Is it possible to "overdue" it when sending food over to my marine?

Question

im sending all of these items (separately packaged like for kids afterschool snacks):
goldfish
fruit roll ups
crackers/cheese sandwiches
teddy grahams
pringles
spiderman/tmnt fruit snacks...
are these too much? is it possible to send them "too much food"? please help!
thanks in advance

-semper fi

by the way, its only going to last a few months longer til his return home!

Answer 1

Marie,

When I was overseas nobody sent me anything. I wish to hell they had. You can never send too much because the more he gets the more he can share with his buddies. As someone who benefited indirectly from a good woman like you, it meant a lot to me. I also made sure that guys who got stuff (even if they didnt really have enough to share) stayed a little closer to me in combat. I wanted to make sure they got home because I knew somebody REALLY loved them. I never had to block a bullet, but I was always ready.

Send everything that you can. You can never send too much BUT anything you send will be enough.

God Bless you, God bless your man, God bless the USMC and all those who serve.

Answer 2

No such thing as overdoing it, if it's too much for one person, most places I've been to have a community locker/cabinet that people all share. The problem comes with repetitiveness, chances are wherever your Marine is, he doesn't need things like sunblock and chapstick as everyone sends that stuff and most of it gets stockpiled in a community locker/cabinet.

You've done a great job with variety and food that comes in small pocketable bags are perfect for whenever you have a mission and have to be on the go all the time.

In the next month or so the heat will dip low enough for the safe sending of chocolate, might want to keep that in mind.

Gatorade, instant tea, and koolaid powdered drink mixes are always a treat to break up the repetitiveness of the extremely limited drink options.

Never underestimate the power of a good sauce, my mom sent me some "Buffalo Wild Wings" wing sauce. Absolutely amazing, that month due to logistical problems we only had MREs to eat, that wing sauce saved my sanity.

If he's anything like the Marines I know, you'll want to send high quality protien shake powder

Answer 3

Well, it is possible to over-do it on the junk food (although it WILL get eaten by someone). I recommend just asking him what he'd prefer. Remember, these guys are on the go and may be away from meals for a while, and unfortunately, potato chips don't make the best snacks. Beef Jerky is probably the best food you can send, along with power bars and chewing gum.

I've read reports of how the average soldier/marine gains 10 lbs on deployment, and most of it is fat (sort of like the "freshman 15"). I know I tried desperately to keep from expanding my waistline, and trust me, there's almost always junk food around somewhere as a temptation. If you're going to send sweets, fruit snacks are probably best.

Answer 4

Care packages can never be over done. Keep them coming. I would add about 12 dozen chocolate chip cookies you bake for him to your list also. Anything you can send him, remember to send him enough to share with his buddies. If 12 dozen isn't enough send 12 more. And send all the items more times then you think is necessary. A care package is like a little part of the land of the big BX coming to him. By the way the land of the big BX is home.

Answer 5

I was afraid that I would send my hubby too much food too, and actually the food I sent didnt last him but 2 days, he works long hours and doesnt always get the time to go and eat, so he really loves having some snacks to go back to at night. I am sure that once we get caught up financially, he will be able to by his own snacks and he might not need me to send as much, so just ask your marine :o)

Answer 6

Hon, when I was a 19 year old girl in Vietnam, my Mom used to baked 30 or 40 dozen top hat cookies for me and put them into those round tin cans and send them over to me and the day they arrived I made at least 25 or 30 new friends and lost most of my cookies. You can never send too much of anything. The girls in my unit knew when my "shipment" was scheduled to arrive. It arrived at the same time every month, so I told my Mom to "keep 'em comin'" LOL, so you just keep them goin' to him. Bake cookies for him and can them so they don't get crushed. You can buy the tin cans at garage sales or even dollar stores cheap. What I am trying to say is enough is NEVER enough.

He can also use baby wipes and maybe baby powder and possibly bug repellent for the sand fleas, and some single packets of Kool Aid because the water over there tastes awful, so they flavor it up with Kool Aid. Also lip balm and maybe even some hand and or body lotion unscented for that manly smell. He may also need some eye drops, help his eyes adjust better in the heat, eye drops for dry eyes are also at a premium. Please don't send him just one of anything, go for broke, as they will be "borrowed" on a daily basis and go missing until returned or not returned.

Oh, and don't forget to tell the marines that they are loved and "THANK YOU", and come home safely!

Jay, sorry to hear you had no-one sending you stuff, I would have sent you some things, if you were my son!

Hon, my Mom also sent me a Birthday party in a box, it included but was not limited to: 4 cakes, baked in those metal tins I mentioned before, frosting in cans, actually several cans of it, party hats, candles and cake decorating stuff, some alcoholic cocktails in bottles, cookies, candies, party favors, chips and dips in cans, a couple of 9 track tapes to play at my party, popcorn, which was what helped everything to keep in one shape, pre-printed invitations to my "party" and pre-printed "Thank You cards, to give to my friends after they attended my party), not for gifts, but for coming and having fun with me and last but not least a really nice gift, a pair of silky pajamas and a bed jacket, matching, of course! You can vary the things you put into the party in a box, but it all comes out the same, "SOMEONE LOVES ME".

Answer 7

Send some energy bars, and maybe some cookies or something. The packaged tuna or chicken should be fine, as it usually only takes 7-10 days for a package to arrive there from here.

Answer 8

i dont think there is over -doing when sending food over there and if theres a chance he just cant eat it all before it goes bad theres always other guys over there who dont recieve alot of mail ( sad) so he would probably be happy to share. I'd rather send to much then not enough. Congrats on him coming home soon.

Answer 9

Maire,

Not really overdoing it, but, most of the stuff you're sending, they can buy at the PX now. The one thing I appreciated over there that I couldn't buy at the PX was freezer pops. The kind that come in the long plastic with juice, and you freeze them to eat later. Most people over there have a fridge and a freezer now, and they make great treats, especially when it's hot.

Answer 10

There's no such thing in over doing it when it comes to food there. What doesn't get eaten gets shared. My husband doesn't always have time to go to the dfac so all he has is what I send him.