What is the funniest / strangest thing you ever received in a care package in OIF/OEF?

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 14:55:59 -0500

Just curious to what stands out the most, trying to get away from some of the more serious topics that have been trending.

Sometimes we get stuff from well intentioned (but poorly thought out) civilians...that makes us just laugh, or just say "why?".

For me, it was 168 twinkies....don't know where they came from or why....but they were tasty with our morning coffee.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 2 at 2015 3:03 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:03:25 -0500

Not received by me nor was it deployment. However someone had a friend in Australia who enjoyed less than practical jokes. So the guy in my plt received a novelty blow up sheep, with voice box during basic.....

Response by SSG Rob Cline made Mar 2 at 2015 3:14 PM

SSG Rob Cline — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:14:16 -0500

Our unit was given a pallet (Yes, a PALLET) of RedBull. We all developed a sincere dislike of the energy drink after the first week.

Response by SGT Richard H. made Mar 2 at 2015 3:14 PM

SGT Richard H. — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:14:53 -0500

A guy in my platoon, during Desert Storm, received (from his girlfriend) an auto-erotic device called a "pocket P****"

Response by SSG Christopher Parrish made Mar 2 at 2015 3:36 PM

SSG Christopher Parrish — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:36:10 -0500

Last Easter I sent a buddy of mine several boxes for him and his crew full of Easter eggs that were camo (woodland is all I could find) with candy and Bible verses my kids hand wrote about courage and faith. The boxes were also packed with Easter basket grass.

I hope they found it as cute and funny as my kids did when they were putting them together.

Response by SPC Theresa Zurfluh made Mar 2 at 2015 4:59 PM

SPC Theresa Zurfluh — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 16:59:07 -0500

This wasn't over a deployment either but during AIT I received a box from my sisters of a delicious Thanksgiving feast. Turkey Jerky for the Turkey, croutons for the stuffing, Pringle original for the mashed potatoes, craisins for the cranberry sauce and so on. They thought of different nonperishable food ideas for each main staple of our Thanksgiving feast at home.

Response by LT Jessica Kellogg made Mar 2 at 2015 8:51 PM

LT Jessica Kellogg — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 20:51:05 -0500

On my husband's first deployment, I sent him "malaria"

http://www.giantmicrobes.com/us/products/malaria.html

Malaria (Plasmodium falciparum)

The tropics have coconuts, soft beaches, clear water, shiny fish, colorful birds, steel drums, umbrella drinks. And Malaria.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 2 at 2015 9:54 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 21:54:13 -0500

One of the guys in my basic his mom a marine thought a funny joke sent him a huge platter of chocolate chip cookies the DS's had him read the note from his mom saying she hoped everyone enjoyed the cookies and that the DS's have her permission to smoke us to death for eating them needless to say they put the platter in their office until the last day brought them out the cookies were falling apart the DS's said privates eat them if you want we won't kill you your graduating tomorrow. Everyone but me ate some of the crumbling cookies afterwards the DS's smoked everyone till they puked the cookies back up all over the floor and we spent the day cleaning the bay again I warned them something was up when that platter came back out (they were sent week two so yeah I'm surprised they lasted when we all thought the DS's had eaten them)

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 2 at 2015 10:44 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 22:44:10 -0500

I had a Soldier in my Platoon receive a bottle of Ranch salad dressing in a care package. I'm not sure what the rationale behind that was. Chances are if we didn't have salad dressing we didn't have anything to put the dressing on. I can't see too many people using ranch dressing with MREs.

Response by SGT Ray Grooms made Mar 3 at 2015 12:29 PM

SGT Ray Grooms — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 12:29:34 -0500

Bubbles. One day, I sat in the shade and started blowing them. As I watched those small, magical orbs drift towards the 1SG's office, I heard his voice... "What the Hell is this Jack-assery?" I quickly hid the bottle and pretended to be doing something else. It was incredibly hard not to laugh when he came looking for the source.

