Care packages to Soldiers in Iraq

Food! Real food, too. Snack packages with tuna and crackers, jerky, summer sausage, etc...

Phone cards, if you can get the right kind for him.

Music, if he likes something out of the mainstream. Movies he can get there, for a lot cheaper than you can

Copies of Hustler & related are good, too. You can get Maxim type magazines in-country.

Booze is illegal, so don't send that even though it will almost certainly get through with no problems

Books are always good.

I dont know if it is still the case, but there was awhile when chewing tobacco and cigarettes were worth their weight in gold. Even if they dont smoke I assure you that they have friends who do.

Stuff

My son got back last year. The most popular stuff has already been mentioned but ...

Phone cards, the more the better.

Freeze dried heat proof snack stuff, jerky, nuts, trail mix, GORP etc.

Crystal Lite drink mix pre-sweetened, it can almost make a canteen taste ok.

Type up a pocket sized card with all the family phone #'s and e-mail addresses on it, then laminate it. Matter of fact, make two of them one for their shirt pocket and one for their duffel.

Steady stream of paperbacks sent two or three a month, at least.

Newspapers from home. Even though they might be two weeks or so out of date, it's always nice to see what's happening at home.

(If appropriate) Small Christmas tree, a few ornaments with a string of mini lights

Once they get there have them let you know what else they might need.

Depending on their MOS and assignment they might need anything from wetwipes (out at support bases) to the reflex sight and dust covers I "loaned" my son for his M-4 when he was pulling travel/bodyguard duty with the Colonel.

Best wishes and prayers to you and yours.

Here's a site that can help.
www.anysoldier.com
I sent a package to an anonymous soldier in Afghanistan and got a reply back in two weeks! Ship those packages people,they need stuff from home.

"...Copies of Hustler & related are good, too..." I suspect you'll find that skin books are heavily frowned upon too.
Some time back, I asked a local CF guy(An NCO. Always deal with an NCO. They'll tell you how things happen that aren't supposed to happen.) about chocolate bars and was told they travel well enough to arrive is decent condition. Sadly, up here, the CF won't ship 'Care Packages' to an address with no individual troopie's name, from family members only, on it. And the contents of said package had to be on the outside of the packing. I suspect if I hadn't suddenly gotten poor and unable to do anything, the NCO would have given me a name.

NO PORN!!!! You are shipping this to a Muslim country and Playboy, etc are prohibited by military law because it's against local law to have such material.

No food products with pork or shellfish. I know... I know... but the military insists we respect local customs and Muslims don't eat pork or shellfish.

I have sent Ramen noodles (chicken & beef only, no pork remember), hard candies (won't melt like chocolate), nuts (a big favorite based on feedback from troops in the field) and chips in the can like Pringles (Wal-mart sells a house brand knock-off at a cheaper price).

Chewing gum, beef jerky, dried fruits are also popular. You could ask what they need so you know exactly what to send.

Be prepared for sticker shock at shipping cost. I sent 4 boxes of stuff (about $600 worth) and postage was over $150. Also, every single item must be listed on a form at the post office so keep track of what you put in each box.

phone cards (the MCI ones seemed to last longer)
cans of soup, stews and pasta, basically any real food.
Copenhagen! even if they don't use it there are scads of others who do. The px/bx never has enough and it trades like gold.
toiletry products. the px/bx carry a very limited variety so if there is something the prefer other than dial soap I'm sure they will appreciate it.

With the holidays coming up, I think it's a good time to throw this link out there again... Click on the "Click Here To See How You Can Help" box at the top left.

http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/americasupportsyou/index.aspx

Thatguy mentioned shipping costs, and they can be pretty festive. I try to find things like the calling cards that won't eat up so much money on shipping. Surefire didn't charge shipping on bulk batteries to APO/FPO. (Wasn't that much anyway, but every bit helps.)

Treats for Troops has a wide selection of stuff, and they know the ins and outs of shipping to troops, including what not to ship where. Good people.

I have been told/asked for batteries. Particularly 123 for surefire lights and Lithium AA batteries for personal electronics. Seems the lithium batteries are much better at performing in temperature extremes, hold more energy and weigh less ( but the price is high and WalMart will only sell you 2x8packs of lithium AA batteries, some idiots use them in making crstal meth supposedly )

NukemJim

Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaase don't send chocolate whatever you send. Man that stuff makes a mess! Imagine that whatever you send, it should withstand heat, cold, and lots of water before it gets to the destination.

