The guys are adamantly requesting the following items
Under Armour garments ( long sleeve and short sleeve due to the variance in weather night to day over in Iraq) ( These items have been barred from use in the states by most units and are up to unit commanders overseas for use)
pepperoni logs in vac packs ( I sent some and they loved them)
Beef logs in the vac packs, Tuna pouches, chicken pouches, turkey pouches, lunch to go
Kraft easy cheese squirt cans
Bisquit , Ritz, wheat thins, and other snack crackers like this
chunky soup
tobacco products.... Marlboro med's , lights, and ultra lights, Newport Skaol natural long cut natural straight cut., Copenhagen Snuff, Grizzly and Kodiak mint , ice and natural, and cigars
Lotrizone cream or other anti-fungil creams for their feet
McNett items such as Microfiber towels ( miliatry colors only) camo tape, DeFog for goggles ( these items we can get at cost from the vendors)
Special list for hospital in Iraq / for injured troops
Boxer shorts size medium and large
t-shirts ( white or uniform colors size Med and Lg
pajama bottoms mens size med and large
draw string bags 8x10, 10x13, 12 x 15, 15 x 18 ( these are approx sizes and can be hand made they are using them to place hygiene items and a set of clothing in for troops moving from their hospital to another rehab center or back to the states)
A longer list of items we send on a regular basis follows below
Our Normal list for care packages is as follows .. Please understand we get a lot of hygiene items and not so much in snacks and food items. A bar of soap lasts a month but a box of cookies will get shared and be gone in 10 minutes. The mess halls are only open twicw a day from what we are told. The troops are not allowed to take items out of the mess hall. So they depend on care packages for snacking. When they are in the filed they have no mess hall available and they depend on MRE's and care packages to eat. So please think snacks first!
(Note some items are for female troops)
Hygiene & Medical items
Bar soap
Shampoo
Body wash
Deodorant with anti perspirant
Foot doctor
Mole skin ( found in foot section of Pharmacy area)
Neosporin
Lotizone cream
Eye drops
Tylenol / Advil / Excedrin
Anti-diarrhea medicine
Tums
Moisture drops for mouth
Lotion (small containers only please)
Kotex ( Please limit we only have a handful of females at this time)
Tampax ( we are getting these from several sources so limit this item please)
Shave cream
Triple blade razors and blades or Triple blade or higher disposable (single blades tear up skin due to sand and dirt)
Anti-bacterial soap
Finger nail clippers
Toenail clippers
Tweezers ( good ones please)
Knee braces (BLACK VELCRO TYPE)
Q tips ( travel size please)
Toilet paper ( soft 2 ply please)
Paper towels
Baby wipes
FOOD ITEMS AND SNACKS !
Food and snack Items like you would use for camping or a day out with the kids )
Ready to eat - canned or Styrofoam containers of soup and entrees
Chunky soup with pop top cans
Campbell's soups (pop-top or easy open cans)
Pouched chicken (Pouched is easy and cheaper to ship and easier for them to use)
Pouched turkey (Pouched is easy and cheaper to ship and easier for them to use)
Pouched Tuna (Pouched is easy and cheaper to ship and easier for them to use)
Pouched Beef (Pouched is easy and cheaper to ship and easier for them to use)
Canned meats and gravies (entrees)
Lunch to go kits ( tuna kits)
Spam
Canned hams
Canned ravioli
Canned stew
vac packed meat logs ( beef logs, pepperoni logs, etc..)
pepperoni in bags ( no refridg needed type)
Canned dips for chips
Peanut butter ( tubes only please)
Jelly (strawberry and grape is the most popular) ( NO GLASS JARS PLEASE)
Honey
Apple sauce (in packs of individual containers)
Cookies ( boxed and soft batch make it through the mail the best)
Biscotti (Wafer tube type cookies) ( available at Walgreens in a can for only 1.00 per can. Vanilla, Choc, Strawberry and Lime)
Microwave popcorn
spices to enhance MRE's
hot sauce (small bottles please)
Snack crackers wheat thins, trisquits, etc...
Kraft easy cheese (squirt cans)
Velveeta cheese
Jerky
Dried fruits ( NO APRICOTS PLEASE)
Fruit roll ups
Fruit snack packs
Canned fruits
Nuts
Pumpkin seeds
Dry powdered milk
Cereal ( the kind you can eat dry or with milk so they can snack on it dry also)
Dry Drink mixes PRE SWEETENED with sugar i.e.. Kool-Aid, lemonade, TANG, Gatorade
New singles kool aids ready to pour into bottled water and lemonades are great too
Cold brew tea bags
Life Savers
Cream Savers
Butterscotch hard candy
M&M's
Reese's Pieces
Granola bars
Other items
(Note some of these items are listed for Trackers and Tankers )
Disposable utensils and dishes
Batteries - AA, AAA, C & D
5 gallon collapsible jugs (found for about $5 in sporting goods section)
BLACK Duct tape (found at Home Depot and Lowes)
Electrical tape
Plastic wire zip ties all sizes
CD's ( can be used)
DVD's ( can be used)
Disposable cameras
Portable CD players
Portable DVD players
GPS (Global positioning systems)
2 way radios
Cordless drills (for trackers and mechanics)
Wire wheel drills brushes (for trackers)
Wire brushes (like lg toothbrush type for trackers)
Men's heavy weight Black socks mens white socks ( most units allow these now due to foot problems occurring from long periods with heat.)
Underwear knit boxers and reg. kind for men ( most but not all wear size medium) Under Armour products ar preferred please see notes on Operation cool troops
Underwear women's (bikini and reg. Size 5 & 6 most popular.. none larger then size 6 please!)
Cigars
Cigarettes (Marlboro lights and mediums are the most popular but we will send them any brand)
Copenhagen snuff
Skoal natural long cut
Magazines (new ones only please)
Hand held games like poker, etc..
Frisbees
Balls
Air pumps for balls
Journals
Cleaning items
Laundry detergent (they use it to clean equipment also)
Fabric sheets (they use them to keep things smelling better)
Fabreeze (they use to keep odor down)
Air fresheners
Lysol
Sponges with scouring pad on one side
Scouring pads
Windex , fantastic and other like cleaners
Toilet paper ( 2 ply soft)
Paper Towels
Zip lock bags (all sizes needed but gallon and 2 gallon are the most popular to keep sand out)
Trash bags (all sizes we use these and z