Response by CPT Arch Nissel made Mar 3 at 2015 2:08 PM

CPT Arch Nissel — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 14:08:40 -0500

A well packed, large, and still sealed bottle of Listerine that tasted like Chivas sent to me in Africa.

Response by SGT Justin Lamb made Mar 3 at 2015 2:15 PM

SGT Justin Lamb — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 14:15:23 -0500

Sir, on one of my Iraq tours I got a random care package that had two five pound weights and a bottle opener with a card that just had the word thanks!

Got a giggle out of it and used the weights to hold down my miniature Xmas tree.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Mar 3 at 2015 2:22 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 14:22:32 -0500

Popcorn. I requested it.

The first time my mother sent a CARE Package to me in Vietnam, she included packing material to keep the cookies from crumbling.

I wrote back that she should use popcorn because an edible packing material tasted better than the crumpled newspaper she had used (and protected the cookies better, too).

The next cookies arrived packed in popcorn.

She was bewildered when I wrote back to thank her but asked for salt in the next batch.

"You're eating the popcorn?"

Of course...

Response by 1LT Nick Kidwell made Mar 3 at 2015 2:27 PM

1LT Nick Kidwell — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 14:27:40 -0500

Well, we didn't receive it, but it was memorable.

The unit we relieved had a chicken that played the chicken dance song. One of their guys got it in the mail for Easter or something. When one of their NCOs decided that my guys were making too much noise during their sleep cycle (which they probably were), they decided to play that chicken over and over again outside of the hooch that my PSG and I were billeted in.

The next morning, my first order of business (even before a Class 1 download) was to locate said chicken, douse it with EtOH-based hand sanitizer in the burn pit and kill it dead with fire.

Most satisfying.

Response by Cpl Dennis F. made Mar 3 at 2015 2:44 PM

Cpl Dennis F. — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 14:44:42 -0500

My mom sent a lot of holiday stuff. A small Christmas tree. Pre-Halloween, I received a box with a bunch of Halloween masks and a plastic pumpkin full of poge-bait. We all debated wearing them into the vill that night on our regular patrol. M14 armed trick or treaters? I always shared my packages with my hooch and they were always good for a laugh. Apparently my mom knew something about how to cheer us all up.

Response by SPC Nicholas Cureton made Mar 3 at 2015 4:28 PM

SPC Nicholas Cureton — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 16:28:38 -0500

The strangest thing I ever got, was a pack of pantyhose from my dad. He had talk to somebody who wants knew somebody who had gone to the Middle East for Desert Storm and the thing that stood out from his conversation with him was that the air filters on the Humvees kept clogging up from the sand and they used pantyhose. So me and my buddies had a lot of fun putting pantyhose over our heads and running around like old-school stick up artists from the movies.

Response by SSG Kenneth Lanning made Mar 3 at 2015 4:30 PM

SSG Kenneth Lanning — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 16:30:04 -0500

We had a guy in my platoon while deployed to Bosnia in '96-'97 get cookies and KY jelly...same box, no other items. Don't ask, I have no idea O.o

Response by MSgt Michael Durkee made Mar 3 at 2015 7:06 PM

MSgt Michael Durkee — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 19:06:29 -0500

Going off topic, sort of, as usual. I have to say the BEST care package I received was an Ipod Touch sent from a high school friend(it was 2010 and I graduated in 1987...that awesome friend. I was in Kabul and didn't have an Mp3 player or anything for those nights of looking at the ceiling and wondering what the next day would bring.
She rallied our common FB friends and classmates to contribute and send the Ipod Touch.

Response by Cpl Doug Beckett made Mar 3 at 2015 10:18 PM

Cpl Doug Beckett — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 22:18:22 -0500

VN vet never got one

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 4 at 2015 7:30 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 07:30:34 -0500

My dad once sent me a box with nothing but spam.

Response by SPC James Mcneil made Mar 4 at 2015 9:43 AM

SPC James Mcneil — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 09:43:47 -0500

I got a bag of chocolates that had melted into a chocolate soup.

