Posted on 07/03/2004 5:35:38 PM PDT by patriciaruth
Our troop support group finally found a way to send care packages to our troops in Afghanistan, and I've received a couple letters this week requesting goodies. We're pretty excited about finally making contact, and are inviting others who want to show support to join us.
If you can't afford to contribute money or goods, the troops also really appreciate letters, cards and notes, and request your prayers for their safety and peace of mind.
The first set of care packages and thank you cards and notes that we sent to Afghanistan for the Fourth of July were received with joy and you can read about them on the second half of our last thread, Write a Thank You Note to a Soldier in Iraq this Memorial Day Weekend
We've been collecting goodies and contributions toward the next set of care packages to go to Afghanistan. Our contact there will send them to the troops at the outlying fire bases, and has requested toiletries, movies, paperback books, snacks, and games for them.
Also, there are ongoing requests from a group of soldiers near Kirkuk in Iraq for items for the poor village schools and children in the surrounding area, specifically elementary school supplies and children's toys and crayons 24 to a box are a special project of theirs.
Ping.
asgardshill has these DVD's ready to send:
Finding Nemo
Hunt for Red October
Office Space
Three Kings
U-571
Antz
Chocolat
Sea of Love
City Slickers
Stargate SG-1 Seasons 5 and 6
And will be dubbing Contact and Brian's Song (has on VHS)
WhooHooo! Too fantastic!
can I make that and send it?
I have two GI's I can send stuff too, but if you have more addresses, let me know...thx....
During the summer, chocolate melts, so that's out now till Fall.
Temp here is 100 degrees and going to get worse. In Iraq it's 115 and going to get worse.
When I remember the other thing I wanted to caution you about, I'll post it.
We've all been posting on the old thread. My fault I started it.
Two packages were mailed today--one a manilla envelop to Balad in Iraq with a couple magazines (NASCAR Illustrated, People), a few pocket constitutions, 15 thank you cards/notes/letters, and a picture album of troop support rallies by Tunehead54 and SerpentDove.
Mailed July 8, 2004 (Time machine in the shop), 1 box to Bagram:
snacks: 4 boxes of 5 Kettle Corn microwave popcorn (Act II brand), 4 boxes of 6 microwave buttered popcorn (Orville R. brand).
DVD Movies: Requests: The Jerk (Steve Martin), Broken Arrow (John Travolta). Emergency chick flick airlift: My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Forever Young (Mel Gibson), Forces of Nature (Sandra Bullock, Ben Affleck), Last of the Dogmen (Tom Berenger, Barbara Hershey), Moulin Rouge (Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman), Grand Canyon (Alfie Woodard, Danny Glover, Kevin Kline, Steve Martin), Best of Friends TV show (first 3 seasons), and to fill a hole Back to the Future Trilogy (Michael J. Fox)
Toiletries: 5 lipbalm spf30, 8 oz sunblock cream spf50, 8 Kleenex travel size.
Misc: 1 Army magazine on Iraq, 1 Decision with J.C. Watts on the cover.
jtill has a list of 28 paperbacks, most action/legal/thriller type that she is currently deciding how to divie up for mailing to the fire bases in Afghanistan and maybe some for the wounded at Walter Reed or for the Kirkuk soldiers. I'll post them when I hear how she's going to divide them.
Dear Patricia...
Thank you for the box of goodies. Today, on June 29th, we are still enjoying it. The movies and popcorn were a big hit. We plan to use the flags in upcoming barbecues and building dedications. They will add a nice touch of color to a country that is without. I hope you like the pictue I enclosed with this letter. It's just our little way of saying thank you. *******
******* Here on the base, I don't know what the plan is. Whatever we do (for the Fourth of July), I know I will miss the time spent with family, watching fireworks and eating chicken and watermelon. This week they are saying the temperature will be in the nineties. In Julys past, I remember thinking how hot it was, or how long the days were. It's funny, but now I want to be home for those days more than ever.
There's a lot to miss, but there's also a lot to be proud of. The soldiers I am standing with in the photo do the work they've been assigned better than any other team in the country. I'm very lucky to be working with them. In addition to the team, I'm also proud that there are people like you all over Amercia who are grateful for the work. It really shows in the Memorial Day Rally photos you sent. [Album was made up by Tunehead54 and SerpentDove] For these blessings, I can't express my gratitude enough.
