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Package to Iraq
Apr. 3rd, 2003 09:02 pmDid a bunch of running around today, gathering items to send to Iraq. Since they're no longer taking things addressed to "Any Soldier," we had a small epiphany and started asking around. Sure enough, my husband's boss has a son who has been deployed to Iraq, and she thought he would love to have someone sending him stuff to share around with the other guys in his platoon.
So, I picked up the standard stuff everyone always mentions:
Lever 2000 wipes (bigger and stronger than baby wipes, and they don't smell like baby powder), AA batteries, disposable cameras, Carmex, chapstick with sunblock, and body lotion.
As well as a few extra things: small bags of sunflower seeds, lots of gum, a crossword book, some small notebooks, a pack of pens, two novels, and a whole bunch of eyeglass cleaner wipes.
I chatted with my dad this evening to get his advice... he was in Viet Nam for a bit and while the current situation is different, I figured there'd be enough similarities that he'd have some good ideas. At his suggestion I pulled out the Cadbury chocolate mini-eggs, since they're too prone to melting, and I also pulled one of the crossword books because it had a Bible Quote crossword (my husband had pointed it out earlier as well, and I'd been waffling on it, but my dad said it'd be better to err on the side of caution -- no religious materials are allowed to be mailed into the middle east). I'll be heading to the store in a bit to pick up some red licorice and tootsie rolls, also at his suggestion. He said those tend to travel well and are easily shared.
The funny part was when I mentioned that I was sending several packs of AA batteries... times have changed a lot since the early 70's -- he hadn't even considered that the soldiers would have Walkmen and Gameboys. But he thought the eyeglass cleaner wipes were a very clever thing to send... not something people would think about, but would likely come very much in handy.
All in all, it was a lot of fun to do... a bit like buying a bunch of stocking stuffers or playing Secret Santa.
And now... I'm off to play Asheron's Call 2!
So, I picked up the standard stuff everyone always mentions:
Lever 2000 wipes (bigger and stronger than baby wipes, and they don't smell like baby powder), AA batteries, disposable cameras, Carmex, chapstick with sunblock, and body lotion.
As well as a few extra things: small bags of sunflower seeds, lots of gum, a crossword book, some small notebooks, a pack of pens, two novels, and a whole bunch of eyeglass cleaner wipes.
I chatted with my dad this evening to get his advice... he was in Viet Nam for a bit and while the current situation is different, I figured there'd be enough similarities that he'd have some good ideas. At his suggestion I pulled out the Cadbury chocolate mini-eggs, since they're too prone to melting, and I also pulled one of the crossword books because it had a Bible Quote crossword (my husband had pointed it out earlier as well, and I'd been waffling on it, but my dad said it'd be better to err on the side of caution -- no religious materials are allowed to be mailed into the middle east). I'll be heading to the store in a bit to pick up some red licorice and tootsie rolls, also at his suggestion. He said those tend to travel well and are easily shared.
The funny part was when I mentioned that I was sending several packs of AA batteries... times have changed a lot since the early 70's -- he hadn't even considered that the soldiers would have Walkmen and Gameboys. But he thought the eyeglass cleaner wipes were a very clever thing to send... not something people would think about, but would likely come very much in handy.
All in all, it was a lot of fun to do... a bit like buying a bunch of stocking stuffers or playing Secret Santa.
And now... I'm off to play Asheron's Call 2!
