What are good gift ideas for our military over seas?

Question

This year My family has taken on a project to show our support of our soldiers serving in Iraq. We want to prepare 10 gift holiday boxes for 10 of our troops who don't have much family. We are putting cookies, bread, and making homemade cards. WE WOULD REALLY LIKE TO KNOW what are some other ideas to put in the box. Looking for small gifts that would be appreciated & liked, and that they might not have accesses too. We were thinking maybe a couple of books? . Your input would be most appercited & Thank you in advance for helping. Go USA!!

I should also tell you that all 10 soilders are people that know me. I have a couple friends serving over there so I've gotten to know a lot of guys before they left.

LOL - To each of them I'm sending them something that I know they'd really like, something personal from me. But my whole family wants to be involved so they want extra ideas since I want it to be a suprise I didn't want to ask them what they wanted.

Answer 1

hello

first i think that that is wonderfull what you are doing we are also mailing and emailing thing to some of the troop`s we go through www.anysoldier.com it is a great site check it out!!!

we are mailing a small xmas tree with some light`s decoration`s etc.. do they have a computer if so maybe some xmas music..

book`s magazine`s anything to read they always seem to love...

snack`s are alway great, BUT homemade food item`s rarley get eaten..

soldier`s are told for safety reason`s not to eat anything homemade or unwrapped from ppl they don`t know....

we have gotten to know the troop`s we send to over the last six month`s and now they are comfortable and thrilled to have us send homemade food item`s....

keep in mind when packing a box to send to iraq do not send anything like crayons or chocolate from may to late october as it will melt...

if it can melt it WILL!..

do not pack soap. perfume. tpast. ect...... in the same box with food even if wrapped in plastic bags,.... as the food will taste like the soap , no matter what you do...

When packnig anything that could leak put it in ziploc bags in the box first.. if it can leak it will.

Finally.... When you ship to an APO address you only pay the postage in US mail from where you live to NY state.. at that point it is turned over to military Mail.
It is then flown to Iraq or whatever country you are sending to and sorted and trucked to the proper place.

Be sure to put in personal letters and incldue your email address as most soldiers do have some ability to email and will at least let you know the package arrived.. also check back on any soldier site to see if your contact updates thier page.. they often do.

The ranges of what the guuys have can be from tents and no electrric or puter access to living on a Normal base with a full PX(store).. The ones living on Reg bases do have access to PX's for toiletry items etc... anyone in an FOB which is a forward operating base is without a PX usually.... THen yu have remote locations and those living on Iraqi bases those guys have the least amounts of luxuries..
Right now its the rainy season starting and the bugs are bad.. lots of biting flies... so fly strips,, those ones you hang are good to send as well.
Also DEET based repellents

Good suggestions for Iraq soldiers that we have seen them really like...
Microwave popcorn,
Chips but in a can like pringles so they dont get smashed
Powdered gatorade or single serving drink mixes
Antibacterial soaps, t pastes and shower gels
Wet wipes
Books, board games,Music CD's and dvd 's
Just about any non perishble food that yu can microwave is a hit.. ramen noodles etc..
Also as its getting cooler there now hot chocolate and apple cider will be in request.
Skittles and pnut m and m's seem to be popular as well as tootsie rolls

Also send used dvds or ask the guys if they want them because many we ship to do not,, a they can buy them over there for 1.00 a dvd for new releases.. bootleg copies you know..
The dvds we do send are usually ones we record of TV shows they are missing back home.


Each soldier has a description on the site and soem have specific requests others do not.. all want letters and are happy for anything they get... Weve been at this for a while now and have worked out most of the bugs around shipping to the guuys..

keep in mind that is you put in an email you are more likely to hear from your guys,, but its no gaurentee.. you can also incldue stationary and envelopes and self address a couple to you and they may mail you... these guys are busy but we have seen that most will take a minute to say thanks if they can,..and wehave really gotten to know many of thema and even thier families a bit... You dont need to send stamps though as Mail for them to send is free.

If we can be of anymore help let us know I will check back here.
Good Luck
Wis2006

Answer 2

The best, seriously, is to make him some sort of keepsake, like a small picture frame with some pictures of you guys together. Being deployed sucks, and at times, when you don't get to hear from your family, you begin to spend a lot of time looking at pictures and daydreaming and trying to remember good times. That means more than spending a lot of money on something that will get destroyed or lost. If you can laminate some pictures as well, that's great, they'll last longer (just go to Kinkos, no problems). Write him often, that costs, what, a stamp? And sending some care packages every so often is a huge help for deployed soldiers. You can even get some ideas for things from the USO where he is stationed, they can help you a lot. I think that one of the best things I did for my family while I was deployed was to video tape myself reading a book for my son and then sending him a DVD of that with the book. Ideas are best, and the simplest ones especially.

Answer 3

Send DVD's if possible. When they have down time and aren't at a highly set up FOB, they're bored. So they have portable DVD players but not much movies. Pictures are cool too, even if they don't know you personally, to know that there are people who do care is cool enough. Magazines, like Sports Illustrated, Stuff, Maxim, Car magazines. Letters along with the cards are great, and newspaper clippings of anything of interest would be great. Maybe stuff they need, like disposable razors, deoderant, toothpaste, there is a detergent called WashEaze, it is in a box the size of fabric softener sheets, they are sheets of detergent, so no spilling and the fit really well with their stuff, get the kind without brighteners, it's specially made for camoflauge so they don't get picked up by UV detecters, I get that for my hubby and he loves it. The idea that they don't have to spend money is really awsome. Coupons are great too, for like Burger King or something, cause if they are at a great FOB, then they'll have stuff like that. GOOD LUCK and Have Fun!!

Answer 4

Maybe some regional foods. They have PXs over there so they have some access to a lot of normal things, but regional specialties would probably make some people happy. Like a small bottle of real maple syrup from new england or something like that. I also heard of people asking for VHS tapes of the superbowl. Maybe you could tape some college football and put that in there.

Answer 5

You can send anything from home, they will appreciate it all! Some good ideas are soft toilet paper, baby wipes, hard candy, eye drops, magazines, newspapers from their hometowns. Even cans of tuna fish, protein is always good. Beef jerky, trail mix. Home made cookies are a big hit with my husband and his unit!! Hope this helps.

Answer 6

i think your ideas are good except books because different people like to read books on different topics. i think i would give them some small christmas socks that have been decorated by your family ( those plain christmas socks that u can get at an artcraft store) since christmas will be coming soon =)

Answer 7

Care packages with socks, undies, tshirts, everyday occasion cards, with stamps to send back home to loved ones, DVD's, taped shows, international calling cards with preset minutes, deodorante, razors, shaving creme, boot laces, magazines, books, playing cards, candies, non perishable food, can opener, CD's, manicure sets. That's off the top of my head.

Thanks for caring, I do too! God Bless our troops, and military dependants, and the U.S.A.

Answer 8

I would say send them a bundle of job applications so they can come home and contribute to America's economy instead of draining the hard working taxpayers of America

Answer 9

bring them back home A.S.A.P.