Care Package Idea-UPDATE 4 July 05
These are common items that Soldiers may need or want while deployed. I have compiled this list from different sources and have put comments next to some of the items and tried to edit out the redundancies. I purposely left items for the Iraqi children both first and last. If there truly is hope in a world torn apart, it's in the minds of the children. -- Mike Golf
UPDATED: 4 July, 2005
This is an updated list after being in Iraq for 5 months.
· Items listed in BOLD GREEN are available to soldiers through Army supply channels or dining facilities, but not all areas in theatre get the same supplies.
· There is most likely a regulation against soldiers giving supply issued equipment (pencils, notebook paper) to Iraqi schools and children. For the most part, NGO’s (Non-Governmental Organizations) have taken on this project. It is the individual child that gets left-out as book-bags and other items individual kids could use are not covered. Of course, there is no National Stock Number on small stuffed animals. -- MG
Toys/school supplies for the children
FOOD IDEA’S
· Beef Jerky / Slim Jims© (Beef Jerky Link) (Slim Jim link)
· Just plain NUTS - Trail Mix, Energy Bars, PEANUTS salted in the shell, Sunflower Seeds, Chex Mix
· Hard Candy (Great for us on patrols and handing out to the Iraq Children)
· Hard Pretzels
· GUM (the “punch out packets” work really well) (I personally love Big Red)
· Granola Bars & Power Bars
· Small packs of Cookies, Oreos© or Cheese-Its (They go great in patrol packs)
· Dried fruit, canned fruit
· Ramen Noodles / Cup-o-Soup (Just add water - in the summer, the water is already HOT)
· Salted Peanuts or mixed nuts (Small packs again are great)
· Tea bags, Coffee packs, Hot Chocolate packets
· Ready-to-eat Pudding
· Girls Scout Cookies (chocolate will melt from April until October)
· In the summer be careful about CHOCOLATE (April-October) – it might melt!
· Packets of Powdered Drink Mix: Gatorade© / Kool-Aid© / Crystal Light© (Gatorade)
· Cheese & Cracker packs
· Mrs. Dash©, or other seasonings
· Instant oatmeal
· Vitamins (B, C, E)
· Microwave Pop Corn
· Microwavable food that doesn’t need refrigeration
· Ready-To-Eat Tuna or Chicken Salad kits, Tuna in pouches
· Cereal (small individual boxes or cereal bowls) I love Cap’n Crunch, so my better half sent a large box, which I divide up and put into ZipLock© baggies. –True Story!
· Rice Krispie treats (These have a 50/50 melt and mush rate getting to Iraq)
Toiletries: (Regular or travel size is fine, we have a need for both)
· Baby wipes – ( A MUST NEED) (Most soldiers purchase a baby wipe container when they “hit the ground”. From then-on-out, they need refill packs.)
· Lozenges and cough drops
· Liquid hand sanitizer/cleaner
· Breath Mints/ Listerine strips
· Razors
· Dental Floss
· Shampoo
· Soap and Deodorant (Never send in the same box as food. Never, ever; never.)
· Q-tips (travel size)
· Eye drops (i.e. Visine)
· Band aids
· Lip balm & Chap stick
· Moleskin
· Mouthwash (travel size)
· Tissues: Individual packs/travel size
· Sunblock, SPF 30 or higher
· Bug Spray/ DEET - Skin So Soft (Avon) (the Army issues a bug cream, that is great for going into the boonies. For patrols or guard we prefer commercially available items.)
· Footpowder
· Toothpaste & toothbrushes - (Lots off cheap toothbrushes)
· Nail clippers
· Cotton balls
Entertainment:
· Batteries: “D“-for Mag lights, “AA” for everything in the world, “AAA” - for head lamps and small radio - (The Army system is unreliable in this department. Army batteries are for Mission first, not for CD and portable game players … but I’m pretty sure that there is a kid on a logistics base somewhere using my batteries in his “stuff”!)
· Nail clippers
· USA Flags (State flags, team flags, or college flags.) (During the invasion, we were forbidden from flying the Stars and Bars. I hear it was because we didn’t want to send the political message of seeming like an occupying or invading force. To debate this now would be a really mute point. So, I flew a handkerchief sized Texas flag on my antenna the entire war. It’s red, white and blue, it has a star, and we had 4 Texans on my Bradley.) - True Story
· Pens & pencils - (Great for the kids, as well as paper)
· Stationery & envelopes
· Plastic-coated Playing Cards
· Dominoes
· Electronic gadgets or games
· Magazines (new or used)
· Newspapers and comic pages are great. (Your going to throw ‘em away anyhow!)
· Crosswords and search words books
· Nerf footballs, basket balls, or office games.
· Small calendars for 2006 when they come out
· Paper back books (new or used)
· Mini board games such as UNO, checkers, chess, Othello (travel size)
· Frisbees
· Hackey Sacks
· Portable CD players
· Music CDs (used, ripped or burned)
· DVDs, CDs - (used, burnt or ripped ... we don't need new, and the odds are it could get scratched)
· Xbox Games (used, ripped or burned)
· PS2 Games (used, ripped or burned)
· Prepaid Phone Cards - (We don’t have a need for them on FOB Normandy but other FOBs do)
· Novelty Items
· Handheld electronic games - (Cards, Old school games ... awesome!)
· Football, Soccer, Volley and Basket balls & other sports equipment (new or used) (We’ve been giving out soccer balls to kids in our area.)
Other:
· Small Flashlights or micro-lights (powered by AA batteries)
· Baggies (Zip lock, gallon size)
· Bandanas
· White cotton socks
· Black Cotton or wool socks
· Generic sunglasses
· Fly swatters
· Disposable Cameras
· Baseball Style Caps, Knit Hats
· Tobacco Products - (I personally don’t use them; I use these as bartering chips for other items)
Toys/school supplies for the children