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

Because my two children/ son and daughter were deployed, I came up with pretty creative packaging and always included extra for others within the unit. Flying with the airlines, I had a girl scout cookie connection. I could have many, many, many, many cases of cookies free just had to pay shipping . My Marine connection led me to a lovely Gold Star mom whom wanted to offer shipping cost to anyone who would send packages. She ran a non profit for postage only. God Bless Her! My sweet Marine Son he always waited for everyone else to take what they wanted then he would partake.
I solicited a weapons company to send cleaning kits. LOL... my son said they had to put those in a shed as not authorized. Yet the company did send huge cases .....
Yep... do what you can year round.

Safe stuff!!!

Depends on AO, hot- baby wipes, sunscreen, lip balm, chap stick, socks, bandana's , hard candy, soup mixes, rice mixes, powdered drink mix, books, magazines, Q-tips, shave balm, razor/blades, snacks- well sealed. Cold- baby wipes, chap stick, soup, rice mixes, coffee/coca mixes, thick socks, hand warmers, scarves, dark balaclava's.

How many scam artists are hoping for cash donations to a completely untracked phony charity is what I wonder. Is the Clinton Foundation involved? There isn't enough soap on earth to clean those two up.

I suppose it's never to late to assemble pkgs for the loved ones over seas.. I know that there are "approved items" and "no-no's". I wonder sometimes could these "no-no items" be items that companies don't make or can't get exchanges to carry because they will not bring their price low enough compete in bidding and pressure the MilitItary exchanges to "NOT" carry just because they cannot afford to compete.

Candy, Pictures of loved ones, very soft toilet paper. (the military is fond of John Wayne toilet paper). Think of things the military does not issue. asking for a list from them of things that might want or need would be a good idea. Don't be surprised if Grand Ma's apple pie is on the list.

I had a few thinks I liked during my six deployments two of which were at camps in northern Iraq. They go in this order #1 baby wipes, nothing feels better than getting clean after being in the sun and sand all day or a few days. #2 Girl Scout Cookies, the girls are the devil or maybe just my crack dealer but I love me some cookies and it's a good reminder of home and what we are fighting for. #3 any kind of dried food, banana and apple chips, any kind of seeds, and dried meets. There was another one but GO-1 said no even though spouses did get it snuck in.

I been on a deployment and well what you bring us what you have unless you go to the PX/AFEEs and buy some. So anything is welcomed. Especially phone cards, beef jerky, hard candy, Gatorade packets or any other kind of drink packets for they usually have lots of water to put them in.

For me, at a minimum, baby wipes, Carmex lip balm, and Propel drink pouches would have been much appreciated.

The mini PXs have limited space and they don't carry every type of body hygiene items people like. Our post managed to get different types of popular toothpastes(we wrote some major companies and got a bunch of
Medium sized tubes of pastes.. different brushes, soap had to be free of colognes.. we still got some of those too(there are those that don't go off to do patrols).. we were told to avoid books with hidden political message(for or against), a bunch of p.c. Rules.. got to deal with those.. we sent those pkgs of
Flatbreads in a cry-o-vac pkg. tomato sauce, seasonings, other fun food stuffs..