Adopt a Soldier

Be a good guy (or gal) and go check out the My Soldier program. This is a program where you ask for the name of a soldier who wants to correspond with people from the US and you befriend them. You write letters and send care packages. My family adopted one and our gift to our extended families this year is care packages to that platoon. There are similar things you can google all over the net.

Please note: I do not support this war. I think it is a terrible, corrupt thing and I often wonder where Oswald is when you need him. However, and this is a big however, I do support the people who joined the military wanting to protect us all and believing that they would not be lied to or used by our government if they were asked to serve. I think we should all support our troops regardless of our feelings about the war itself.

It took them a couple of weeks to send us a name, so if you want to send in time for the holidays, this was our contact:
LCPL Ryan Lohman
1st Bn. 3rd Marines Bravo Co.
1st Platoon Unit 44025
FPO-AP 96607-4025

That's the commander and they have the names of those soldiers who asked to get mail. They ask that you address your first letter 'Dear Soldier' to make sure that they can give the letter to anyone who hasn't crossed their name off the list. It's the holidays, and those who put their names on the list are either pretty lonely or trying to get more stuff for their platoon (heh and good for them) so why not go ahead and send some stuff? It's all fairly cheap - you can get it in the sample isles of drugstores and Targets - and this is the list of needed items and restrictions they sent us:

***Just a note, socks, lip balm and long underwear seem to be what is needed most right now.***

Foods: energy foods, breakfast and granola bars, beef summer sausage, crackers, non-melting candy, gum, cookies (do not send candy such as chocolate that will melt in the heat), beef jerky, tuna in pouches or pop top cans, pop top cans of fruit, pretzels, canned chips, raisins, trail mix, nuts, dried fruit, hot sauce in plastic containers, pre-packaged snack food, bean and cheese dips, powdered, sugared drink mixes are especially needed (Gatorade, Kool-Aid, etc.)

Toiletries: waterless soap, antibacterial hand soap, deodorant, boot powder, baby wipes, toothpaste & toothbrush, disposable razors, shaving cream, hand/body lotion (unscented), lip balm, sunscreen, no-water Excedrin, soft toilet paper, moisturizing/cleaning eye drops, saline nasal spray, cotton swabs, eye glass wipes, dental floss, throat drops, Vaseline, aloe vera burn gel, flexible cloth bandages, blister care, oral pain reliever, ingrown toenail reliever

Free Time Materials: Magazines (wrestling, boxing, fitness magazines, sports magazines, comic books, Mad), books, paper, pens (black ink only), pencils, word puzzle books, joke books, puzzles, board games (chess, checkers, Monopoly, etc.) decks of cards, newly released movies, movies you tape from cable or TV programs (VHS or DVD). Used DVD's are fine. Send the Sunday comics or use it as packing material!

Miscellaneous: Underwear, bandannas, swimmers' goggles, strong flashlight with batteries, 12-hour orange glow sticks, surgical masks, sunglasses, shoe insoles, water bottles with straps, socks, bug repellent, flea collars, zip-seal baggies, batteries, air fresheners, pocket Kleenex, and blank postcards.

What are some restrictions? Pressurized items like shaving cream, sexually suggestive material, liquor, religious objects, pork products & chocolate/candy that melts easily. (pretty much everything they really want)