Sending off gift for deployed-to-Iraq Nat'l Guardsman?

January 28, 2006 8:51 PM

My friend is being deployed to Iraq and I want to get him a nice sending-off gift, something that will help make the year suck a little less. Ideas?
posted by joshuaconner to shopping (23 comments total)

Lots of places ask for donations of hygiene goods, so those should be pretty easy for him to come by while over there.

I would suggest giving him something to make the time pass a little faster. Depending on your budget, you could buy him some DVDs, an iPod or portable DVD player, books, magazines, anything to keep him occupied.
posted by Brittanie at 8:55 PM on January 28, 2006

A still?

I kid. He's probably going to have a lot of time on his hands and not a lot of space or privacy. How about an ipod with pre-loaded music? If he already has one you could make him a bunch of mix CDs to add to it. Other ideas include novels, books on a topic he's interested in, a language course, puzzle books, small but fun games: travel scrabble, cribbage etc., a travel guitar, a diary, stationary for writing letters home or redeemable vouchers for care packages.
posted by fshgrl at 8:57 PM on January 28, 2006

Seconding the idea of useful things -- socks, underwear, batteries, flashlights, digital camera, magazine subscriptions...

I'm wondering if there are resources for soldiers that have lists of suggested items to bring. Get him whatever is on the list.
posted by frogan at 8:58 PM on January 28, 2006

Soldiers LOVE ipods.
posted by RoseovSharon at 8:59 PM on January 28, 2006

Thanks, Brittanie. I see now that I should have been more specific.

Having read lots of reports of electronic items not holding up well with the heat and the sand and everything else in the desert up there, I'm concerned that buying him an iPod or something similar will only be cool for a month until the hard drive bites the dust. At which point, I'd have spent a couple hundred dollars on a pretty piece of plastic.

So with regards to electronics, I'd be looking for specific recommendations for things that will hold up under said conditions.
posted by joshuaconner at 9:02 PM on January 28, 2006

Heh, or - on what would have been preview if not for live preview - maybe not?
posted by joshuaconner at 9:03 PM on January 28, 2006

Re: iPod -- take a look at options without hard drives -- flash drives and the like. Less storage space, but no moving parts.
posted by frogan at 9:13 PM on January 28, 2006

I spent a year in Iraq and a year in Afghanistan.

Lots of soldiers have and seem to enjoy their PSPs, iPods, XBoxes, PS2s, portable DVD players, digital cameras, etc, so those are options.

The two types of care packages I appreciated the most mid-tour:

1) Cheese (like from Hickory Farms). Care packages always come with candy and gum and chips and junk food. But cheese... mmmm.

2) DVDs. But not just any DVDs. My favorite were when friends would burn entire seasons of tv shows (from bittorrent, etc) or random movies I wouldn't have otherwise seen onto DVDs, then mail an entire spindle of DVDs to me.

But you want a sending off gift, so here's my idea: Get him a gift subscription to netflix (maybe go in on it with a couple other friends as it's $240 a year for 3 DVDs at a time?) but have the DVDs go to you. Copy them and send him a spindle once a month. Having the DVDs go to him isn't a good idea - between mail taking forever to get there, forever to get back, and maybe he's on mission for a week or two and doesn't get a chance to watch the DVD right away, you're looking at a month and a half turnaround per set of DVDs.

On preview: hard cases for electronics aren't a bad idea. I have a pelican case for my laptop, and there are waterproof/shockproof cases for ipods and other electronics. I've been fine with a soft case for my own ipod, but I don't take it out on missions, or if I do, it stays in the humvee.
posted by cactus at 9:17 PM on January 28, 2006

Another thing that might be cool — hear me out here — is a ukulele. If he plays guitar or bass, this is a great, portable way for him to get his music fix, plus, you can easily buy a mid-range uke for $80-100 (case included). Low-range ukes are much cheaper but you get what you pay for — they sound like ass.

