The Army "Official " stance on "Care" packages.

[efhmc]

"The Army has officially discouraged the sending of care packages to soldiers in Iraq and Afganistan. They just don't have the infastructure to handle a lot of mail. Recommend you relate this
to your friends and suggest they wait a bit and perhaps funnel items thru the USO located at Ft Hood. The 1st Cav Div will be deploying after the 1st of the year and the USO farewells all soldiers thru the
deployment site at the post." I thought some of you night want this information as to the offical thought on this. There had been questions about it here.

[bobthedrummer]

1. We don't Care packages then?

:wtf:

[efhmc]

11. That seems to be the official stance. Makes you wonder.

[qb]

2. What, privatized mail delivery isn't working out as planned?

The Army I used to belong to was more of a "Can Do" operation.

[JHB]

3. If mail can go in, it can get out, too...

...and the current regeime wants as little of that as possible.
Only Karl gets to make up what conditions there are, not some grunts.

[Champion Jack]

4. Thank Halliburton

[underpants]

5. ~$20 Million to go to establishing zip codes in Iraq

That should help

[Don_G]

6. ShrubCo Is Afraid Of Any Accurate Information

[efhmc]

9. Did you notice the info about the 1st Div. being sent out? I'm sure that

is public info but what does that say about our future there?

[Don_G]

22. I Noticed

The US be there for the next 14 months at least and perhaps a year after a Democratic administration allows Iraq to rule themselves.

In the meantime, count on Asskrap and the rest of ShrubCo quashing all information that makes them look bad.

[efhmc]

24. Will another division come home, do you think, when this one is sent out?

[Don_G]

38. Offhand

I would say they will be rotated home, but a lot of that depends on Dimbo's oil pipeline over there. He dosen't care about US casualities, just about the damm oil and his reselection in 2004.

[efhmc]

40. Don't the people who actually understand military matters have any say in

this?

[Don_G]

51. I Doubt It

The orders probably came from Rumsfeld and backed up by Asskrap.

[efhmc]

52. I sure am happy they weren't around to "protect:" us during WWII when

we really needed military brains that were motiated by the desire to aide our people and not to waste lives for oil.

[Bunny]

7. Well, tough noogies.

I'll send as many packages as I want. The Army (but more especially pResident AssClown, since he's ultimately responsible)will have to contact me personally and order me to cease and desist. They don't have the infrastructure set up to handle the mail? Bushit!

[efhmc]

8. Naturally, you can do what you want and I see folks at the local P.O.s

sending packages to Iraq. But they have specific friends and relatives they are sending them to. It's almost as though they don't want any of us to have personal contact witht the soldiers. You know only funnel the items through an anonymous organization. The person who sent me the info is in the know and is high ranking retired military who works with the soldiers before they are shipped to the middle east.

[Bunny]

16. I've been sending them to guys in DU's

adopted unit, so I do have specific names and addresses. And I agree that they almost don't want us to have personal contact with these soldiers. As it happens, I mailed out a package just this morning, and I made sure to include a complete copy of USA Today, containing the cover story about Bush's UN speech. I want them to get news from home as it's printed in the home papers. ;)

[efhmc]

21. Did you get this info to toddzilla who was asking this question a couple

of days ago and prompted me to gather this information from the army?

[Bunny]

26. I think SoCalDem responded to toddzilla's post.

If I'm mistaken about this, he should PM her. She's the one who spearheaded this project, so she's got the info.

[efhmc]

29. I'll pass that information along in case he missed it. Thanks.

[underpants]

10. LOL

Tough noogies

[efhmc]

13. There are those scary pants again. Can you tell me what noogies are,

if that is not too personal a question?

[underpants]

28. Noogies are

Well actually they are putting someone in a headlock and then wrapping them on the top of the head with your nuckles. Not too hard though.

"tough noogies" I think just is a cleaned up "tough sh*t"

[efhmc]

30. Ah, good info. Could you put some sunglasses on those panties' mean

eyes?

[underpants]

35. There are blind candy rabbits and you want me to take away their shades?

[efhmc]

37. Whatever it takes to shield me from that penetrating gaze is fine with me.

[DrGonzoLives]

12. Well, Army

as soon as you stop charging injured soldiers for meals in the hospital, you can tell us what to do.

Until then, shut the fuck up.

[efhmc]

15. That was to the point. However, again I am afraid that I don't know how

one would get the info needed to send stuff to just general soldiers. Maybe there are websites of friends and family that have this information. I find the whole thing rather bizarre.

[SoCalDem]

36. During Gulf War One, you COULD send packages to "Any Soldier"

and then the military would dole them out, but since they are up to their asses in alligators, they don't have the time or personnel to do it this time.. At least I'm guessing that's the reason..

