The troops have asked us for
Hard candy, hot sauce ,playing cards, video tapes, CDs, lotion, soap, shampoo, chapstick, pens, paper, batteries, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deoderant, Kool-Aid, socks, underwear, hats and gloves in the winter, books, magazines, and games that they can play onboard.
We just recently sent over 100s of foam ' Splat Balls'. You soak them in water and throw them at each other. They are like everlasting waterballoons. The troops on the USS Kennedy loved them.
Along with this I had a couple of the small folding compact "wing" style two line kites (drives security nuts at night with a chemlight or two attached :o), a frisbee, hacky sacks,nerf football and a small grundig compact "Short Wave" pocket radio with an earpiece.
I'll be putting a few of those togeather for sending this Christmas . That small individual kit was a don't leave home without it priority for my 26 year military career with stuff added as it came on the market like the compact rubiks cube monster.........
A new GI will "forget" or realize too late that such items as a sleeping bag liner made from a common bed sheet (queen size, dark color/pattern, high thread count (thank you martha stewart :o) as it will be hand washed a lot and air dried on a line ) and folded and sewn 3/4 of the way up makes that sleeping bag bearable after the many months of sleeping in it.
A couple of the small Photon III LED lights are also a godsend as they last forever and ride on your dog tag chain and will burn for 96 hours straight before a new battery is needed. I have carried em for years on lanyards and key chains and have yet to have to change a battery using them to find something in the dark. Photon even makes one for GI's now in a red stealth model......
Just some suggestions from me based on what I used, needed and enjoyed while in the deserts, jungles and woodlands of the world and those long rides to and from.
Stay Safe !