A uke and a book on how to play and he won't even need an iPod.
posted by Brittanie at 9:23 PM on January 28, 2006

Great suggestions. Make sure you really stay in touch, lots of mail, email, goodies, etc. It's a long way from home.
posted by theora55 at 9:28 PM on January 28, 2006

I've spent just over a year of my life in and around the Persian Gulf. Electronics do get very dusty, but I've never had anything (iPod, Laptop, mini dvd player) fail on me. If you do get something electronic, get an extended warranty, or tell him to get the warranty after you give him the gift.

If he doesn't have an iPod, and listens to music often, then an iPod is most certainly the gift of choice.

Remember that the majority of bases over there have BXs with everything he would need, so essentials are not a priority. Also remember that he should be able to get mail, but it usually takes a couple of weeks.

A digital camera is a good idea, and an even better idea if he has a laptop. He'll want pictures to relive the glory days of war. I personally opted for a pretty shitty camera, and now I regret it. A digital video camera would be nice also. A nice 35mm camera might be nice too, if he's the type to use it.

Porn might seem like a good idea, but in reality, they search you for contraband when you get there and when you leave, and they love porn (and booze) cause after they confiscate it they get to watch it (or drink it). The old adage is that it's good to be friends with the Postal Service people cause they have all the booze that gets confiscated out of packages sent to the troops.

A nice pair of sunglasses (with a protective case!)might be good if he doesn't have any. It's not too bad this time of year, but in a few months he'll need em.
posted by tcobretti at 9:31 PM on January 28, 2006

I second everything Cactus says.

Cheese! The cheese there is shit.

Netflix is a good idea that some guys did do and it seemed to work, but was very slow.

Television series become group activities. On my last deployment, they guys next door would have 6 hour "24" marathons.

I've taken my guitar every time I've gone, but it's kinda hard to get a private place to practice when your living in a tent with 11 other dudes. I still take it, though.
posted by tcobretti at 9:35 PM on January 28, 2006

I think you have the right idea in your tags - body armor. I hear that Dragon Skin is the hot stuff right now. However, there are rumors that the Army is prohibiting this stuff.
posted by caddis at 9:42 PM on January 28, 2006

With electronics, the situation can vary greatly for deployed soldiers and Marines. There are plenty of XBoxes around in the nicer FOBs, for example. If he's an infantryman who's going to be deployed someplace less comfortable, electronics are less well suited.

Phone cards are good. If you can find a small, rugged digital camera (and its within your budget), that would be good. Likewise other small, rugged electronics (e.g., flash mp3 players) should be fine. A bunch of us chipped in for and iPod Mini (HD mp3 player) for a buddy going to Afghanistan (fewer problems with dust getting everywhere), and he used it and loved it.

On a more depressing note, you may want to look into Quickclot. Marines get it, but I've been told that the Army doesn't issue it (although some units may order some). It is this miracle hemostatic agent that stops even massive bleeding instantly. Not something you want to think about, but it can save a life. The company that makes it only sells to .mil and .gov addresses, but you should be able to find resellers. If he's a Marine, you can get him an upgraded helmet kit (to provide better blast protection). The kits are manufactured by this company, but can be ordered more cheaply by contributing to Operation Helmet (you can specify a particular Marine when you contribute).
posted by i love cheese at 9:43 PM on January 28, 2006

Nice wrap around sunglasses and sunblock, lip block, etc.
posted by 6:1 at 11:14 PM on January 28, 2006

Perhaps not so much enjoyable as useful, but Arabic Pimsleur CDs/Tapes/Lessons on Ipod.
posted by matkline at 11:27 PM on January 28, 2006

Ukuleles are HOT right now. Tiny, cheap, satisfying--it's like WWII all over again.

Any way to send porn? That should almost be like currency.
posted by sourwookie at 12:34 AM on January 29, 2006

A friend of mine spent a year in Iraq. Powerade/Gatorade, Red Bull, sunscreen, chapstick, baby wipes (sand gets into places you didn't know you have!), phone cards - I cannot stress this enough - send phone cards, movies or TV shows burnt on DVD (if he is bringing a laptop or personal DVD player), games, spare memory cards for a digital camera, trinkets to give the local kids (if there are any), books you aren't expecting to get back. There's sand everywhere, it's very hot, it's very bright, and it's very *boring.* Keep that in mind.

