Hey everyone, do me a favor. I don't really care why we are there or what you think about Bush or the war. I have a pen pal, a US citizen who is sacrificing his time and life to be away from his family and to serve our country. I want to see him come home in one piece. If I can get him something simple to possibly make a difference, let me do that without having to hear your non-legal reservations. Those are your reservations, keep em.
Email the soldier. Ask him what he wants and if he is allowed to have it by his command. From what I gather, most things are ok if they do not perminently alter the weapon and command approval.
Mail directly, in a very plain box. Just his address, your address, and the customs declaration slip. Be accurate in your customs declaration, but don't be overly specific, if you get my drift. "Optics" is better than "Super-Duper MajorBrand red dot sight, with features xyz". Otherwise, it might get "lost" in the mail.
I got mailed a bunch of stuff when I was last overseas. Some things I didn't find overly useful. (Uh, feminine products for instance.) I usually passed them along to buddies. If you'd like a response, include a pre-addressed envelope, with a few sheets of paper and a cheap disposable pen. I feel guilty, but I usually wrote back for those that used this method, and sometimes didn't for those that didn't include a pre-addressed envelope. If you want pics back, include a cheap disposable camera.
Normal 'comfort' items are just as useful as most 'tactical' gear. Tossing a few goodies in the box are nice gestures, nothing overly expensive, and really do remind soldiers that some people actually give a damn.
I got several such packages from the Pagan "Adopt a Soldier" program. Various pagan families and groups mailed me small trinkets and made me smile. I am still kicking myself that I lost their addresses... Did they mail me essentials? Na. Just letters, candy (which I mostly threw out, but still appreciated), books, magazines, small crafts. The niftiest thing I got was a tiny Zen rock garden. Still have it on my desk.