What do Deployed Service Members really want in their Care Packages?

RP Members and Connections, If you're interested in sending a Care Package in 2016 here is a good place to start - please research before sending.


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http://www.operationwearehere.com/IdeasforSoldiersCarePackages.html

Baby wipes
socks and underwear
trinkets from the family and kids
Cards
Favorite foods and snacks
Gerber/Leatherman/Knife

Baby wipes should be a mandatory item within a care package. I've received care packages for Halloween, Christmas/new years and for 4th of July from a small organization from my hometown. Usually had your regular toiletries, candy, some snacks, and cards made from kids from the church or the local elementary school. Nice little thoughts!

Decent ground coffee, something sweet to dunk in it, and baby wipes

My nieces husband was deployed to Afghanistan a few years ago and we sent care packages to him and his team through their time "on vacation" (the term we used when writing email to him as he could never tell us where he was). Top on his list was HOT SAUCE, the hotter the better to eat MREs. Next was snacks from home that we carefully chose for the weather. He was from CA so one special treat was marinated artichokes, which he said he enjoyed with crackers during breaks in firefights, as they reminded him of home. We sent hot sauce, crackers, power bars, hot sauce, hard candy, nabs (Southern for peanut butter cheese crackers), hot sauce (hot nabs are a delicacy of 911 dispatchers in Guilford County), jerky (especially the hot kind), homemade cookies and cookie packs. We also sent toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, baby powder, baby wipes, foot powder, bandages (they had lots of foot issues), socks from Thorlo (they have a package you can buy to send to military personnel for a special price on their website - great socks and a great company). The most important thing we sent was "Letters from Home", a recording of everyone we collected stuff from sending them messages of encouragement, personal messages, and then my niece who was his fiance at the time added special messages for him at the end about life at home. She recorded her day, like a vlog, and took him with her by describing what she was doing, then ended with a good night (be nice). He loved his package, and so did his team. I agree that magazines or a book they might like would be cool. The shipping didn't cost nearly as much as I thought and some people donated for shipping. We asked for donations on Facebook, had a place to collect stuff, then would package it up and send it off. The last one went a few weeks before the end of they time there. The commitment included email from us about stuff at home while they were in a bus driving around the middle east seeing the sights, eating strange foods and meeting new people. Most important the people who helped formed a prayer warrior team and weekly were reminded to pray for them each day. Their entire team returned to Bragg twice, Eglin once with a few injuries. I really believe in the power of doing this for someone deployed, and just found out tonight that the son of a friend will be going next month to the middle east, and know the daughter of a friend who will be going to Turkey in a few weeks. I try to remind people always that our troops are still there, and it's hot, dry, cold, sandy, away from home.

That is an interesting question COL Mikel J. Burroughs. I suspect the answer is as varied as the number of deployed service members. Care Packages should probably contain the basic hygiene recommended stuff. They should also contain something unique based on the giver and the desires of intended recipients. Hopefully deployed service members have generated want lists and they were sent to those building care packages in many cases.
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Drink packets. 110 degree water goes down a lot better with flavor. Those were by far and beyond my favorite. I don't care what brand, flavor, or type. They were amazing.

I will be sending a care package my son deployed to Afghanistan with an MP unit recently ( SFC Joshua Jones)

Doritos and dr. Pepper. Baby wipes

Thanks Colonel for the Post. Makes me wonder too about what the Military does supply our men and woman. I have a nephew who is deployed in Korea and he asked his mother to send him a blanket because he was cold. I told his mother, my sister, that the Military supplies blankets to their soldiers and she told me that they don't. Beats the shit out of me. All I know is that the Maine Corps supplied us with everything we needed, including blankets and that poncho liner was a life saver in Nam. Hell, I still have a poncho liner that was issued to me in 1970 and now I carry it everywhere in my Vet. It's a great beach blanket! Anyways, when I was in Nam I always asked for real can food like tuna, spam and plenty of beef jerky. Kool aid and rolaids. And yes, I do send out Care Packages to our deployed soldiers including my nephew every year.