz. bag Hershey’s Miniatures candy bars
1 - 10.78 oz. bag Kit Kay snack size candy bars
1 - 11.18 oz. bag Snickers fun size candy bars
1 - 10.78 oz. bag Hershey Milk Chocolate snack size bars
1 - 11.4 oz bag Twix Fun Size cookie bars
1 - 11 oz. bag M & M Fun Size Candies
1 - 11.24 oz. bag Milky Way Candy Bars Fun Size
1 - 10.5 oz. bag Reece’s Snack Size Peanut Butter Cups
1 - 28 oz. Halloween Mix Assortment (choc/peanut butter)
1 - box Wheaties Fuel Energy Bites (12 - 2.19 oz pkgs)
1 - box Mallow Fries marshmallows (12 - 2.12 oz pkgs)
1 - 8 oz. tub Chocolate Truffles (bite size pieces)
1 - 14 oz tub Assorted Chocolates (bite size pieces)
2 - 14.2 oz. tubs Toffee Candies (bite size chewies)
1 - 10.4 oz. bag Dum Dum Pops
10 - 2 oz. bags Nut ’N Yogurt Trail Mix
Hip Hip Hurray!!
I finally got my three boxes in the mail today. Better late as the saying goes. :-}
Box #1 ...
2 large cans lemonade mix
1 regular can lemonade mix
2 5.75oz tubes Lay’s Stax potato chips
18 0.8oz bags BBQ Corn Nuts
8 regulare size bags micro wave popcorn
Box #2 ...
2 large cans strawberry lemonade mix
1 large can kool-aid mix
18 0.8oz bags Ranch flavored Corn Nuts
2 5.75oz tubes Lay’s Stax potato chips
Box #3 ...
1 large can Strawberry lemonade mix
2 5.75oz tubes Lay’s Stax potao chips
8 regular size bags micro wave popcorn
8 2.5oz Kirkland Trail Mix
6 0.8 oz bags BBQ Corn Nuts
I have some misc stuff to mail .. I will get that in the mail next week and then hope to get Halloween Candy mailed by October 10th or 12th.
WOW!
How did you get all that in a box???
Brava!!!
Fabulous!!!
Thank you, Amy!!!
Well, I took it to my friend at Mail Dock, and he boxed it up for me. It was pretty heavy.
I’ve been taking my stuff there ever since the “Merry Band of Patriots” started sending care packages to Sean. Even though he’s back, I’m still with you all till the end.
He knows what we’re doing, and supports us 100%!
Good morning, Patty.
Jim and I finally got four large flat rate boxes mailed yesterday. It seems I always need something else. I picked up filler stuff and custom forms ealier in the week.
Box #1:
Box of 30 1.55oz Nestles bars ... Babyruth, Butterfinger and Crunch.
1 22.5oz bag fun size snickers
1 20oz bag snack size Hershey’s milk chocolate.
24 1.7oz corn nuts ... variety of flavors
Box #2:
Box of 30 1.55oz Nestles bars ... Babyruth, Butterfinger and Crunch.
20 1.6oz Planter’s Peanut bars.
24 1.7oz corn nuts ... variety of flavors
6 bags micro wave popcorn
Box #3:
Box of 30 1.55oz Nestles bars ... Babyruth, Butterfinger and Crunch.
1 5.6lb bag snack size chocolates .. M&Ms, Hershey’s & Nestles.
12 bags micro wave popcorn
Box #4:
Box of 30 1.55oz Nestles bars ... Babyruth, Butterfinger and Crunch.
1 5lb bag snack size chocolates .. M&Ms, Hershey’s & Nestles.
12 1.7oz corn nuts ... variety of flavors
If I get to Costco either today or tomorrow, I will pick up two more boxes of candy bars. Their coupon book has $5.00 off, limit 2.
See post 594 for the huge box of Halloween candy that Airborne mailed to the base near Kandahar.
See posts 595 and 599 for the boxes of drink mix, chips, and Halloween candy that JustAmy and Jim Robinson sent off to the base near Kandahar.
And Big Thank You’s also to jtill who donated boxes 1 and 2 for Kandahar and to Kitty Mittens who donated box 3 to Kandahar. And another Big Thank You to Enterprise who donated box 2 for FOB Joyce in Afghanistan.
