... Care packages for our Soldiers in the sandbox?

... I think so, I’d be willing to provide as much as I can afford.

... Is there already a “program” like this on the site?

... I feel I need to do more. Are you in?

I have sent quite a bit of stuff to my best friend in Afghanistan, but I would be willing to contribute what I could at the time.

If nothing else I could help pay towards the shipping bill.

Ed

yep I am in.

Good Idea!

Where are we going to send the stuff, who's going to take care of packaging it and mailing it out?

What items do they need the most?

Jerad

I have actually given this type of program some thought, but haven't sat down to type it up - perhaps a couple of suggestions.


We have a AR15.com member who just got sent over not too long ago. He's a Marine, and goes by the username of [u][b]Tayous1[/u][/b].  Here was the last time that he checked in with us.

[url]http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=235734&w=searchPop[/url]

If we were to adopt a group, I'd recommend adopting his platoon. We could ask Tayous to ask his Platoon Sergeant if he would act as liaison for us in the delivery of the packages. The reason for having a liaison is that he would be able to distribute them evenly amongst his Marines without having to forward to us an individual Marines name for each delivery. Not only that, but the Platoon Sergeant probably has a better idea than anyone of who in his care could use a package to uplift their spirits.


I'd envision it to run something like this:

a) Arfcom member puts together a care package.
b) addresses it to pre-planned address:
  SSgt Ooh-rah
  1st platoon
  blah, blah, blah.
c) SSgt Ooh-rah receives care package.
d) Yells at PFC Snuffy to get his can over to him.
e) Hands PFC Snuff a package and says "somebody from the States says thanks!
f) PFC Snuffy feels good for the rest of the day knowing that somebody took time out of their day to do something for him.

Those that have been over there can give us a quick rundown on what sort of things would be appreciated and what sort of things would be forbidden to send.

I'd also recommend that we here at ARFCOM handle the care packages in the same way we do our dinner pics...i.e., all care packages must include at a minimum, beef jerky, gum and a hometown newspaper.  Other items to contribute are left for the member to "freestyle."  Posting pics of the contents of our care packages would remind others of the program, thus encouraging others to participate, plus it gives us something to play around and have fun with.  (Imagine what sort of care package  Piccolo could put together!)

By the way, a care package would not be prohibitively expensive to mail.  One does not have to pay postage all the way around the world.  The sender is only required to get it to the stateside APO address.  Uncle Sam picks up the rest of the tab from there.


Folks, I've been on long deployments before and have to admit, nothing like these guys are seeing.  However, I always wondered to myself "I wonder if anyone (other than my family and friends)even knows that I'm here or even cares to think for a minute about what I'm doing."  This would be a great way to answer the question for a young Devil-Dog who is placing his life on the line for us here. Who knows?  If this thing were to catch on here, perhaps it could be expanded from Tayous1's platoon to his company.

I'm in...

For a friend in Kosovo, he wanted "Scope Mouthwash"...(Vodka colored with dye and put in a Scope bottle)...I cannot confirm or deny whether we did it or not [:D]

But I'm in for some jerky, chew, a pack of smokes or 2, or whatever the rules are... We need to hear from some of the guys that were over there as to their needs...Sound off guys

That's exactly what we would not want to do.  If we were seen as just a way to send in contraband, the program would most likely be shut down from the receiving end, thus screwing future PFC Snuffy's from his care package.

Glad to help.

Oh, I agree 100%! That's why I specifically said "Whatever the rules are"..

Roger that.

Just making sure you guys see the thread tacked at the top of the GD page......

I'm in

BTW, I'd be happy to take the lead on this and make the appropriate contacts to get this ball rolling.

That is, of course, pending a general approval of the Arfcom crew.

Yes, I've seen it.  It sounds like a worthwhile program.  I would envision what we would be trying to do here to have a more personal approach (as opposed to sending a paypal donation) to adopting a small group of Marines - one to include a member of ours.  A bag of Doritos for a 19 year old sure goes a long ways.

I think that having both options could be beneficial.  A member here could choose to one or both depending on their preference.


Edited to add:

I see by the poll that we have 28 "yes" to supporting this votes.  If we can agree on how to do this, that's almost enough to take care of a platoon already. [:D]

Here's what I remember from Desert Stomp (should've finished it then, we wouldn't have to
be there now):

[b]Wet wipes (unscented)[/b] - you never could get clean enough...
[b]Toiletry items[/b] - travel-size toothpaste, mouthwash, Kleenex
[b]Books[/b] - SciFi, fiction, etc. Anything good to give your brain a rest and an "escape" for a bit
[b]Newspapers[/b] - news of what's going on in the rest of the world, as the Services are notorious
for not being the best distributors of info
[b]Pogie Bait[/b] - anything that's a decent snack that won't melt into a puddle of goo in the heat.
Beef jerky, peanut butter/cheese crackers, etc. Anybody who's had to live on MREs for an extended
time can vouch for the need for something different
[b]Tobasco sauce[/b] - something to "help out" the MREs
[b]Hard Candy[/b] - LifeSavers, etc.
[b]AA Batteries[/b] - for the electric razors, radios, etc.
[b]Kool-Aid/Tang/Drink mixes - plain water gets old QUICK! Anything flavored, even hot, is better
than plain hot water!

