Q for military women-either in or previously in Mid-East?

Question

Hey Ladies-

I am getting a box ready for our local support our troops to send out to our troops in Iraq. I have the usual-gum, baby wipes, hard candies, sunscreen, chapstick, calling cards, etc. But I am wondering........I make handmade soaps and some bath & body products. Would those be useful (like girly treats?) over there--or not? I have little 2 oz body sprays, some lotions and bath salts etc. Obviously body butter is out but would this stuff get used there--or should I stick to basics? Also--anything else you found useful over there? I also **heard** that disposable baby diapers are used for a instant desert shower (fill with water and squeeze over your head) hmmm, ever hear of that? Suggestions welcome!

Answer 1

Nail polish, chapstick, sunscreen, DEET bug replellent, Jolly Rancher Hard Candies, Lifesavers Candies, High Calorie non perishable food items, cross-word puzzel books, pencils, pens, clean white socks, and letters of thanks

Answer 2

I would stick to basics. The reason I say this is because the scents in some of the lotions or soaps may attrack insects..a big problem when deployed. Bath salts would be useless as they is no opportunity to soak in a tub. Also, many handmade products simply won't stand up to the heat.

Some other things to toss in the box would be playing cards or card games like Uno, the single serving packets of drink mixes (especially from Gatorade), bandaides, neosporin, gel for treating sunburns, white tube socks, granola bars (no chocolate as it would melt), trail mix, dried fruits and nuts, small boxes of cereal (good for snacking) and travel versions of board games (especially with magnetic pieces).

Answer 3

FINALLY SOMEBODY THAT REALIZES WE'RE STILL WOMEN! OMG I LOVE YOU!!! lol SEND IT ALL!! Body butter.. YES SEND SEND SEND.. send to me.. i'll give you my address if you send me all that! lol Also.. feminine hygiene products are great to get too.. i have my mom send me those.. because they military doesnt stock what i use! As for bath salts.. that's a no go.. all we have is showers. So that would be kind of useless to us! Send all the lotion you can.. can never get enough of lotion! Some of it attracts bugs.... so lotion with no sent is the best... but sometimes you dont even have to worry about bugs.. when i'm alone in my room.. oh you better believe the good smelling lotion is getting put on!! It's so dry you need it. Even the guys use a lot of lotion. I've never seen or heard of the baby diaper thing.... we just use cups for insta-bath. But you cant ever get enough baby wipes either. baby wipes make the world go round!! TRUST ME! But pony tails(hair colored.. mostly we all use black, berrets, the kind that snap, kind of the rounded shape, and bobby pins) Um that's all i can really think of right now though...

I also just read what the other female said about nail polish.. lol we'll put it this way.. i have 25 bottles of nail polish and an entire manicure/pedicure set.. and i use it.. ALL THE TIME! And you can send all that to us! Including nail polish remover. I have some of that too.. just make sure you send the cotton balls to go with!

Answer 4

I never served on land while I was in the military. But I did do a WESTPAC in 98/99 where we drove our big carrier in little circles while in the Persian Gulf. So I can kinda say what would be nice from an ex-Navy sailor's point of view...

Though I don't know what are the new things that are illegal to send, if anything has changed, so please forgive me if I recommend something that is a NO-NO. No I won't recommend alcohol, drugs, etc. And do toss my ideas around to others to make sure I am not completely out of it.

How many people do you know with old popular magazines that they usually throw away. be it a National Geographic, Glamour, US, or other such high circulation types? Send those magazines to the gulf. We used ro read and reread old magazines with color photos just for a change of pace.

Bath salts usually means having access to a bathtub isn't it? I don't think they have the luxury of bathtubs. Though you have it right with sending girly girl stuff. We would wear the same things day in and day out so anything to change it up, from the shower to body sprays were awesome. Hopefully they are hypoallergenic so anyone can use them.

Drink mixes were good. As in individually packaged powdered Gatorade, teas, lemonade etc.. it was nice to taste something other than water while the kitchen/galley was closed. All we had to do was use our water bottles and add water.

I don't know about this, but how about manicure/pedicure kits? Be it something simple like emery boards to full out nail polish and removers? i don't know if they will allow sending of removers, but do ask.

I might be coming back and adding to this as I think of stuff. But last is to include a letter in the box address to all the recipients. The letter could ask if anyone wants a pen pal? Then it should ask that the group could send an email or letter back on what they liked, disliked, and desire of future shipments.


OK, editing... I just recalled some stuff.

How about some stuff for the feet. For example gel insoles or padded insoles with arch supports for various shoe sizes?

Send a few battery powered personal fans plus batteries. Oh my gosh did I go through batteries for my CD player. Remember I was in the USN before the time of MP3 players becoming common. Rechargable batteries are best with chargers.

I think a few hot/cold packs will be nice. Something to put on sore muscles. Homemade or store bought like the link below. I think with a light relaxing scent like lavendar or something would be cool....or not.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=10573050&RN=151&BTSmode=true

I bet the girls would love to make their own ice cream...
http://www.rei.com/product/709077?vcat=REI_SEARCH

How about some bug repellant/spray??

Answer 5

please send footies(i think they are called) and plenty of condoms. even for the female troops cause they are good for not getting sand in the barrel of the m16's. i am ex army so dont laugh, they are helpful.deodorant is appreciated.
no strong scented stuff, not good for many situations.
peanut butter crackers, twinkies, cheese crackers, all the things we take for granted are missed very much in combat zone. disposeable diapers thats a good idea.
if you can get a hold of the waterless bath sheets that are used in nursing homes those are nice to use from time to time as well especially for women over there.

Answer 6

I was in the military a few years ago, and even though it was just in this country, it was still hot enough to melt a lot of the items you mention. So you should send them the August 13 issue of Newsweek that tells how Exxon Mobile payed off a lot of the naysayers, and assure them that you'll be doing all you can to reverse the global warming trend.

Answer 7

i would send nothing scented,it attracts bugs.and yes they do use baby wipes for quick showers when they are on foot