Have one nephew(7th Cav) that played in the sandbox last year, another (3rd Marines)going in March. I found that hard candy, gum, cleaning patches, solvent, canned fruit(with pop tops, neither of my nephews had ever seen a P38 before I gave them one) , chewing/dipping tobacco (great trade items), personal hygene items (toothbrush, tooth paste, deoderant, mouthwash, ect.), any type of powered drink, instant hot chocolat ( great when mixed with coffee) chips, cookies, baby wipes.
I have a vacume packer and sent a bunch of cookies and brownies packed in several tins. There were almost fist fights over them!
Just about any item that you would take for granted in the real world would be well recieved in the sandbox.
Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

My son is there now, fighting along the Syrian border area, he is in the 82nd Airborne.

His Company "Family Readiness Group" has a website that lists items that the soldiers like to get.

Check this site: http://www.alphacom3-504frg.com/

If anyone is interested in sending something to his unit, or a soldier in it, I can give you a contact name and address plus email to communicate with the head of the FRG.

Thanks

DagoRed

I sent my buddy chew, protein powder and creatine. Alot of the guys over there seem to lift alot to cure the boredom in their down time. Also the SI swimsuit issue was a hit! He seemed to like pictures of home too.

I've heard that Baby Wipes are great because there are times when they can't shower.

Be Safe

Decent coffee if the person is a coffee drinker (starbucks, et al)
Recent magazines, the stuff in the BX over there is mostly out of date lad mags.
Recent movie DVDs.
Personal photos and notes are most treasured!

Cigars.

Send a small (2-4 cup) hot pot. And some tea, and some of those International Coffees, they rock way over there.

Haji loves skin mags. So do TCNs. Movies with ratings form G to XXX are already all over Iraq.

Send some fake lizards. Iraqis are scared to death of even tiny little geckos.

Wrist-rockets are useful, and cost less than $10.

Sci-fi books were hard to find over there. Westerns and romance novels were everywhere.

I wouldn't bother sending movie DVDs. That's one thing that is much easier and cheaper to just get while over there. They'll get pirates in Iraq way before it is released in the US. More obscure titles might be good, though.

Cuban (allegedly) cigars were plentiful, too. I don't smoke, but my buddies who do said they were very good.

Iraqi power is all 220v with a lower cycle, so stuff like hot-plates are usually better to buy locally. You need an adapter to run US electronics, and anything that heats up needs a really beefy adapter. I got a space heater in a care package, and couldn't use it. I always blew the fuse in my adapter.

If your GI is way out in BFE, then personal hygeine items are great. If they are in an established FOB then it is probably cheaper and easier to buy there.

COSTCO has the best babywipes, btw.

Show'em that you Care

Copenhagen...Skoal...Texas Pete...Hard candy...Anti-bacterial ointment...
Letters from home stating that you're proud of'em.(Doesn't matter whether you know anybody to address it to or not. Write to "Any American serving in...)

I spent 2004 in baghdad and will be spending 2006 there as well. I am two weeks out from my flight.

Bottom line is this, we like to get everything.
The boxes went near the dayroom or common area. I took shampoo, my buddy took soap, so whatever you send we are glad to get. Yeah, there are PXs and can sometimes get stuff we need.

It is the principle. Someone back home took some time out of thier day to try and take care of me. Thank you. I never wrote back. I should have. If they don't write it does not mean they were not grateful.

Whatever you send is welcome. Must say Cope in the card board is welcome. All the Cope over there comes in plastic.

Anyway, we like it all. Someone will use it.

Thanks. again.

buddy of mine

just went to sandbox, we've been friends for over a decade and i've always sent him stuff. this time i was in alaska when he got deployed, and i don't know where he is (he prolly left me an apo but tmobile changed its voice system and messages got lost).

does anyone know how I can find a certain soldier's "address"? he's a staff sargeant and he's with the 109th i think (although since he's a bilingual medic he gets sent all over the place).

i really want to get stuff to him but i don't know how. his family's all nits and never send him anything.

btw: ive been told that the "to any american soldier" stuff will just get your package blown up because supposedly terrorists might do that to send random bombs.