When my tour is over, I'm sure I'll look back and breathe a great sigh of relief. I am already looking forward to running this race to completion and returning home. But here and now, in the midst of it all, I often find myself wondering: have I made a difference? In the end, do the people of Afghanistan taste more of the freedom they long for than they did before we arrived? Have the enemies that threaten all Americans been eliminated? Has the mission been accomplished? Sometimes it's overwhelming.
The encouraging words of family and friends back home have been the greatest answers to those questions. So I just wanted to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
Thankfully yours,
G******
Excellent! Thanks for sharing this.
I tried to figure out a tactful way to say that, but just decided to pass it along uncensored.
Dear Patty,
Hello from Afghanistan! ***** and I'm one of the Army People here that work with ******. We occasionally have people mail us "goodies" and this time I decided to send a thank-you letter. ***** I don't think I've written a letter to someone I didn't know. Therefore, I will try to keep this letter clean of any potentially incriminating stories.
Before I continue let me apologize for my handwriting... I think I have spent too much time at the keyboard over the last decade. As a result my (lack there of) penmanship has suffered greatly and I believe is irreversible. I find typing letters very impersonal.
OK, down to business! thank you very much for the package of goodies and movies you send us. With all the technology that surrounds us, the internet, telephone, digital photography, it still remains a joy to receive mail.
****I am a very funny person. This personality will crop into all serious moments of my life, so please accept this as part of me.
I am from a a good ole Irish Catholic famlly with six kids. I do not have family of my own, I have a cat named Max. I am thirty-three years young going on twenty-one. I am very single, sadly.
**** Things here are progressing just fine and we are patiently counting our days. I think this would be much more difficult if I had a wife and/or children at home. Personally, I'm doing fine but I can feel the married ones pain. Too many Americans identify military solely as fighting-men, when in fact they comprise only a small portion of the force. I was once a Marine Corps infantryman, yet today I am "in the rear with the gear." **** Fortunately there is no animosity between our own troops, namely those in the field and those here at Bagram.
***** Given the time, you might be surprised what kind of people exist within the military code of life. To close this letter I must mention a writer I heavily identify with, Ranier Rilke. Aside from my fascination and pursuit of poetry, I truly ? through his "Letter to a Young Poet." I find myself asking the same question as the recipient of the letter asked of Ranier.
May this letter find you and your husband in best of times and happiness.
Very truly yours,
P*****
We want them home too. They are making a difference and I hope they see that every day.
Patty, I almost have my box of school supplies ready to go, and MAY have found a youth group to participate for future shipments. They will be shopping for their own school supplies over the next few weeks, and I've asked them to pick up extras for shipment to Iraq. Will let you know if this takes off. Do you have any information on specific items the children there need?
I have Lonesome Dove- complete..but it is VHS. Would that help? Also I would love to chip in somehow and write & help send goodies to these guys. My daughter has a classmate serving in Afghanistan and another in So Korea. Let me know by e-mail if I can help.
I have a couple old pillows I'll pack around it.
The other way of dealing with VHS is that we have two FReepers who have new machines for copying tape onto a DVD disc. They are experimenting with them now. I don't know if there is something on the commericial VHS tapes that prevent them from being copied, if the equipment is just to copy home movies, stuff taped directly off the TV.
When we have reports on their success or failure, we'll let you know.
I have about eight old VHS chick flicks, western movie, etc. that I'll like to send, so I am waiting to hear, as you can't find them in DVD.
If this works, and we can copy your VHS to DVD, and then return them to you! So I hope it works.
We really want Lonesome Dove Part I and probably all of them would be enjoyed. There's a Western movie fan group at every base we send to.
Talk with you later. Cheers! Patty
Did your handle change? It's not coming up AlC like I'm used to.
Perhaps there was another AlC? I've been al_c since joining FR in March of 2001.
That's a fabulous offer! We'll figure out a way to pluck those goodies from you.
DVD's Brian's Song and Contact just arrived from Amazon. THANK YOU!
Error: diamondhead donated the VCR.
I had just opened the package with the DVD's from asgardshill and my brain seized up, as it is wont to do more and more lately.
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