Best care package you ever got?

CH (MAJ) William Beaver — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 14:03:58 -0400

While deployed (or not) what is the BEST 'care package' you ever received and why? If you ever sent a 'care package,' what was the best one you sent? What do you think makes up the best care packages?

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Apr 7 at 2015 2:18 PM

SGT Ben Keen — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 14:18:58 -0400

Okay so some of you might think it's dump but the best box I got contained lady pantyhouses. Why was this so great? Because we were able to put them on the air intake of the commo vans and they filtered out a lot of the sand that the normal filters couldn't.

Response by CSM Michael J. Uhlig made Apr 7 at 2015 3:10 PM

CSM Michael J. Uhlig — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 15:10:09 -0400

The best care package was actual very simple, it contained a letter from each of my kids - some of their words were misspelled, drawings of us riding the dirt bikes, fishing and etc. My wife sent some homemade oatmeal raison cookies and pictures of the boys wrestling and playing sports as well! This was the best care package I every received!

Response by SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA made Apr 7 at 2015 5:41 PM

SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 17:41:45 -0400

Delicious made-from-scratch peanut butter cookies in OSUT. Individually wrapped, carefully packaged, and enough for everybody in the Platoon, including both Drill Sergeants and whichever Drill Sergeant would be on duty, to have two, plus some extras. Thanks to my lovely wife.

I was a very popular guy when that package was opened up. She had actually sent another package of identical cookies previously, but somehow a Drill Sergeant from another Platoon ended up with the cookies.

Response by SPC Todd Hanson made Apr 7 at 2015 10:52 PM

SPC Todd Hanson — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 22:52:51 -0400

Sir,
Mine was for my whole unit my grandmother and her red hatters group got us all home made cookies and other small things

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Apr 7 at 2015 11:20 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 23:20:35 -0400

I wrote to Parker Brothers when we were still without power in early 2003 Iraq. I told them that I'm trying to keep my troops from going stir crazy and asked them to send over some damaged games, or whatever was backing up their warehouses. About a month later, Top tells me to get my butt out into the courtyard and to bring help. They sent 2 massive boxes of everything. Multiple chess sets made of wood, glass, pewter, and some from Star Wars (I kept that one) new products, different versions of Risk, Monopoly, and ones I can't even remember. Everyone got to pick one and the rest went to the Chaplain for his "MWR tent" (consisted off a blown up building with most of a roof. I thought that was awesome of them. It made everyone smile.....for about an hour.

Response by SGT Robert Roadifer made Apr 7 at 2015 11:36 PM

SGT Robert Roadifer — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 23:36:05 -0400

Will the best care package I received was when I was in basic training. Why, it was because of all the things in it that you could not buy while in Basic. I never actually sent a care package but I bought items for the local Blue Star Moms to send out in care packages such as cookies, trial mix, jerky, gatorade drink powder, foot powder, playing cards, puzzle books, reading books, envelopes, writing paper, pens, silly string to use for finding trip wires, and glow sticks to use to mark areas either for landing areas or don't shoot areas.

Response by SP5 Michael Rathbun made Apr 7 at 2015 11:56 PM

SP5 Michael Rathbun — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 23:56:21 -0400

My wife sent me many very interesting and strange things during my tour. One priceless item she included in a care package was a rubber stamp that said, quite simply, "BULLSHIT".

Fortunately, S4 had a spare red ink stamp pad. We had much fun with it not a week or two later in adding our comments to a return-to-submitter ROS for some allegedly "combat damaged" equipment.

Response by Cpl Tou Lee Yang made Apr 8 at 2015 12:07 AM

Cpl Tou Lee Yang — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 00:07:35 -0400

Cigarette, smokeless tobacco, cookies, sunflower seeds, and beef jerky. You know how much money you'll make? I've sold a pack of cigarette for $20 and a can of skoal for $30.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2015 12:31 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 00:31:52 -0400

My mom's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2015 12:31 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 00:31:52 -0400

My son...longest care package I have ever waited for...

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2015 7:49 AM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 07:49:29 -0400

I received a box of homemade chocolate chip cookie bars covered in ants after the mountain phase in Ranger school. Both the cookies and ants were delicious, unfortunately when I got to the Florida phase my body violently discharged them in a hot liquefied fire stream, which continued throughout the phase.

Still the best care package ever!!!

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2015 7:54 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 07:54:41 -0400

My wife got pregnant before I shipped off to Kuwait. So late on in the pregnancy, she went to get an ultrasound to find out what the baby's gender was going to be. The doc gave the results to my sister, who was there helping, instead of my wife. My sister then created two identical packages with all kinds of themed stuff to the gender of our baby and she sent one to me. My wife and I opened the care packages together over skype once mine came in the mail. They had dolls, and candy, and a cigar, and the ultrasound, and it was all full of pink. The best care package I ever got was the one that introduced me to my daughter.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2015 9:19 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 09:19:54 -0400

Just remember not to send a 5 pound bag of gummy bears to Iraq in the summer...I had a bag of juice that solidified after it was placed in the fridge...

Response by CPT Bob Moore made Apr 8 at 2015 9:31 AM

CPT Bob Moore — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 09:31:22 -0400

There are two that I will always remember from my time in Iraq:

One was a box of cookies from an awesome bake shop in Midway, KY. I loved those cookies. I can't even begin to describe how good they were.

The second was a bunch of golf stuff. Our chaplain had a friend that wrote an article for the golf channel website. At the end he put our address and ask people to send old golf equipment or balls for our makeshift driving range. We got thousands of balls, ridiculous numbers of clubs (including a set of new ping irons), two driving cages, mats, and so much more. I was completely amazed.

Response by SSG Richard Reilly made Apr 8 at 2015 11:22 AM

SSG Richard Reilly — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 11:22:25 -0400

Gatorade powder, skol and sudoku. Note I didn't dip but a friend sent it and I used it like prison cash.

Response by MSgt Manuel Diaz made Apr 8 at 2015 2:20 PM

MSgt Manuel Diaz — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 14:20:56 -0400

Whe deployed, hmmm Homemade chocolate chip pecan cookies, but they were all the best each time I got a package. The best ones had my wife's kisses in lipstick on the package.. while in bagram they had this "operation care" I forget but I would volunteer time and would repackage packages and would send them to the fob's, I also included feminine hygiene stuff too, those I marked for the women, cause I know some guys could be ass holes.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2015 5:27 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 17:27:35 -0400

I still remember the feeling I had when I opened up a care package that contained a six-pack of 20-oz bottles of Big Red soda, homemade deer jerky and various leaves from home. Yes...leaves. They were a little reminder of home and a small escape from the chaos of Iraq in 2003. Of course, the portable DVD player miraculously "fell out" through a little slit in the box that was taped shut at some point, but the items in the care package I did receive were much appreciated

Response by SGT Frances Richardson made Oct 6 at 2020 11:05 AM

SGT Frances Richardson — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 11:05:49 -0400

From my NCOIC's family. They sent me boxes full of Cheetos....I LOVE Cheetos. They sent so many that I couldn't eat them all but I was so thankful for every box that they sent.