What to send soldier in Iraq??

twinklyspecialkag

Hello all,
My brothers set to head out to Iraq soon and I was hoping for some advice. Im planning to make the most of the free postage by sending him parcels etc while hes away from home. I just wondered if anyone who had been out there could tell me what would of been useful to recieve from home???? Weve heard stories of how the bases are really well stocked & others say the complete opposite!! So it makes it harder to know what to send!! Any help would be greatfully recieved!!!
Many Thanks,
K x

Idollic

Hey Twinklyspecialkag, I too am in the Armed Forces but I have only served operational on ships. I think your brother would be so appreciative of anything that you send him, it really does boost moral. He might especially like a bit of his favourite snacks, his favourite body wash and scents etc...I'm sure he will be so pleased just to receive a package from time to time, I use to be esctatic...the actual contents wasn't as important as the excitement of getting post (*_*) Most importantly keep him updated on family matters and on how everyone is doing, and be sure to make him know that he is loved unconditionally. Best of luck x

SpoonyOh

My local rag today had a lovely article about shoeboxes for troops. They filled them with basic personal grooming items like toothpaste and soap and long-dated sweets that would keep in hot weather.
Personally, I can't help but think they must get through rather a lot of underwear with it being a sweaty place. I might be wrong, but still.......

bonsibabe

You have to watch that you don't send anything that is not allowed in that country. With iraq being a muslim country, you can't send men's mags that have any nudity in them. Things like Zoo and all that would not be allowed, neither are aerosols. But don't send chocolate - it will melt everywhere lol. when my bro in law was in Iraq, I used to send him magazines that were allowed, bags of long lasting sweets, undies (spoonyoh you are right, they do get through loads of undies lol). My DH was in Kosovo at the same time so I used to write a bluey to them both about 2 or 3 times a week. Just stuff like what was going on at home and reminding them that we were all really proud of them. I used to send photos of the kids and the mad things that we were getting up to - just to keep them informed! Toiletries went a long way - I remember my BIL phoning on his weekly 20 minutes to ask if I could send his friend a box of goodies, as he had no-one to write to him. I felt so sorry for his friend that when DH and BIL were getting boxes I used to send a third one to this wee lad - mostly just little things like a wash cloth and toothbrush and toothpaste. It would amaze some people the number of toothbrushes that soldiers in Iraq will get through - the sand gets everywhere!!!

(Baby wipes are a good idea as well - helps the lads keep cool and refreshed)

TAG

Hi Twinklyspecialkag,

My brother went out to Afghanistan last month. I was wondering the same as you what to send etc.

I came across this thread, a few pages on on this board
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1088805

Perhaps you will find some useful information/ideas on there as well.

HTH

Tag

twinklyspecialkag

Hi everyone - Thank you so much for your replies!!! All really good ideas & thanks for the reminder about keeping an eye on the magazines content.

Thank you for all your best wishes - were all far more concerned about the trip than he is!!

Thanks,
K x

Penny2myName

Have to admit I sent a rubber rat and haribo's but it was a halloween giftbox.. also sent toothpaste for after the haribos.

JimBear

NOT chocolate! My MIL sent this to my husband in Iraq, and you can imagine the mess it was in by the time he got it!