Mailed October 14, 2011, to base near Kandahar, 3 boxes 12x12
Box 1, insured $112.05, postage $15.80
10 Books:
Patriot Games (Tom Clancy)
Red Rabbit (Tom Clancy)
The Hunt for Red October (Tom Clancy)
The Cardinal of the Kremlin (Tom Clancy)
Clear and Present Danger (Tom Clancy)
Sum of All Fears (Tom Clancy)
Debt of Honor (Tom Clancy) HC
Executive Orders (Tom Clancy) HC
The Bear and the Dragon (Tom Clancy)
Teeth of the Tiger (Tom Clancy)
3 bags Halloween candy:
M&M Peanut jumbo bag
Almond Joy
Hershey milk choc snack size 10.78 oz
Box 2, insured $99.19, value $102.19, postage $15.25
8 DVD movies:
Time after Time (Malcolm McDowell, Mary Steenburgen)
Smokey and the Bandit (Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason)
Dr. Zivago (Omar Sharif, Julie Christie)
Waitress (oops I ordered the wrong movie, don’t recommend this one, thought it was the Nicolas Cage one about the lottery winner who split it with the waitress for a tip)
Academy Best Pictures 4 pack:
Casablanca (Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman)
Mrs. Miniver (Greer Garson, Walter Pigeon)
Gigi (Leslie Caron)
American in Paris (Gene Kelly)
3 Books:
The Other (Tom Tryon)
Still Missing (Beth Gutcheon)
Paper Money (Ken Follett)
1 box Balance protein bars, mint chocolate
3 bags Halloween candy:
Snickers jumbo bag fun size
Kitkat jumbo bag
Twix jumbo bag
10 paper perfume rub ons and 1 paper cologne
1 Magazine: Popular Mechanics
Box 3, value 44.45, postage $12.95
1 box Balance protein bars, peanut butter caramel
7 bags Halloween candy:
Twix jumbo bag
KitKat jumbo bag
Hershey’s milk choc snack size
Whoppers malted milk balls
Twislers strawberry
M&M plain jumbo bag
bag mixed Skittles original and Starburst
8 magazines:
6 Sports Illustrated
2 National Geographic
Mailed October 14, 2011, to FOB Joyce in Afghanistan, 2 packages 12x12
Box 1, insured $166.02, postage $15.80
16 Books:
The Generals, Brotherhood of War series (W.E.B. Griffin)
The Shining (Stephen King)
The Virginian (Owen Wister)
Shane (Jack Schaefer)
Man from the Broken Hills (Louis L’Amour)
Ride the Dark Trail (Louis L’Amour)
The Quick and the Dead (Louis L’Amour)
Without Remorse (Tom Clancy)
Patriot Games (Tom Clancy)
Red Rabbit (Tom Clancy)
The Hunt for Red October (Tom Clancy)
The Cardinal of the Kremlin (Tom Clancy)
Clear and Present Danger (Tom Clancy)
Sum of All Fears (Tom Clancy)
Debt of Honor (Tom Clancy)
Executive Orders (Tom Clancy)
6 DVD movies:
Dirty Harry 4 pack (Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, The Enforcer, Sudden Impact with Clint Eastwood)
To Hell and Back (Audie Murphy)
Don’t Say a Word (Michael Douglas)
2 bags Halloween candy:
Snickers jumbo pack, fun size, 22.55 oz
20 Tootsie Pops
2 Imprimis newsletters:
EU crisis
Limited Government
Box 2, insured $150.37, value $145.89, postage $15.80
6 Books:
Ian Flemming’s Commandos (Nicholas Rankin)
1776 (David McCullough)
Team of Rivals (Doris Kearns Goodwin)
Shogun (James Clavell)
The Key to Rebecca (Ken Follett)
Reagan’s War (Peter Schweizer)
8 DVD movies:
James Stewart Westerns 6 pack (Winchester 73, Bend of the River, The Far Country, The Rare Breed, Night Passage, Destry Rides Again)
Last Samurai (Tom Cruise)
Fatal Attraction (Michael Douglas, Glenn Close)
1 Box of 15 Power Bars, caramel peanuts
3 bags Halloween candy:
Reese’s peanut butter cups jumbo bag19.5 oz, snack size
Milky Way fun size, 11.24 oz.
Hershey milk choc snack size, 10.78 oz.
mistakenly added in another bag -4.48
Mailed October 14, 2011, to local Marine in Afghanistan, 2 boxes 12x12
Box 1, insured $111.58, value 112.08, postage $15.80
10 Books:
We Are Not Afraid (Homer Hickam)
Without Remorse (Tom Clancy)
Patriot Games (Tom Clancy)
Red Rabbit (Tom Clancy)
The Hunt for Red October (Tom Clancy)
The Cardinal of the Kremlin (Tom Clancy)
Clear and Present Danger (Tom Clancy)
Sum of All Fears (Tom Clancy)
Debt of Honor (Tom Clancy)
Executive Orders (Tom Clancy)
1 DVD Movie:
October Sky (Jake Gyllenhaal) —guessed price 50 cents lower than cost
4 bags Halloween candy:
M&M peanut jumbo bag
Reese’s peanut butter cups jumbo bag
Almond Joy
Hershey’s milk choc snack size
2 magazines:
Westways-California Auto club with L.A. dinosaur museum featured
Sports Illustrated—NFL Preview
Box 2, insured $156.45, postage $15.80
12 DVD movies:
The Man from Snowy River (Tom Burlinson)
To Hell and Back (Audie Murphy)
Rio Bravo (John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson)
Men in Black I (Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith)
Men in Black II (Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones)
Madagascar
Madagascar: Return 2 Africa
The Penquins of Madagascar
Dirty Harry 4 pack (Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, The Enforcer, Sudden Impact with Clint Eastwood)
2 boxes Power Bars, peanut caramel fusion
4 bags Halloween candy:
Butterfingers jumbo bag
Whoppers 9 0z
Snicker’s fun size jumbo bag
Milky Way
2 magazines:
Popular Mechanics—20 bold new ideas
Sports Illustrated—Walter Payton
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.