[b]NO PORN, NO ALCOHOL - It'll just be confiscated. Use the space/weight for other items.[/b]

I'm sure that I'm leaving out some good stuff,  but my brain's kinda fried, and this is what
immediately comes to mind from `91. Like Johnny_Reno said, freelance it. Think to yourself,
"What would I want if I was stuck out in the middle of BFE, that might help make things just
a little easier?"

[Edited to add that it seems we had a few trolls who clicked on "We don't support the troops",
but didn't ID themselves by posting such....][:|]

Quervo Gold in a Listerine bottle resealed in the cardboard tube made it to Kafji just fine in 91!

[b]Edited to add:  Sounds like we need a paypal type account for this.  I'd be in for a twenty.[/b]

If you want to just send a paypal donation, there is an adopt-a-sniper thread tacked at the top of this page.

I'm in.

i'm in

... OK, I like [b]Johnny_Reno[/b]'s idea and I'm in on it.

... I saw an immediate need last night from fellow ARFCOM member [b]Greywolf2112[/b]   [url=http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=238003&w=myTopicPop]here[/url], so I put a package together last night for him.

... I'll make another identical one for someone in [b]Tayous1[/b] platoon if I can get a name and address.


... [red]EDITED TO ADD[/red]: Make sure you identify your AR15.com username ID and ARFCOM GD url.

I'm in! I think they could all use a little cheer from us here at home!

Mona

So like are we adopting a platoon of devil dogs here?

Can we get a list together of needed things to send.

I saw a couple mentions here and there for bug repellant and such. I can help out there. I'll check somtime this weekend and see if the JohnsonWax company store has any of the skintastic with sunscreen(SPF30) in the unscented flavor and if they do i'll try and get a case or two of it. Would be a good way to kill two birds with one stone.

Lets see a list.....


Hard candy
Dip
Magazines
Baby wipes
music (cds/tapes)
other snack food stuff

What else guys my brain is clogged with malted hops and barley residues from last night so I'm a little slow today.

[size=3][green]Okay folks, I'm on it.  I'm going to try and contact Tayous1 and see if I can get the necessary info to get this up and running.  In the meantime, start putting together a mental checklist of things that you would like to put in your care package.  (I always recalled that a newspaper was absolutely read from page-to-page when we received them.)  Homemade cookies were always a plus too.  Tanker06 has put together a pretty comprehensive list in his post above.

Once I can get in contact with Tayous1 and work out the details, I'll post the info for all to see.

Glad to see that there are many that want to jump in on this idea and support our folks over there.  It makes this old guy feel good.[/size=3][/green]

I don't have a lot, but I can definitely eat ramen lunches for a week to support dropping a $20 in the bucket.

Mike

[b]... No, I do not support our troops : [red]2%[/red]  [/b]  

[b]WHAT!!![/b]


Who voted this way!?


[size=6]WHO THE FUCK VOTED THIS WAY!?!?!?[/SIZE=6]  [PISSED]
Worthless sons of bitches.



I'm in.

I'm in

Just let me know who to send it to.

We wouldn't be looking for a cash donation.  What we're trying to do here is to just have somebody put together a package of things to send out to a young man who is doing the hard work for us.  It's a more personalized approach that we're going for here.  If you would still like to help a servicemember, but prefer to do it via a cash donation, that's a great idea too.  There's an "Adopt-a-sniper" thread tacked at the top of this page that is accepting donations.

Don't even worry about it.  It's being done as a way to get attention....and to tell you the truth, I'm not worried about seeing who doesn't want to support our troops, I'm more interested in getting an idea of who (and roughly how many) would like to support our troops.

I was thinking the same thing. Even if they do no not support the mission they could just be nice and help a fellow out. Some people are just stupid and should be kicked to the curb.

BTW
I am in but do not want to send any cash to PAYPAL.


Samuel

Exactly... of course, you notice that the trolls didn't have the `nads to log in, and ID themselves as such. [chair]

Yes.

A while back there were some "personal" companies asking for things (about in "order"):

magazines (ANY mag, from Sports Illustrated to Playboy, not 20 or 30round, they have plenty of those)
Close-Up Toothpaste, the red kind, good flavor, no grit
foot powder (Gold Bond)
A Letter/note of thanks, handwritten is a bonus (some do not receive ANY letters)
Kool-Aid/Gatorade mix (the real stuff, not cheap knockoffs)
Copenhagen/Skoal
Newspapers
AA Batteries (really, they were using ones from their field radios to power their CD Players)
CD of popular music
New set of headphones for Walkman CD Players (cords get ripped)


There was more on the list but I forgot them as of right now, perhaps it will come back to me.