Most importantly, send postcards or weird tourist crap or anything that lets him know everyone Back Home hasn't forgotten he exists. A five-minute letter is about ten days' worth of good mood over there.
posted by cmyk at 12:38 AM on January 29, 2006

My SO just got back from a year over in Iraq, and the best stuff to send is stuff that he would *really* use or enjoy. All care packages and gifts are well intentioned, but they can sorta be a bummer if you're getting stuff you don't really want.

I'll second the suggestion above for a pelican case, they aren't cheap, but very worth it if you have stuff like laptops. My SO is a major gadget freak, and he managed to keep laptops, external hard drives (a good gift suggestion - people are always trading music/movies), ipods, cameras in great condition with those cases.

DVDs are good, but get stuff like TV shows or non-recent movies to send - the black market for movies is absolutely HUGE in Iraq - the SO saw more first run movies last year than I did. However, he really dug it when I was able to get (*ahem*) stuff like a season of Lost, Law & Order, Scrubs or Simpsons.

Also, if you're thinking about sending care packages, find out now what his favorite snacks/candy are - you'll be a hero when you're only person who's remembered to sends his favorite red vines or barbecue pringles.

As for porn, its technically a no-no (along with pork and booze), but you can always tuck it away in something else - just slip that adult dvd in the case for "Gigli" you found in a bargain bin.
posted by dicaxpuella at 2:14 AM on January 29, 2006

I usually send martinis:

1) Get a giant jar of olives packed in oil (or a jar of anything packed in anything, but for this recipe olives work best)
2) Pur out oil
3) Refill with vodka
4) Top off with a touch of vermouth
5) Shake; don't stir
6) Pack and ship.

I've done this several times for several different soldiers and have recieved nothing but the highest praise.
posted by ChasFile at 9:05 AM on January 29, 2006

I received this via email and am posting it (with the sender's permission) for posterity's sake:

I don't have a metafilter account but wanted to give you a heads up. Otter (a waterproof case maker similar in reputation to the pelican cases metioned in thread) makes a lot of waterproof, sandproof ipod cases. They have waterproof headphone jacks built in.

http://www.otterbox.com/products/ipod_cases/

Presumably the only time you'd have to take the ipod out would be to charge it, but perhaps you could pick up on of the normal otter boxes, drill a hole in it, pass the cord through then seal it up with some jb weld or silcone. Then the only time the ipod would ever be exposed is when it's passed from box to box. Sealed headphones can be had to, although I'm not sure how good the sound quality is.

http://www.waterproofcases.net/waterphones.html

On another note, thanks to all for the kind responses (including one person who offered to donate an iPod to my friend via email! It turns out he had just gotten an iPod for Christmas, but wow!) I'm looking into an Otterbox case and some Quickclot for right now, and I'll be sure to send him some care packages (with cheese and, ahem, olives, of course) over the course of his deployment.
posted by joshuaconner at 4:15 PM on January 29, 2006

My boss sent his son ribena (blackcurrant drink) bottles, emptied out and refillled with a decent red wine. I think he reseals the plastic seal by melting it with a needle heated in a candle. Aparently well recieved!
posted by prentiz at 4:58 PM on January 29, 2006

I am the mother of a former soldier who was deployed to Afghanistan in 2003. I do NOT recommend that you buy anything to send over WITH your friend as they are limited on how much laggage they can take with them. However, you can order a FREE gift package from www.operationgratitude.com and they will send it in your name. You can also order a FREE ukulele from www.ukesfortroops.com and they will send 12 ukuleles, song books and extra strings to your friend for him to share with his peers in his unit, then they can form a club. www.operationhomefront.net also has FREE jelly baskets that can be sent in your name. In the winter they live socks to kkep warm, you can order the online and have them delivered, in the summer you can send cool water misters that help them stay cool. Good Luck.
posted by ukulelelady at 12:17 PM on February 19, 2006