Response by MAJ(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 18 at 2015 8:33 PM

MAJ(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 20:33:25 -0400

1 Pound bag of Gummy Bears. May not sound that funny but due to the heat in Kuwait they had melted down and I got a gummy blob. Which was cool because I could rip a piece off and chew on it for a while. Great sugar rush!

Response by PO1 Cleve Ikaika Waiwaiole made Mar 20 at 2015 9:28 PM

PO1 Cleve Ikaika Waiwaiole — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 21:28:28 -0400

Astro glide Lubrication hahaha

Response by LT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 29 at 2015 12:47 PM

LT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 12:47:47 -0400

When I was in Iraq one of the guys received the remnants of a care package in a bag. The mail truck was hit by an IED. Somehow the address label wasn't destroyed so what was left of the box, to include shrapnel, was delivered.

When I was in Afghanistan I received a Christmas Tree. I cut up shop towels to make AK-47 wielding paper angels, decorated the tree with MRE tobasco sauce bottles, and took a sewing kit to a sandbag to make a christmas stocking.

Response by SPC(P) Carlos Santini made Jun 18 at 2015 2:18 PM

SPC(P) Carlos Santini — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 14:18:58 -0400

I really did not have anything strange but my buddies were opening a care package from home and when they pulled the magazines out they did not take off the name of who purchased them and it was me. They were my sporting magazines that I was getting from home and my friends mom gave them to the unit to send to the troops. I was WTF though are my magazines. I was laughing about it.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 9 at 2015 11:32 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 23:32:50 -0400

nothing too strange, but the small PX here sells Pampers training pants for toddlers Tell me that aint strange?

Response by SFC Mark Bailey made Aug 17 at 2015 10:35 AM

SFC Mark Bailey — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 10:35:07 -0400

A Cashmere sweater...and pink of all colors... with a care package containing milk chocolate pieces that had long since melted in the ziplock bag they were in.
I gave it to a local national girl in a little town near Tikrit

Response by 1SG Michael Blount made Dec 29 at 2015 7:37 AM

1SG Michael Blount — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 07:37:31 -0500

I got shampoo that doesn't require water. Problem is - I'm bald

Response by MAJ David Wallace made Dec 29 at 2015 2:22 PM

MAJ David Wallace — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 14:22:07 -0500

For me in Desert Storm, it was a Swanson's whole canned chicken that my folks sent. One of my Soldiers, SPC Munoz cooked it up in a .50 cal ammo can. Delicious bird!

For OIF, it was several boxes of tampons and feminine pads from my well wishing, but ignorant civilian co-workers from back home. We quickly realized the need for such a handy, blood absorbant item that we added several to our first aid kits. We left several in our outpost's "day room" where some traveling female MPs grabbed them on a rest in between patrols.....we didn't need them as an imbedded advisor team to an Iraqi Infantry Battalion! !

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 31 at 2015 1:59 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 31 Dec 2015 13:59:57 -0500

last deployment to Iraq, the wife sent me one of those electric flyswatters that look like a mini tennis racket. great fun was had by all. catch a sleeping Joe and touch it to the tip of his/her ear....

Response by CPL Dan McCready made Jan 2 at 2016 7:26 AM

CPL Dan McCready — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 07:26:38 -0500

My squad leader got an inflatable sheep, with a package of cotton balls to make it more "realistic"

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 3 at 2016 7:36 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 19:36:58 -0500

Charms candy... from my mother! I asked her if she wanted me dead right before I explained to her that they are bad luck!

Response by LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 7 at 2016 11:43 PM

LT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 23:43:16 -0500

This one is off the record....

I have a family member who heard that Iraq was a dry country, they assumed that I couldn't buy it, but somehow it was allowed. For Christmas 2003 that relative sent a 12 pack of yuengling packed in black socks, bubble wrap, and Christmas stockings. By the time I received he care package it was really too warm to enjoy, so I shared it with friends. Warm yuenglings and cigars definitely made the holidays away a little bit easier.