The above are "legal", AFAIK, no alcohol or other things not allowed.

Shipping gets spendy on a bunch of magazines and batteries.  $20 will get them a nice letter, Gatorade mix, and postage.  This is much better than nothing.

We just sent a small package over and it cost $7 to mail. Wes said not to make the packages too big because they have to haul around everything you send. Also might want to add things like Pepcid AC and Rolaids to the list. Seems to be a needed item.

Count me in.

ARH

[green][size=3]Okay folks,

I'm emailed and IM'd Tayous1 and let him know that his brothers and sisters here at Arfcom would like to adopt his platoon.  As soon as I hear back from him, I'll post all of the needed info so that we can get this ball rolling.  Unfortunately, I have no idea of what he is doing now or if he has access to email.  (I'm guessing that there's a good chance that they're a little busy right now.)

In the meantime, go ahead and start putting one together.  Once we get the needed info, we can get these things out to them.[/green][/size=3]




Here's a compiled list again that I gleaned from the previous posts:

- Wet wipes (unscented)
- Toiletry items - travel-size toothpaste, mouthwash, Kleenex
- Books - SciFi, fiction, etc.
- Newspapers - news of what's going on in the rest of the world
- Candy: anything that's a decent snack that won't melt into a puddle of goo in the heat.
- Beef jerky, peanut butter/cheese crackers, etc.
- Hard Candy; LifeSavers, etc.
- AA Batteries; for the electric razors, radios, etc.
- Kool-Aid/Tang/Drink mixes
- Magazines - no porn
- Foot powder (Gold Bond)
- Kool-Aid/Gatorade mix (the real stuff, not cheap knockoffs)
- Copenhagen/Skoal
- CD of popular music
- New set of headphones for Walkman CD Players (cords get ripped)
- Pepcid AC and Rolaids
[b]- A Letter/note of thanks, handwritten is a bonus (some do not receive ANY letters)[/b]

Finally, feel free to "freestyle" off of this list and put in something funny or unusual.  Points will be awarded for creativity!

Obviously, your care package can include as much of the above items as you can see to put in.  There is no requirement for how much or how little.  Your goodwill in sending this package will, in all likelihood, mean more to the servicemember than what contents you put in.


[b]Do not send:[/b]

Booze
Porn

I know that it seems like a cute idea to think that you'll slip in "a little something extra" for your guy over there. But I can't stress enough that this would be an excellent way to get this program shut down if it gets identified as a "creating a problem" for the young Marines.  Please don't do it.

Please do not try and send any liquids.  These packages get handled very roughly during the delivery process.  If a container with liquids in it bursts, it ends up screwing up the rest of the package and merely frustrates the person who receives it.  If you would like to send sunscreen, that would be okay - however, I would put it inside of a couple or more ziplock bags just in case.

Count me in.
I am familiar with the drill...I sent monthly packages to a nephew in Baghdad for about a year, and I would be honored to do what I can.

I am already in. I can always use a new address

http://home.att.net/~hulehan/wsb/media/152420/site1010.JPG

This is an old pic just an example of what I ship out.

Count me in too! Glad to help out in any way I can.

tacked per request

Glad I saw this, I was about to donate to Operation Gratitude.  I'm ready to donate funds.
Operation Gratitude

I hear Cigars are a nice gesture.

i found us a candidate.............found this on ebay, he's selling stuff in exchange for care packages.............

Count me in.
I'll have one ready to go by the end of the weekend.  As soon as I have a name, it's in the mail!

In re-reading the above posts, I do recall there being a size restriction of some sort.  Does anybody know what that might be?  IIR it was sometimes better to send two (or three) smaller packages as opposed to one big box.

I have been told around shoebox size is the best.

Count me in too! I'd be more than happy to do this. I'm sure I could get a few of my girlfriends to write some letters too.

Kate

i got a response.........



there we go folks, im putting a package together right now...........

also, this is one of my buddies from here that just shipped out to iraq for a one year deployment............yall would know better than me if this address is sufficient without an APO but i understand that ft. hood would forward it on????

SSG. Gibson
BN Master Gunner
HHC 1/12 CAV, ICD
Ft. Hood, TX 76544

copenhagen would be a biggie for him..........

I'm in.

CMOS

Good on ya for taking care of your buddy Txrdnec!

What I'm trying to do here is to do more than just get one name or trying to match up everybody with a specific name.  That way, we take care of not only one of our Arfcom members in the desert, we take care of his platoon as well.

Lead and I will follow, oh GREAT EARS IN THE WIND.If I have a name/address I can have a package in the mail in a couple of days.

And thank-you for getting this organized.

I am so broke right now I couldn't get out of sight if it only cost a quarter to go around the world.

However, I would definately contribute whatever I could spare to chip in on this. Post the details when they get ironed out, and I am in.

Semper Fi,
Herman Snerd