Our soldiers are all individuals and are known to us and by us, so they better not try to stop the "goodie trail"..:)

Mary..(Jimmy's mom) said last week, that the guys are amazed at the outpouriing of love & care for them ..It still blows them away, that people they did not know would care so much about them..

I will see them tonight, so maybe will get an update..:)

When I get back from our trip, I will start a thread where are the "senders" can weigh in and share , so I can print it out for Mary & Jim..

[efhmc]

46. Ahhh. The voice of reason and knowledge. Thank you for doing this

and please keep us all informed.

[Aristus]

14. Sheesh! When I was in the Gulf, first time around,

you could have mailed me a complete dining room set, if you could afford the postage. Lots of stuff got through. One of my buddies got a life-size, overstuffed teddy bear from his girlfriend. Another guy got a care package roughly the size of the Exxon Valdez, which contained smuggled booze and Playboys. The kriegmeisters in Der Pentagon don't want to support the troops, that's all.

[efhmc]

17. But as understand the difference is that if you have specific names of

friends and family, you can send away. The army is just not going to help with blanket or random mailings.

[Jack The Tab]

19. LOL - both used the word "blanket"..

Love coinkydinks like that!

[efhmc]

27. You do know that great minds think alike. Of course, the same goes for

weak repuke minds but they are told what to think so it is easy for them to think the same.

[Jack The Tab]

18. Don't lay a blanket blame on the military...

This is most likely a Rumsfeld/Wolfowitz maneuver.

I'm sure the top brass are at the boiling point with the "civilian" leadership at the Pentagon.

I wonder how much we and our fellow citizens in the military can take?

[Bunny]

20. That's the point I was trying to make, albeit poorly.

I think the Army is doing the best it can under the circumstances. It's Bush and his minions who have put them in this predicament, and they are the ones who are ultimately responsible for this fuster cluck.

[efhmc]

23. You do have a way with the mother tongue. I agree and hate these

official stances that make no sensense and I'm sure harm those that are serving under very bad circumstances.

[Braden]

25. make sure you put

the latest Newsweek and whatever else you can in order to help in the dissemination of information to these men and women.

[underpants]

31. Socks, Baby wipes, skin mag, booze, toilet paper, hot sauce

There ya go.

[efhmc]

33. Can you really send booze? Won't it break or explode and they always

ask at the p.o. now if there is anything that can explode or break and leak in the package.

[underpants]

41. A "traveler" of Jim Beam or airplane bottles

I'm not sure about exploding good point.

a "traveler" is a fifth in a plastic bottle.

[efhmc]

44. You knew I was going to ask what that was. I was thinking about the

beer, since some have suggested sending 6 packs. Seem like that is an explosion waiting to happen. Zoowie. They would think they had been shot if that happened on a transport plane.

[Bunny]

34. I've stayed away from the skin mags and booze,

as these are frowned on by Islam. So are pork products. But anything else goes, especially hot sauce and toilet paper! I didn't actually know that they could use socks. Is that true? If so, what kind? Are there "regulation" socks, or would any old socks do? Thanks.

[underpants]

39. Oh they can always use socks

The green regulation one's (military surplus) would probably be preferred by their superiors but anything would do for them I'm sure.

I was half joking about the skin mags and booze. Although as stated by a DU'er above who was in Gulf! they got sent liquor quite frequently. When we went to "the field" there was a constant line in front of the skin mag rack at the PX. They were laying all around in the barracks too.

[efhmc]

42. Those naughty boys. Don't they know that they are in nonporn

country. Cover them up and stone them if they don't do men's will. It might have been the one thing that was better under Saddam (women's rights). Now that is a really sad thought.

[underpants]

49. Well in my case it was mostly for the articles

:bounce:

Hey it's a way to pass the time. :shrug:

[efhmc]

50. Yeah, right. But that made me think of something? How about paperbacks?

Maybe some good liberal-minded books?

[efhmc]

32. Good idea but how about something a little more "librul"?

[Braden]

43. cant think of any real Librul national pubs!

[efhmc]

47. You caught me. I couldn't really think of one so I didn't mention any

specifics.

[Drifter]

45. Perhaps if the US government ...

wasn't short changing our soldiers when it comes to convenience items, the American people would not have send these things.

That's some nerve asking people not to send these things.

Cheers
Drifter

[efhmc]

48. That is sort of what I was thinking. It is as though they don't want us to

get the idea that these people have "needs" that aren't being supplied. Of course, the biggest "need" is to come home and the WH is in no hurry there.