Response by CPL Joseph Thompson made Jan 28 at 2016 7:07 PM

CPL Joseph Thompson — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 19:07:42 -0500

Knitted soap covers

Response by Col Jim Harmon made Apr 28 at 2016 1:13 PM

Col Jim Harmon — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 13:13:29 -0400

It’s a tossup between three separate care packages.

Package 1. Cook Books. Somehow my 90 year old grandmother got it in her head I wanted books to read. She started a local support drive with what seemed like every Church in South Georgia. I was getting two or three big boxes of books a day until I could get her to waive off and stop them from coming. It was over a half mile by foot to the post office and then I would have to hump the boxes back to the Command area to open them. Boxes of books aren't light. Before it was done, I believe we had the best base library in Iraq.

One of them was full of nothing but cook books. To this day, I have no idea why someone would donate cook books to forward deployed personnel.

Package 2. This one contained an anatomically correct inflatable sheep (don’t ask). That sheep hung around in our spaces for months before magically disappearing one night. That started a huge row about someone keeping the sheep all to themselves. Not pointing fingers, but Master Guns (you know who you are) is still my prime suspect.

Package 3. A life-size cardboard image of President Bush. I am one of the few people who can claim to have conducted combat patrols with President Bush at my side.

Response by SFC Michael W. made Dec 22 at 2016 5:06 PM

SFC Michael W. — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 17:06:57 -0500

I didn't care...I was just HAPPY to get a care package.

Response by SSG Wesley Cox made Jan 7 at 2017 11:58 PM

SSG Wesley Cox — Sat, 07 Jan 2017 23:58:10 -0500

I got a blow up doll that was a goat for some random reason and we have it to out Terp and he laughed and pretty sure he used it

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 8 at 2017 11:05 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 08 Jan 2017 23:05:57 -0500

During my husband's second deployment, I sent him a (tiny) live Christmas tree. He managed to keep it alive for a few months, decorated it over the holidays (both with stuff I sent and stuff they made), and then put the poor thing out of its misery after New Years. But it was pretty cool while it lasted...

Response by SGT Jennifer Law made Apr 3 at 2017 4:13 PM

SGT Jennifer Law — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 16:13:25 -0400

Each of my deployments my grandmother would send me a few coloring books and a huge box of crayons. Great stress reliever. I kept them in my office so when someone wanted to color they could; but had to sign the page. I kept them for a long time as a memento.

Response by SSG Richard Reilly made Apr 3 at 2017 5:42 PM

SSG Richard Reilly — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 17:42:34 -0400

Mega box of about 10000+ ibuprofen. Guy was a medical supply person and randomly send to me that and some scrubs. I donated to aide station.

Response by PO1 Robert Chalmers made Apr 3 at 2017 6:18 PM

PO1 Robert Chalmers — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 18:18:52 -0400

Had a nurse during the First Gulf War, whose husband had sent her a 14" vibrator, but somewhere along the line, it got turned on in the box. And when the company clerk was doing mail-call, he kept cracking up, especially when the Hospital commander kept encouraging her to open it up in front of the whole unit.

Response by Maj John Bell made Apr 3 at 2017 8:09 PM

Maj John Bell — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 20:09:29 -0400

I deployed to Okinawa Japan and my mom sends me a case of this "great new instant soup" Ramen. She also sent a box (2x2x2) of leaves because she though I'd miss the fall colors. I learned not to open care packages from her, when anyone else was around.

