Mail and care packages sent to BMQ / BMOQ

[Polish Possy]

you might also want to send some car magazine or something he is into. there should be at least some one that likes the same stuff as him which can be a great conversation starter.  Letters would also be great as other people said just say your proud and the rest of the family is too and you now are comfortable with him doing what he is doing with his life stuff like that and say that you want to hear all about it when he comes home , that way he can feel better not having to worry about what is going on and how disapprove which probably would make it harder for him

just be proud and say you can't wait to hear all about it. 

 

[LMackenzie]

Good day all

Great News...John Called home yesterday....yeehaww!!
That felt like such a long time waiting to exhale
I can finally breathe and get back at my life on this end!
Funny how a phone call can change everything.
I heard from him briefly to let me know he landed there safe etc but now
I finally have an update on the actual goings on and everything is A-OK.
For all you getting ready to or are or thinking of going
Heres good news for you... its fan freaking tastic he says!  
Hes loving it... its all he wanted and more!   Hes a strong boy its right up his alley.

They cant go to Canex or anywhere for a couple weeks so heres a heads up for
what to send for the first bit... or maybe bring with you...
swiffer cloths/lysol wipes/mr clean magic erasers/he asked for Windex
as the stuff they give them is crapola apparently?/foot powder-good insoles/
letters of any sort-photos/a phone card...love, great bit buckets o' love and support!!

What not to send ...
food of any sort they cant have it now... they are being fed just fine
no need for civie clothes for a few weeks yet.  
Your negative vibes or thoughts... best to keep them to yourself
They have enough to deal with they need you on their side.

His CO is Petty Officer M.  ( I hope I wrote that down right?)
Has any of you had the pleasure of being in his 'company' before?
There are 60 in his platoon. His group is apparently working very well together so far, push-pull
/ a couple have left for home tho that couldn't handle the authority or whatever.  
Lots of yelling going on, his voice on the phone is all harsh and raspy ...lol!
I suppose a few cut out each week as the going gets tougher?
They start physical training next week in the gym...which hes really looking forward to.

So alls good from my sons experiences, hard work and challenging and best of all rewarding.

Happy Sunday all  :-*
Proud and Happy Army Mom in Hamilton!!

Edited to remove name - PERSEC-

 

[LMN]

rofl...All I know is that whenever I got a letter on my QL3s, I had to do 50 pushups for it.  Mail call soon became death by pushups

 

[P-Free]

They start physical training next week in the gym...which hes really looking forward to.

So no PT at all until week 2?

 

[Glorified Ape]

I never got mail, but then again my parents were paying the rent on my apt. to help me out so I can't complain.

Army Mom, you sound like a very sweet mother. I'm sure he appreciates all your efforts more than you know, especially at during the first few weeks which, as fun as they are, can be tough as it takes time to adapt and get used to the environment (especially for those who haven't been away from home before).

One guy on my IAP course (the first installment of basic for officer cadets) had a mom that sent him incredible amounts of stuff. Candy, blister pads, cleaning materials, and even a digital iron. If he smokes (and you don't mind doing it), you could send him smokes (if he needs them) as they're often in short supply and difficult to restock in the first 4 weeks. Also, if he doesn't have one, a decent flashlight w/ coloured lenses (small though - something that takes AA batteries is ideal) and some batteries is helpful beyond words when he's in the field (or even up past lights out ). If it comes with a headband, even better. The flashlights they issue you are absolute crap and, from my experience, the batteries are just as crappy and 50% of the time they're half-dead or dead. If your flashlight dies on you in the field you're SOL until the staff can find you another one. He can buy one at the Canex but they're overpriced and, judging from the experience of my fireteam partner, low quality.

Just a few ideas. Some slightly embarassing stuff in the mail never hurt anyone, and it gives the platoon staff and recruits something to laugh about.

Question: What trade is John?

So no PT at all until week 2?

They don't PT you usually until you get your kit issued (I think), which for us took until week 2. They make you walk around in your civvies for a week, feeling like idiots, then issue you kit which you think is great until it comes time to clean it, arrange it, and sew labels onto it. Probably saves them the trouble of issuing kit to all the first week dropouts.

I hope to god I get a barracks box on BOTC but I think that's like hoping to win the lottery.

 

[ArmyWife]

Hi ArmyMom! I have been wondering about all that too. We dropped my husband off at Union train station in Toronto on Sunday April 10th. He is NCM Reg Force Infantry. I have heard from him 3x so far =) He said he wrote me a letter but since they aren't allowed to leave yet he can't get any stamps. So far I have mailed 2 letters. The second letter I put a phone card and a bunch of stamps. I'm sure he will be happy to be able to send his letters now. He is really enjoying it there. He said 2 or 3 guys left the first 2 days. Also another 2 guys didn't finish their assignment and now the whole platoon must write an essay on why it is important to hand things in on time.He said the food has been great as well. He is going to be 26 on May 24th and I was looking for some suggestions on what to send to him? He's not interested in cars or anything like that. Can anyone help me out here cause I have no clue what to buy him. I read the boards everyday and I really enjoy it. There is alot of good info here. =)

 

[Island Ryhno]

Cool Sunglasses  8) That's one of my favorite gifts (oh and safe to keep said cool sunglasses in) I wouldn't send anything too valuable, things grow legs around there. Gifts are such individual things that it's hard to say, it's going to get warm there and he will have some time off, so some cool summer clothing (civilian) would be nice. Just a thought!

