Reply #6: Best of Luck for your Son [View All]

[CRK7376]

Ask him what his APO(Army Post Office)is. His unit will have one or two soldiers that are stay behinds from his post (Bragg, Benning or where ever his unit was located), if he is a Guard or Reservists, there will be somebody at the State(Guard level) that will have their unit address or Reservist Center. Most units will live one or two people behind to handle the Admin/Family Support Groups/Watch the facility etc...Having the APO AE(AE was what we used in Afghanistan, not sure what Iraq is) identified the theater where he will serve. The zip code further just like in the states will make it easier for mail handlers to get the mail to your son's unit more quickly. Still As long as the unit number is legible and you identify it as APO it should catch up with him eventually.

Things to send.....comfort items

Avoid chocolate, as much as it may be the favorite junk food of soldiers it melts over there very, very quickly and the mail is not siting in the shade, much less A/C...so I would not send KitKats.

Chapstick and sun screen were at the top of my wish list. We got blistered long, hard and often in Afghanistan. Iraq is the same.

Diaper Wipes, as often as possible. Altough we have lots of bases set up and running in Iraq, fresh water/Shower facilities will often be limited or hard to come by. Diaper wipes save the day...

Bad news item but need by troops in that dusty environment where weapons often mean the difference between life and death, available at most hardware/home Depots/Lowe's type stores. Soldiers need and use graphite powder as a dry lubricant for their weapons. I hated the government issue gun oil/lube. It attracted dust and sand at a horrible rate and that is not something you want in your weapon at any time. Send him some tubes of graphite powder. You will often find it near where they cut keys....

Drink mix...especially powdered sports drink mixes like Gatorade or Powerade. DOn't send unsweetened Koolaid mixes...sugar or sweetener is not availible. Lemonaide or powdered Lipton Tea mixes are good too. Plain hot water tasted terrible and even worse if it's treated Tigris/Euphrates river water....

Books of crossword puzzles/word searches, newspapers from home(so what if it's old news it's still from home and will have highschool football/track basketball scores etc, GQ,Stuff, Maixim some of the more risque men's magazines... don't send Playboy etc...they will not get in-country, although your son and 10000s of others are in hostile environment, in harms way and work long hard hours.. there is also lots of boring down time.

Batteries are not always easy to get, send D, C, AA, AAA batteries. Lots of soldiers have their gameboys and electronic toys/CD players with them so they need batteries and the PX is not always close to lots of troops.

Gum, peanuts, beef jery, sunflower seeds, hard candies that will not melt. It doesn't hurt to include writing tablets, lots of mail is making it to the troops, most of it from the Red Cross and other volunteer organizaztions. I know every letter I got from the Red Cross or school etc...I wrote a response to. Mailing first class letters for troops in a war zone is free so he doesn't need stamps. Small writing tablets and envelopes are needed.

Send several pairs of cheap sunglasses. He will not be too upset if the break, get lost or are given to a local....Don't send the expensive Oakleys etc...

A small 3x5 US flag and a NC flag went with me to Afghanistan and flew over our firebase. A favorite sports team pennant and ball cap help with morale during down time.

Lots of folks will add more items and they too will be correct. The living conditions are sparse, so any creature comfort items the guys and gals get will make their tours in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan etc..
just a little more bareable. Best of luck to you and your son.