Stryker Brigade News

I would like to caution sending anything that has "NutraSweet" or Aspartame in it when the weather gets warmer. These proteins are not healthy when the weather gets warmer (above 89 degrees F) and they cross the blood-brain barrier.

Packaging Tips

It's a good idea to keep the following in mind to ensure that packages are delivered promptly.

Extreme Temperatures: Desert temperatures typically exceed 100 degrees from March through October.

The Box: Select a box strong enough to protect the contents and large enough to accommodate cushioning. If reusing a box, cover all previous labels and markings with a heavy black marker or adhesive labels.

Cushioning: Cushioning the contents with newspaper is a novel way to send news from home. Styrofoam and bubble wrap are also good choices. Close and shake the box. If it rattles, add additional cushioning to keep items from shifting.

Batteries: Occasionally a battery powered item such as a radio or electric razor will turn itself on during shipment. Be sure to remove and wrap the batteries separately.

Sealing: Tape the opening of the box and reinforce all seams with 2" wide tape. Use clear or brown packaging tape, reinforced packing tape or paper tape. Do not use cord, string or twine as it causes the package to get caught and possibly damaged in sorting equipment.

Include a card describing the contents: Occasionally improperly wrapped packages fall apart during shipment. Including a card inside the package that lists the sender's and recipient's addresses along with a description of the contents helps in collecting items that have fallen open during processing.

Prohibitions

While there are specific restrictions for each five-digit military post office ZIP Code (APO/FPO), generally speaking, it is prohibited to mail the following to this region:

• obscene articles (prints, paintings, cards, films, videotapes, etc.);
• pork or pork by-products;
• any matter depicting nude or seminude persons, pornographic or sexual items, or nonauthorized political materials. Although religious materials contrary to the Islamic faith are prohibited in bulk quantities, items for the personal use of the addressee are permissible.

Important Notes

Small packages arrive more quickly. Food items no longer seem to be as much of a priority, with the exception of drink mixes to flavor the water. When packing your items, ship toiletries separate from all food items. When the toiletries and food are packed together, the food tastes like soaps or deodorants, even when heavy zip-loc bags are used to separate the items.

What to Send

Keep in mind your Soldier needs these items, but he/she has to carry this stuff. Keep it small. If it can fit in a pocket, that's perfect. Try to buy travel-size or sample size. In many locations, there is no PX. The sand and wind are intense in some overseas locations, so some of these things are specific to that need. The most often requested items: letters, cigarettes, coffee, and baby wipes; in that order.

A Local Postcard from your area

A very small toy checkers game

Airheads taffy

Alka Seltzer

Cold & Flu Hot Liquid Pak

Cough drops

Antibacterial Handwash

Anything patriotic

Baby powder is good in dry hot climates

Band-Aids- fun ones

Bubbles

Chapstick

Clothespins

Crossword Puzzle books

Cube Games

Deck of Cards reg. and mini

Disposable Camera

Doritos

Butterfly Band-Aids

Face Powder Sheets

Facial Cleanser

Fizzies

Foot powder

Greeting cards appropriate to season

Hand Lotion

Handy wipes, Wet Ones

Heat Pack

Heavy duty socks

Highlighters

Hometown newspaper possible subscription here

Kleenex

Lint Roller

Listerine Sheets

Little candle in a tin

Luden's cherry cough drops

Magazines

Mentos

Notepads

Notes of encouragement

Pain Reliever

Paperback Books

Patriotic T-shirt

Pens

Phone Card

Pictures from home. If the kids cannot be there for a holiday take pictures to send to them

Razors

Reading material is always good

Refrigerator magnet of American Flag

SASE with note-card

Scented Candles

Shaving Stuff

Silly Putty

Soap

Socks

Sore Throat Tablets

Stationary, Envelopes, Stamps

Sunday Comics

Tape

The pads or spray of the Avon stuff Skin so soft for bugs

The Sky's the limit

Tic tacs

Tins of Altoids

Tabasco Sauce- small

Toothbrush

Travel size Q-tips

Travelpak of Wipes

Tylenol samples

Videos especially overseas most of us have pay per view tape the movies and send them off they don't get to see them as fast as we do

Vitamin C Drops

Water Blaster Squirt Guns small

Weekly World News

Whoopie Cushion

Wooden airplanes

Word search books

Mole-Skin, For Blisters Or Blister Band-Aids

No Airesole Cans

Nerf Ball

Hacky Sac

Jigsaw Puzzles

Hygiene products(deodorant, toothpaste, razors, soap, shampoo, toilet paper)

Big Ziploc bags, to store things in and keep them dry and sand-free.

BABY WIPES!! (for personal hygiene; showers are rare) (Large size field towels are available at fieldtowel.com.)

Toothpaste, toothbrushes

Shampoo

Deoderant

Soap, anti-bacterial soap

Disposable razors, electric razors, battery-operated razors

Toilet Paper

Waterless soap, liquid body wash

(Hand sanitizer is being removed from packages by the post office.)

Lotion

Shaving cream

Disposable razors, electric razors, battery-operated razors

Toilet Paper

Kleenex (Travel size packets)
(Plastic-wrapped package of ten tissues: they stay dry, make great packing material and they can use it for TP, which is in short supply in many areas!)

