Whoo Hooo! Another great Dallas HH in the works.....
WHEN: Friday, 3/27/09
WHERE: Cadillac Ranch, on the porch
TIME: 7:00pm -- ???
Who's Going
1. Victoria
2. TCDamsel
3. Capn Jack +1
4. Sherr752
5. UP Diver
6. Platypusman
Maybe, Possibly, Will Try to Be There!
1.
Operation Care & Share
Yes, we will be accepting items for our deployed troops again! Here is the most current list:
Here are the basic "do's and don'ts" of care package contents when sending to the troops.
DO'S:
Books
magazines (dive, sports, fitness, Guns & Ammo, Field & Stream, Car & Driver, Road & Track, etc...)
DVDs
gum & hard candies
Jelly Belly jelly beans
games
music CDs
replacement batteries (usually AAs) for personal CD players
chapstick
prepaid phone cards (these need to be specifically for calling to the U.S. from int'l locations.)
Q-Tips (good for cleaning ears, weapons, CD players, etc)
unscented baby wipes (a godsend for long patrols, and during/after a sandstorm)
gallon-size ziploc bags (good for keeping sand outta stuff....)
single-use gun cleaning wipes (Hoppe's is an excellent choice)
eye drops (saline, Visine, etc if you can find them, boxes of the little single-use vials are the best!)
portable nonperishable snacks such as
- dried apples
- dried cranberries SOME
- dried apricots SOME
- trail mix
- Jerky LOTS OF THIS!!!
- dry roasted nuts
- banana chips
- granola bars
Assorted teas
Ground coffee (please buy the troops freshly ground coffee, preferrably a dark roast)
drink mix powder in single-serving packaging (makes that bottled water tastier)
canisters of Gatorade powder
Emergen-C (click here to see what this stuff is, which can be purchased at any drug store or larger grocery store, as well as at Sam's Club or online at the link provided)
Oreos, Nilla Wafers, Chips Ahoy, Ginger Snaps, and other prepackaged cookies
GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!!! The more, the merrier!
HOME MADE COOKIES & BROWNIES!!
Pretzels and other snacks that are sturdy enough to ship well
TABASCO SAUCE in multiple small bottles so that they can be packed in a ruck for patrols
personal care and toiletry products (hair clips, brushes, ponytail elastics etc for female troops)
Toothbrushes
Small tubes of toothpaste
fitness supplements (protein, Hydroxycut, Super B Complex, etc)
.... I'll add to these as I come across other good items.
DON'TS:
Chocolate or other meltable candies (they just become a mess before the box even arrives)
volatile liquids (flammables or aerosols)
perishable foods (nothing like receiving a box of slimey moldy science projects...)
no religious materials (according to the USPS)
NO PORN
To quote BeachJunkie: "For gawd's sake, no Irish Spring soap!"
see his post below to learn why......I know there are more of these too, but they're escaping me at the moment. If y'all know of others, please feel free to chime in on this thread!
Cautionary comments:
If you send any sort of liquids (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, saline, whatever), be certain that the lid is tightly closed, and tape it over to ensure it does not leak. The USPS and/or the military will 86 any packages that have leaking contents.
OH, AND IF THERE'S ANYONE HERE WHO LIKES TO SEW, I'VE GOT THE PERFECT QUICK PROJECT THAT WILL MAKE EVERY SOLDIER'S DAY WHEN THE HOT WEATHER COMES!!! PM ME FOR MORE DETAILS!!!
There are specific requests this time from several of our SD members and contacts who are over there in Iraq & Afghanistan. Here's the list:
- timk's request: "Energy drink mixes, Gillette Atra razor blades, Jerky, sunflower seeds, somewhat healthy munchies are very welcome, baby wipes, magazines & books are good. My favorite candy in the world is Boston Baked Beans"
- Our contacts in Kabul & points south requested: Jerky, lots of energy drink mixes, sunflower seeds, jerky, baby wipes, magazines, jerky, books, trail mix bars, jerky, and lotsa school supplies (one of our contacts there is a ranking officer who is working with four schools) and protein supplements.
- TonyL requested jerky, sunflower seeds, energy drink mixes, trail mix bars, books & magazines...and glucosamine condroitin supplements for his "old" joints.
- Moose requested reading materials, school supplies for the local children (coloring books and crayons would be good too), and "not so very politically correct gag items" that he can get a good laugh over! (By the way, I'll ONLY be sending the non-PC stuff to Moose!)
Also, I'm cultivating a new contact in Afghanistan. She is the head nurse at a M*A*S*H unit, and I'll be looking for lots of goodies that are suitable for wounded warriors to receive, such as books, magazines, and hand written cards/letters along with edible treats!!! This contact will be able to distribute what we send to the men and women who need it the most: those who have been wounded in the line of duty. If y'all have used or new audio-books on CD, those are PERFECT.
