Care Package to AFG: What should I send?

[zk556x45]

To those of you who have served and deployed: What did you like to see in packages from home? Maybe you'll have some ideas that I haven't thought of...

Thanks,

zk

[Gringo]

I used to have my wife send different kinds of tabasco (chipotle seemed to be the most useful/my favorite), drink mixes, baby wipes, magazines to read, etc. Most of the other stuff was personal items like pictures and videos of my daughter tormenting the dogs and things like that. Care packages from family/acquaintances other than my wife included things like decks of cards, cigars, and other stuff.

Hands down, the best thing we've ever gotten came from a group of middle school students from the school my dad works at. This 12 year old kid named Scott sent us a paperback copy of Letters to Penthouse 14. My 1stSgt, mainly to piss my boss off, decides that he's going to read 'an excerpt from the good book' each night to the boys and girls. Endless amounts of entertainment from that one...

[TehLlama]

We were awash in a lot of stuff - baby wipes, beef jerky, good trail mix are always a hit. Magazines are great to use, but generally overrated.

We actually enjoyed a lot of stuff we could hand go Afghan kids as trinkets and trading items (a couple sets of happy meal sunglasses was worth one dog - good dog too).

Cigars were awesome, they needn't be fancy.
Regionally unique flavors are awesome (macadamia nuts from my family in Hawaii, green chile from family in NM)

[MOTRON]

When I was in the Navy the best thing we ever got was an entire pallet of Girl Scout cookies. I was on a Destroyer and when you get to 5th Fleet AOR (Arabian Gulf) food sucks and it's a long time between replenishments and when we do UNREP it's lots of middle eastern shit so the best thing for us was FOOD. Dr. Pepper was like gold. The Hickory farms packages were always a hit as well.

[ZRH]

I always get asked to send car magazines, candy, and pens. Best way to find out is just ask.

Also, USPS will give you special rate priority mail boxes or something if you ask for them at the post office. Can't remember how it works exactly.

[Dave_M]

Baby wipes, canned ravioli (the easy open kind), magazines (a variety of them is always best; everything from 'US Weekly' to 'People' to 'Maxim' or car and gun rags), beef jerky, foot powder, Tylenol, different hot sauces, and whatever tobacco they enjoy. Books are also a good choice too. Much of it depends on where they are and what kind of facilities they have.

[Ak44]

I just sent a few packages over there to my buddy. Babywipes, Socks, Undies, Fruit (canned and dried), jerky, tuna, crackers, summer sausage, gummy snacks, granola bars, toilet paper, and some other stuff are what I sent....

[caelumatra]

I always get asked to send car magazines, candy, and pens. Best way to find out is just ask.

Also, USPS will give you special rate priority mail boxes or something if you ask for them at the post office. Can't remember how it works exactly.

Its a flat rate box. Anything you can fit in the box, up to I think 70lbs is less than 15$

[PrarieDog]

Sent some buddies bore snakes. They really appreciated them. Something they could acutually use and make life a little easier.

[PdxMotoxer]

I know this thread does not fall in the AR discussion but i am GALD it was posted.
I was surprised that most mentioned "baby wipes".....
It's just one of those things that guys like me who never served would not think of.

and also made me remember i have a huge costco box of the kirkland brand wipes that my now ex-wife and i used to use for our daughter before she passed away last spring.
I would LOVE to know they are being used and not sitting in my walk in pantry like they have been for the last year.
I could find a few other things from those lists to make someone's life a little bit easier over there.

This is where I need your help.

I do not know anyone over there or how or where i would go about shipping a care package to. I've shipped eBay stuff with flat rate boxes so i'm guessing it's pretty much the same.

1. How would i find a solider that wouldn't mind a care package
from a stranger?

2. Is there anything special i would have to do to the box to ship it overseas?

I think it's a great idea because most only think of giving during the holiday seasons.

Thanks....

(no disrespect to the OP for piggy backing his thread)

[m1a_scoutguy]

Its a flat rate box. Anything you can fit in the box, up to I think 70lbs is less than 15$

Yup,,thats about it !!! My Wife & I use to send our Son-In-Law stuff and is was always pretty cheap !!! I think the most it ever cost was around $20 bucks and man that box was Heavy !!!! Same things as above,,Baby Wipes,trail mix,,Nacho's & Cheese Sauce !! He said he had to run and hide when he broke out that stuff,,LOL,,he shared it with only a few bud's !!! Lots of Drink Mix's,, Jerky,Crackers !!! More things than I can remember !! He has been home now for over a year & a half !!! :happy::happy:

[mkmckinley]

The food gets pretty repetitive so I always asked for different kinds of sauces. I had an ammo can full of bbq and hot sauces that I kept in the fridge to season the stuff coming out of our kitchen. Magazines are also good. I also like to get dried fruit and snakcks that I could put in a cargo pocket, Crystal Light packets were awesome too.

[LowSpeed_HighDrag]

Spyderco Sharpmaker. Seriously, you can make alot of money being the only dude who can sharpen knives properly...

[theblackknight]

MILTEC/SLIP2000

socks/any footcare

A external full of fresh porn

Cash to pay the russian haircut chicks for a afterhours session:D

[Spurholder]

Have to second the idea of sending Boresnakes...one for 5.56, one for 9mm. Those really helped during my deployment. A few PMAG's wouldn't hurt, either. :)

I picked up a Sony PSP during R&R, and my wife would occasionally send me movies/games for it. Pretty neat little toy - it held up well despite all the dust and being banged around.

[C-grunt]

Boresnake, Pmags, reading material, movies, junk food, canned raviolis and other foods like that, good socks, BBQ sauces, babywipes, a football, baseballs and gloves. I will think of more later.

[C-grunt]

I know this thread does not fall in the AR discussion but i am GALD it was posted.
I was surprised that most mentioned "baby wipes".....
It's just one of those things that guys like me who never served would not think of.

and also made me remember i have a huge costco box of the kirkland brand wipes that my now ex-wife and i used to use for our daughter before she passed away last spring.
I would LOVE to know they are being used and not sitting in my walk in pantry like they have been for the last year.
I could find a few other things from those lists to make someone's life a little bit easier over there.

This is where I need your help.

I do not know anyone over there or how or where i would go about shipping a care package to. I've shipped eBay stuff with flat rate boxes so i'm guessing it's pretty much the same.

1. How would i find a solider that wouldn't mind a care package
from a stranger?

2. Is there anything special i would have to do to the box to ship it overseas?

I think it's a great idea because most only think of giving during the holiday seasons.

Thanks....

(no disrespect to the OP for piggy backing his thread)

When I was deployed the second time my wife joined an organization here in Phoenix that ships carepackages out to random units overseas. They are all over and you probably have one close to you.

[Business_Casual]

I sent flight gloves to a unit and the captain wrote me a letter of thanks - seems they never had enough and had to share gloves. Shrug.

B_C

[PdxMotoxer]

Thanks to the great members here i got a few pm's with the help i needed... looks like a few say AnySoldier (dot)com is a good way
for a guy like me who wants to help.

and thanks to the many throwing in idea's i have a bunch of unused
great danner boot socks that i used to get for x-mas. (had family that works at danner)

thanks again and thanks to the soldiers!!!