Sunblock, Aloe Vera

Throat Lozenges

Gum, Lifesavers, Mints

Eye Drops (to relieve irritation from blowing sand)

Blistex, Chapstick, Vaseline, Carmex

Aspirin, Motrin, Tylenol, Pain Relievers

Saline spray/drops for sensitive nasal passages

Q-tips

Feminine hygiene products for women Marines

Jock itch spray

Boot liners/insoles

Lotrimin AF for athletes foot (send tube of ointment or cream, NOT the spray kind)

Foot Powder (there are some that have ingredients to fight athletes foot), travel size Baby Powder, Shower-to-Shower Powder (NOTE: Be sure the any powder is in it's sealed, original container. Put it in a ziploc bag as well.)

Moleskin (for pads on sore feet, you'll find it with Dr. Scholls type things at WalMart or drug stores)

Laundry soap (Small single-load packages, trial sizes, or 'tablets' that are easier to manage and store.)

Batteries (AA, AAA, C)

Photos from home

Cigarettes, chew

Newspaper clippings, comics from Sunday's paper, news from home

Books, Magazines
(Be sure to read the Mailing Guide for what type of printed material is allowed to mailed.)

Astronomy charts/books (the sky is unbelievably clear at night)

Sunglasses (goggle-type sunglasses are requested very frequently)

Eyeglass wipes

Socks, Socks, Socks!

Underwear, socks, T-shirts

Green boot socks (try military surplus stores)

Tactical Duct tape: military green, tan, black, gray

Electrical tape

Flashlight with a red lens

1- and 2-gallon ziplock plastic bags
(I put all items from my care pkg in a ziploc...serves two purposes!)

Envelopes, paper, pens

Small pads of paper

Pre-addressed labels and/or envelopes

Notebooks (a size they can keep in a pocket and keep dry)

Single-Use Cameras (Click here for tips on cameras.)

Small cassette player with a message on one tape, and couple of blank tapes
(Tip: Uninstall the batteries before shipping; ship new batteries that are still packaged in the original manufacturer packaging.)

Very small, lightly padded envelopes with correct postage attached to mail back a small cassette tape or single-use cameras
(NOTE: Free mail to the U.S. is limited to letters only; all other items require postage.)

Postage stamps if they want to mail items larger than an envelope & letter

Frisbee, Nerf Footballs, Hacky Sack

Deck of cards

Hand-held games

Food Items

Pork and pork by-products are NOT allowed to be shipped to Middle East locations. That includes many 'Slim Jims' and other packaged meat products; read the label. Fruit and yeast are not allowed either. Non-perishable foods only. Send small containers of items. Large packages won't stay fresh and are harder to ship. If you can stuff it in your pocket and it's not going to spoil or MELT, it's a good thing to send! Downplay the sugar. Items that are hydrated are heavier; i.e. ravioli versus ramen noodles. Some camps have methods to heat and hydrate, others do not.

Seasonings for the MRE's, including Mrs. Dash, hot sauce, and Tabasco sauce. Don't send anything (like ketchup or soy sauce) in packets, because they may break and spill all through the soldier's rucksack.

Quaker instant oatmeal (take the packets out of the box before mailing)

Instant espresso powder (again, put the powder in a Ziploc-easier to transport)

Assorted Crackers

Assorted Packettes of condiments

Candy appropriate to season

Cheese curls

Beef jerky

Brownies

Candy Bars

Cookies

Coffee Packs, instant

Crackers & Cheese Packet's

Salt & Pepper

Popcorn

Pringles

M&Ms

Lifesavers

Whitman Samplers

Unbreakable container of Salsa/Cheese

Tuna Pouches

Sweetened Kool-Aid Envelopes

Tang

Tea Bags

Twinkies

Hot Chocolate packs

Hot Tamales, the candy

Ramen Noodles

Dried Fruit

Fig Newtons

Breakfast Bars

Power Bars

Small Cans Of Tuna W/Crackers

Vienna Sausages

Slim Jims

Home-baked items

Crunch & Munch Type of snacks

Small box- Russell Stover Candy

Small packages of sugar & Creamer

Snack bags of Chex Mix, Chips, Etc

Snack Pack Cookies

Crackers & Peanut Butter Packet's

Coffee, hot cocoa mix, coffee mixes, tea

Lemonade mix, Koolade mix, Tang mix, Gatorade mix (pre-sweetened)

Gum, Bubble Gum, Lifesavers, Mints

Nuts, sunflower seeds, peanuts, trail mix

Power bars, protein bars, nutritional bars

Beef jerky, beef summer sausage (non-perishable; labeled USDA Beef)

Small bags of snacks or individually wrapped snacks

Pop Tarts, cereal bars, "milk & cereal" bars, granola bars

Cookies, Homemade Cookies

Candy and candy bars (chocolate will melt)

Torengos and canned nacho cheese dip

Jalepeno velveeta and crackers

Peanut Butter has been removed from this list: The MREs have tubes of peanut butter in them and they don't particularly want more.