Please help anyone that has been deployed!?

Question

I have two buddies going to Afghanistan this week and i have their addresses. I told them to write me if they want anything but i dont think they will ask? for you that have been deployed what kinds of things do you like to get sent to you? thanks in advance for the help!

Answer 1

I was deployed to Vietnam twice if you think that counts. The needs and wants change very little.

Put yourself in the place of a young man or woman. They need things to pass the time; video games, cards, magazines. If you are sending it to someone from your hometown, send a local newspaper. You would be surprised at how much a local newspaper is appreciated.

They need trail mix and other nutritious foods they can eat. They need personal toiletry items.

There are many long lists you can find on the internet, much of which might suprise you. There are many organizations you can work with if you aren't sending to a specific person.

Answer 2

my husbands been deployed not me but i sent things like

cereal

pringles

fruit cups

slim jims

cookies

cake in a jar

books

cheetos(and other chips my husband liked the multi packs of chips)

peanut butter jelly

crackers

hard candies

ramen noodles

easy mac

electronic games

magazines my husband liked the car and gaming magazines

along with the sports magazines like maxium and blender

beef jerkey

cheff boy RD make sure all canned products have pop tops

drink mixes like gatoraid and crystal light and iced tea

pop tarts

cereal bars

non refigerated puding cups

fabric softner sheets (these serve great purpose for making an assult pack smell better and for laundry reasons)

fbreez

an Energizer baterie charger with various batteries( expensive but it saves them money and time looking for new bateries)

seal up anything that has potential to leak tighten tape lids and put in zipper baggies

unsented lotion

shampoo conditioner

liquid soap

chapstick in the jar ( not the tube incase it melts it can be reused in the jar and wont make a mess)

sun screne

tylenol

muscle rub

foot powder

bug repelent

letters from home and pictures of home

lil debbie snack cakes were a major hit

things like chocolate and gummies melt in the summer monts so sent them in the cooler months and alwayse make sure they still placed in som sort ofa bag i got the fun bags of multi candy to aviod the baggie

confort items like a twin sized foam egg crate for the cot they are quite unconfortable and a soft blanket and pillow are great things too

DO NOT SEND pork products if you are unsure what is in it read the lable or dont send it,  dont send alchol for obvious reasons, and do not send pornography or anything offensive

you can send anything thats non peresible and youll be suprised what you can find

my husband liked to get glad ware containers for food and the plastic silverware as well

he was happy to get anything it is true they do have a store to get daily items sometimes the store sells out of things and even if your freind doesnt need it i am sure he can find someone that will need or want it

Answer 3

Try here.

Answer 4

1 Snacks and candy.

# 2 Magazines.

# 3 Letters.

Answer 5

sorry, I'm not in the military, but my boyfriend and a couple friends have been deployed. I would say anything to remind them of home! new music that is out, dvds, sweets, you know, food they cant get there, well anything that can be sent that far. I know my boyfriend really likes pictures so that he can hang them by his bunk and it helps pass the time. maybe a funny card game or something for them to do while sitting in the brads or on duty. stuff like that. :D nothing real big tho, except food obviously cuz that wont be taking that back with them.  

Answer 6

Nasal Spray (it's hot over there and that is one thing people don't send but they really need)

Sunglasses

Travel baby wipes

Chap stick

Holiday Cards

International Phone cards (most uso's provide a few of these but they run out really fast)

Foot powder

Most installations will have a store set up for the troops, but not always.

Answer 7

If they have families then they will be the main thing on their minds. So if you can do anything to help their families, it'll be much appreciated.

Answer 8

The military will cover everything they need.

Answer 9

Hi! My husband has been deployed for 10 months now. So I guess I am the expert about this since I send boxes all the time.

Its good to have some idea of what your friends are interested in and also junk/snack stuff that they would appreciate.

Sending toothpaste and toiletries is really a waste. Soldiers get that stuff all the time handed out to them. My husband said that he always sees trash bins full of boxes of soap and toothbrushes etc. Becuase all those organizations and networks of people tend to send the same STUFF over and over. My husband gets a box from a school every week.

SO, try to think what YOU would like. Walmart has a really cool option. You can make custom CDS of your favorite songs. DVDs are a dime a dozen there so don't get DVDs. But you can make custom cds or even just sending them some video games they will REALLY love that. Any hand held electronic games are also cool.

Gold Bond foot powder or anything similar to that is a VALUABLE item. Because soldiers wear boots around the clock and their feet burn a lot. That foot powder really is important for the feet as well as you should get some Dr. Scholls inserts (pads) for their boots. Don't get the GEL kind (because it melts from extreme climate there) just get regular shoe cushion inserts. They are like only $2-3 a pair and it is really an appreciated thing as the boot cushions wear down with lots of use. Tossing in a few packs of powder and a shoe insert every month or so will help.

You don't want to send things that take up too much space. Because the soldier has to carry and pack it all with him every time he is sent on another assignment somewhere.

My husband loves those hallmark cards at the store that play popular songs in them. I send him a funny one every once in a while. Generally amusing things are best. Books are not necessary at all. Magazines are also pretty common there too.

Include a pack of sleeping pills. Because all soldiers can have trouble sleeping if they have a very heavy work load. Snack items are good just be sure they don't open or spill inside the box.

Baked cookies are all right but make sure to pack it really air tight and put in a small piece of bread to keep the cookie from going stale.

If you are really close friends what matters most is the letting that person know how much you care about them and how important they are to you. Making a DVD slideshow of pics of you together or even just taking a cheap photo album and filling it with pics and silly comments will make a person feel special. I know men try to be tough about some things but its really not at all weird or girly-ish to do a photo album of you together as buddies. Believe it or not, my husband told me that he most treasures his picture books of friends and family. And when he has had a bad day it makes him feel better to look through them.

Another greatest thing you could ever do for yours buddies is to check in on their wives or significant others/mothers/relatives for them. I can't tell you how alone I have been without my husband. There were times when my car needed to be checked and there wasn't anyone to really give me advice. Even if your no expert if you make yourself available as an emergency contact for that person or ONLY as a sounding board that will really do wonders. Its not even a issue of how to cope with it, rather knowing that a person can reach out.

Anyhow, the rest you can simply do is snack food. Avoid anything that can melt down but aside from that it is usually most appreciated.

Answer 10

I was deployed to Iraq 2 times (2003-2004 &  again 2005-2006, but I did get 1.5 years between deployments) They usually get plenty of stuff like chap stick,shaving cream, and soap. Sun screen always seems to get in your eyes when you sweat.

    Things that I really missed were things like magazines, home town news papers, new DVDs, and music. Also any letters or pictures are always treasured. If you write a letter, it may take a long time for them to write back if they get to at all. Some odds and ends that we were all excited to see were things like squirt guns, water balloons, home made cookies, game books like sodoku or cross word puzzles, soccer or volley balls with air pumps, and any thing that may make the time they have more relaxing.

   Good Luck.