Response by SSG Adam Reed made Apr 3 at 2017 8:23 PM

SSG Adam Reed — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 20:23:41 -0400

Summer 1988, Ft. Leonardwood MO. While in Basic, we are at the last formation of the day. Senior Drill goes to release us for the evening. He tells my platoon to stand fast. After the company leaves he comes to the front of the platoon with a care package. He calls me out and I hear my fellow recruits mumble statements to me like "Fucker, you got us in trouble." "Nice, here come the pushups." By the time I report to him he already has my package open and there in front of me is a big ol' birthday cake my Mom made and sent me. I'm thinking "Nice, the boys are gonna thank me now." 1SG commands me to face the platoon and hold my hands straight out with palms up. He rests the cake in my hands. Then he tells the platoon to file through and get themselves some cake and to make sure there not be any left for me. Best birthday cake those boys ever had.

Response by Cpl Zach Wellborn made Apr 4 at 2017 1:41 AM

Cpl Zach Wellborn — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 01:41:07 -0400

Lotion, rubber gloves and garden magazines. I don't think anyone needed the magazines.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 4 at 2017 6:36 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 06:36:28 -0400

1st tour in Iraq one of my soldiers got a blow up sheep. He was from Arkansas so that made it that much funnier. 2nd deployment One of my soldiers got grass seed and he boxed off a 2' x 3' section of land right in front of his chu planted his grass seed and took care of it. By the end of tour he had a nice little lawn growing. Everyone wanted to sit with their feet in the grass

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 4 at 2017 2:51 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 14:51:42 -0400

My mom sent me my own baby photos during BCT she knew it would get me smoked

Response by Maj John Bell made Jun 3 at 2017 10:05 PM

Maj John Bell — Sat, 03 Jun 2017 22:05:21 -0400

Instant Ramen - in Japan, and autumn leaves (2'x2'x2') in case I was missing the fall. I learned not to open care packages from Mom when the Marines were around, because I got ribbed for weeks.

Response by COL Charles Williams made Jun 4 at 2017 1:33 AM

COL Charles Williams — Sun, 04 Jun 2017 01:33:47 -0400

Golf Balls.

Response by Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen made Jul 20 at 2018 7:38 PM

Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen — Fri, 20 Jul 2018 19:38:09 -0400

While on a remote in Turkey, wife sent me a small statue of man sitting under a tree with a bluebird on a limb above him. Caption said 'Go Ahead, Everyone Else Does'. Funny when I got it, but when assignment was over and I was packing up to leave the drug dog, that checked every departing shipment from Turkey, alerted on that statue. Handlers opened statue, sure that they had an officer trying to smuggle drugs out of country. Turned out it had nothing but silicon sand in it. SPs guessed that people making statue probably were using drugs and some got into the sand which is what dog alerted on. I still have that statue!

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 20 at 2018 10:14 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 20 Jul 2018 22:14:24 -0400

Never received a Care Package, and just one letter from home telling me my grandmother had died, 6 months late.
But it was fun to see, a cake received by one of the other guys in my unit.

Response by TSgt David Holman made Oct 26 at 2018 1:57 PM

TSgt David Holman — Fri, 26 Oct 2018 13:57:58 -0400

Coloring Books and crayons... it was a joke from an old retired friend who always told me to "shut up and color"

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 26 at 2019 6:29 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 26 Feb 2019 18:29:59 -0500

I asked my mom to send me some postcards when I was in basic training so I could send them to a few friends... she sent me a package of postcards that i was supposed to color, and the crayons, along with the ponytail holders I had asked for. My drill sgt hemmed and hawwed a bit about letting me have them since we weren't supposed to have anything like that, but she let me have it in the end.

Now, really crazy? My ex-husband was the one receiving them... from me. I packed neon pink shower poofs at the very top (black one at the bottom), packages of pads and tampons (added a note to give them to the females in his unit after he was done being embarrassed), bright pink washcloth sprayed with my perfume, when he stopped opening his care packages in the office, I started sending them wrapped in Disney princess, glittery pink and other 'feminine' colors/designs wrapping paper. After three of those, he told me he waited to he was headed back to his chu to pick up his mail so he didn't have to take them back to his office first!!! I threatened to send him a dildo, but since he was deployed as part of division PAO, I didn't want to risk getting him in trouble if someone saw it.