302787 Thu Dec 15 00:23:38 -0800 2005 20 29 Not About Food 0 1697723 what food items might a soldier in Kuwait want/need? Need some practical advice, thanks! (don't know exactly where his unit is, but I think it's calvary. Does this mean tanks?) tj Thu Dec 15 00:23:38 -0800 2005 0 toodie jane 1 1697728 make a huge really thick pan of rice crispy treats,cut into big squares then split them & fill with a layer of mini-marshmallows. wrap well in saran wrap. the margarine in the treats will keep them moist so they will travel well.... Thu Dec 15 08:48:28 -0800 2005 1697723 0 furryabdul 2 1697745 what a great idea! Thu Dec 15 21:45:11 -0800 2005 1697728 0 toodie jane 1 1697729 My son did a year in Iraq. He really liked getting jerky, cans of nuts, candy (like skittles, no chocolate,it melts). You can get those little packages that have chicken or tuna with crackers. But mostly he liked getting a couple cans of beer. Don't know about Kuwait. He may have access to this stuff already. My son was on a base with no PX. I'll ask him about it later. If he has anything I didn't name I'll post again. Thu Dec 15 10:49:27 -0800 2005 1697723 0 Bobfrmia 2 1697732 What's the etiquette or legality in sending beer to a Muslim country? Thu Dec 15 11:50:40 -0800 2005 1697729 0 Peter 3 1697735 i dont know about legality but dont do it...that's very disrespectful Thu Dec 15 12:55:26 -0800 2005 1697732 0 furryabdul 3 1697736 It is illegal to ship alcohol anywhere outside the country. The soldiers in Iraq buy rotgut from the locals. I ( and many others ) overlooked that fact in order to bring some joy and relief to a few of those doing a thankless and dangerous job in sometimes extreme conditions. Thu Dec 15 13:17:39 -0800 2005 1697732 0 Bobfrmia 4 1697753 A friend indeed!!! Fri Dec 16 23:35:01 -0800 2005 1697736 0 Funwithfood 1 1697734 My spouse spent a year in Afghanistan and I sent the following: shelled pistachios and peanuts canned chips, pretzels etc (canned so that they wouldn't get smooshed) candy (esp individually packaged ones so they could pass them out to the kids) candy that doesn't melt, like life savers, lollypops, twizzlers good coffee (Army drinks crappy Folgers) peanut butter nutella pencils, pens, paper Essentially, I went to Costco and just looked. I bought big packages because everything was shared or distributed to the kids in the area. Thu Dec 15 12:45:15 -0800 2005 1697723 0 beetlebug 1 1697741 Last year I used the Vermont Country Store To send an assortment of candy to a young man serving in Iraq. Thu Dec 15 18:50:44 -0800 2005 1697723 0 gudeatz 2 1697744 FYI: A company cannot mail order anything to an APO address. So if you want to send something from the Vermont Company or any other, you have to send it yourself. When my son was in the 'sandbox' whatever we sent him was shared...so it's nice if you send enough to do that... Meagan Thu Dec 15 21:17:04 -0800 2005 1697741 0 meagan 3 1697748 Meagan...Sorry, but you are not correct. Vermont Country Store DID in fact ship my order of assorted candies to a young soldier serving in Iraq.. Fri Dec 16 07:16:20 -0800 2005 1697744 0 gudeatz 4 1697750 "All packages must be sent via the U.S. Postal System. The post office also requires companies or individuals to hand deliver packages being sent to APO/FPO addresses. (This is one reason why many merchants won't ship to APO/FPO addresses.)" So it looks like those merchants who are willing to go to the post office with the package are allowed to ship to overseas military base addresses, just like individuals. Fri Dec 16 18:01:20 -0800 2005 1697748 0 WLA 4 1697752 Thank you for telling me that about the Vermont Country Store being willing to ship to APO addresses! We will be near there after the holidays and I may stop in to say 'Thank You.' Fri Dec 16 20:24:14 -0800 2005 1697748 0 Meagan 4 1697759 And Amazon and Harry and Favid can handle APO/FPO orders.I shipped to my brother in Buenos Aires with an APO address with little difficulty Sat Dec 17 09:15:51 -0800 2005 1697748 0 Candy 1 1697742 I've heard Gatorade mix is appreciated (also sunblock and socks -sorry non-food!) Thu Dec 15 19:33:01 -0800 2005 1697723 0 Susan 1 1697746 My wife's brother was in Ramadi and he also requested powdered drinks, as they got really, really sick of drinking plain water all the time to stay hydrated. Also, usual things like really good jerky and ramen and oddly, he said things didn't really melt as much as you thought they might and some gummy/haribo stuff arrived just fine. Thu Dec 15 21:58:54 -0800 2005 1697723 0 joypirate 1 1697749 try here for some good ideas and vendors who can ship directly, for personal items, beef jerky, etc. anysoldier.com also, why not go old school, with some WWII cookie recipes, like ranger cookies. that ship well and stay fresh longer. nothing tastes better than something home made. I can post recipe on home cooking if you are interested. and since it is for the troops, I'm hoping the mods will permit me to mention... at the post office you can get these shipper boxes, that are about 10/10/4, that are one-rate shippers. so as much as you can pack in them, they'll ship for the same price. they also have bubble-wrap packs for one-rate, so postage is not dependent on weight. it has saved me a ton of money shipping goodies to my brother-in-law. you're going to be a little late for christmas, but better late than never. Fri Dec 16 16:35:14 -0800 2005 1697723 0 withalonge 2 1697755 thanks for the heads up about the postage savings! Yes, not gonna make it for Christmas, but what the heck. Getting the gals at work together to 'adopt' a soldier. Sat Dec 17 02:43:08 -0800 2005 1697749 0 toodie jane 1 1697751 Saw this woman on Martha Stewart today. She has been baking for the troops since 1990 - over 116,000 cookies! Her tips are helpful. Link: http://www.treatthetroops.org/tips.htm Fri Dec 16 20:14:42 -0800 2005 1697723 0 Susan 1 1697754 Thanks for this post--inspired me to do what I should have done long ago!! I felt a bit overwhelmed by choosing/sending items so I purchased a care package from Treats for Troops (link below). Link: http://www.treatsfortroops.com/ Sat Dec 17 00:10:27 -0800 2005 1697723 0 Funwithfood