Our men and women in uniform are often on the minds of those of us who are living more ordinary lives. One of the ways we can let them know their efforts are appreciated is to send them care packages. Knowing what to include in such a package to a soldier you know personally is much easier than sending one to a complete stranger, but the same ideas work in either case.
Personal Care Items
You can find many items in your favorite store's sample or travel aisle, including deodorant, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, cotton swabs, individual dental floss picks, lotions, travel-sized toilet paper and tissues. A lady soldier might enjoy a nice assortment of loofah sponges, tampons, shower gels and disposable ladies' razors, but many personal care items would be a welcome gift for either gender, such as cotton socks, small manicure sets or baby wipes. Double-bag liquids or creams in zipper bags to avoid a spill in transit.
Entertainment
Books, magazines (no current events), music CDs, movies on DVD (no bootlegs), and "movie-sized" bags of candy you might find at a movie theater are all enjoyable treats. An inexpensive MP3 player or hand-held video game is a delightful surprise for the GI who has a little downtime. If you have the funds and want to give a big thrill to a soldier or an entire platoon, a portable DVD player can be purchased for a quite low price these days. Don't forget to include batteries!
Food
Packaged cookies, hard candy and ramen noodles are often requested foods. Sadly, deployed personnel are required to throw away foods that are not in factory packaging, due to potential health hazards. Ramen noodles can easily be mixed with MREs (meals ready to eat) out in the field, so they are at the top of many soldiers' wishlists. Powdered sugar-free drink packets can help deployed GIs choke down the local water supply. Sugar or Splenda should be packaged separately from the drink mix if an unsweetened mix is sent, because sugar can get moldy quite easily in some locations overseas. Dry seasoning mixes can help a soldier spice up bland MREs.
Other Items
Pictures of your family, pictures drawn by a young family member and photos of local places will all allow the soldier to feel more like part of your family -- a real morale booster. International phone cards will allow your soldier to call home. Cigars are also among the most often requested nonfood items.
From the Heart
Most importantly, send a letter with the package, introducing yourself or your family. Tell the soldier or his entire unit how much you appreciate their efforts. Communication is what nearly every soldier needs and misses most, so send a letter even if you can't afford to send anything else. Include your name and address in the letter in case your soldier wants to respond, and include plenty of paper, envelopes and pens so she can share with everyone else in her unit.
General Information
Zipper bags are a good way to separate dry goods from wet ones, and they will make it easier for deployed soldiers to take your gifts with them in a rucksack. Avoid scented personal products when sending to the Middle East; they attract bugs. Do not send food that can melt. If sending a female soldier package, mark "Female Soldier" prominently on the outside of the box. Men have been known to use a tampon or sanitary napkin on a wound in emergencies, but most won't enjoy women's magazines.
Tags: your family, often requested, send letter, soldier entire, their efforts