my student just got deployed
Lt Joe finished Officer Command School and is off as a platoon commander in "Task Force Commando", of the 10th Infantry (Light) Division.
Got e-mail from him in Kuwait over the weekend, he should be in-country by now.
Don't know his posting yet, probably Baghdad or area north of there towards Ramadi.
Possibly in one of the new "surge" outhouses that are embedded in the neighbourhoods. Or not, we'll find out soon enough.
So... seriously, what can we send him that'd actually be useful.
Apart from a steady stream of review articles on black hole entropy, extremal black holes and related stringy and quantum gravity issues (not too many, he's going to be a bit busy for a while).
No booze, pork or porn
Sunscreen and stuff seems sensible (unscented I presume!)
Nothing that can't take temperatures of 40-50C presumably.
A lot of the commercial packages on the "support soldiers" websites seem to be a load of overpriced crap, and it is hard to know what is actually useful.
Any foods worthwhile?
Stuff like CDs or DVDs?
What light short books would be good to keep him on his toes.
I was thinking "Character of Physical Law" (ok, he can have some light reading too).
Any recommendation is appreciated.
Next thing is to "organize" some local resources on this.
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High quality sunglasses that can take abuse.
The ex-
Baby Wipes are a popular item out there. Candy is also a big item. The sunglasses might help, but if he got the same issue of gear that my wife did before she left he's probably OK there - same with kneepads.
The best thing you can do will be just to let him know that there are people back home who care.
DVDs are a biggy. And a Camelbak or similar if he hasn't got one already (unlikely for a light infantryman, but worth remembering).
When my niece was there she really appreciated Double Stuff Oreos.
I was an infantryman in Iraq, and this is what I remember.
We didn't have a ban on pork in Iraq, but yes, no booze or porn.
Toilet Paper, a few rolls with each package. Trust me, if he can't use it his men will, but he will use it.
Baby wipes are not so important now that there are PXs on every FOB, as well as showers. So forget about those.
Dried noodles. Top Raman, Thai Spicy, or any other brand are a constant mainstay. Most PXs carry a few brands, so find out what he can't get.
Candy that doesn't melt.
Hand warmers. I know this sounds odd, but it gets cold in Iraq in the winter. Add foot warmers to that list too.
Granola and nut mixes are often very popular as well. Make sure this won't melt either.
Electrolyte drink mixes. Gatorade is often available at the PXs and chow halls, but often limited to one per person.
Good coffee or tea, the stuff at the PX and chow halls sucks.
Ask him if he needs some rechargeable batteries. I used mine very heavily. Batteries, like toilet paper, are always rare in the Army. Make sure he has a charger. Don't worry about the 240-120 adapeter, they are very common around GIs.
There are power bars at the chow halls, mostly those nasty "Hooah" bars, but variety is good, find out what he doesn't have.
Those are most of the general items I can think of. Hadji shops sell pirate DVDs, often times good quality ones, so he should be good with that. If he has requests, listen to them, but also try to coordinate, if you can, with others sending him stuff so he doesn't get ten packages all containing the exact same thing. I let it slip that I like Jelly-Belly beans and got around 20 pounds during my first month in country. I still can't eat them.
He ask for odd things as well... tampons were something we carried... I've heard others mention Silly String. He has a reason and so make sure to send them.
The best item you can send him though is reading materials and letters. Trust me, he will appreciate them.