 

[ArmyWife]

Thanks for the reply Island! Very good idea! I will get him a nice pair of sunglasses and a case or whatever to put them in. We have a 2 and a half year old daughter and if anyone here has young children what would be a good gift to buy from her? I will send a Birthday card from her and I'm looking for something that will make him really happy from our little one. I've never been great at the gift thing lol. So after 4 weeks they can wear shorts on weekends? That's also a good idea. =)

 

[HItorMiss]

Best gift you could give would maybe be a Picture of your daughter with a little sign that says something Like I love you Daddy or Miss you daddy....

I was in Kabul over Christmas and the best gift I got was little 2 or 3 minute video messages from my little nieces and nephews and the rest of my family....damn near made me cry in the computer cubicle, actually had to turn them off for a sec to composse myself, it meant the absolute world to me.

 

[civvy3840]

Armywife maybe you could send him money if he didn't take any with him. Also a kind of irrelevant point but he has the same birthday as me!

 

[ArmyWife]

Well Happy Early Birthday to you civvy =) He brought 120.00 with him and the cab ride to the school was split between the 5 guys so that only cost him 20. He also received a pay advance of 220 that everyone gets so I think he's good for awhile as they can't leave the base until the 4th weekend. I clicked on the link on here for the army gear store and they have some pretty good stuff. I'm thinking of purchasing a few things from it. Hmmm... maybe I will develop one of the 20 rolls of film we have sitting here and send him some new pics =) Thanks for responding guys, I appreciate it.  ;D

 

[civvy3840]

So I guess he's set!

 

[Canadian Sig]

Army wife,  I have two sweet little girls and I can tell you that the best thing I got on course was anything that they made. It does'nt mater how it looks as long as I know they made it just for daddy.  (Keep that one in mind especialy on his first overseas tour). Good luck to you and yours. 

 

[Polish Possy]

Army Wife another great thing you could do is get a extra large piece of paper and have your daughter do 2 hand prints one on each side of the paper and put the words " I love your this much " or  " This paper contains a hug"  that will make any fathers day or macaroni neckless or something along those lines. pictures are great and just words of support.

 

[pipboy48]

I've read a few posts about care packages but havn't been able to find a list of sorts to tell me about what I can/can't send. What is prefered in a care package. How much is too much. Best kit that everybody forgets or don't think they need.
Cool gadgets? An endless ammount of dvd's? A buddy is going on his first tour in a little bit to a warm and sandy place. Should I send his blanky and cowboy footy-pjs? lol...  after all he is a sig-op and needs all the comfort and paternal care that he's used to!
Pipboy

 

[kimmie]

Making up care packages for military family and friends is always fun. You need to assess what you friend likes(within good judgement) and build the package from there.
For example some great ideas include: favorite candy, dvd, cds, books, mags(I send dh a Maxim every once in a while will little comments made on different articles ), pics, letters, little games, etc. As far as things you can't send, here is a link to CFPSA that gives you all kinds of details. http://www.cfpsa.com/en/psp/mil/sending_e.asp.

Be creative with your package and have fun.

 

[Gunnar]

Just remember that any candy you send will likely have to deal with heat...I'm told that licorice is quite popular, both red and black, as it won't spoil in the heat.  Also, baby wipes are incredibly useful when everything is covered in dust that is 30% feces or more...

I'm told that while porn is out, maxim and similar magazines are allowed in...someone there can confirm the second part...a newspaper would be a good idea too, just so they know what's going on back home.  Carton of Player's Light Regular might go far too, even if your buddy doesn't smoke--I'm told it's damn near the regimental smoke of the PPCLI.

Cheap-ass gifts for the local kids is always good for winning hearts and minds, and it helps if some of the gifts are dual-purpose, like magnetic checkers/chess/backgammon sets...troopies can use it, and so can the locals.  Things like water guns and such, while popular here, are less popular in war zones for some reason. 

Oh, and drink crystals.  Sure, it's not summer any more, but from what I hear, they spend an awful lot of time drinking anyway, so anything to make the water more palatable is usually welcome.  I sent Goldbond.  Goldbond green for the feet, Goldbond yellow for the naughty bits....there is issue stuff, but I'm told that Goldbond is better.

Make sure you have his full address and S/N---due to PERSEC issues, they can no longer accept "A Canadian Soldier", and variants thereof...but you already knew that.

Something just occurred to me...Christmas decorations.  Christmas is coming, and you want time for it to get there...and it's a way to support ALL the troops.  I have no idea whether the politically correct types have banned them yet, but I would expect not.

Cheers!

G

 

[chrisf]

Dr. Scholls foot powder, the sort designed to kill atheletes foot, is wonderful...

 

[pipboy48]

ok... so non-perishable food. aka candy, cigs, baby wipes, dvd's, dancing santa, throw away gifts, drink crystals, spices, foot/"wet area" powder, reading materials and pics of me in a leather g-string and cowboy hat on the hood of his car (so very very wrong). I'm sure his wife will get a hoot out of that one!
What about the kit part of it? I know that he has all of his issue but is there anything else that he might need? Something that a newbie may not know and the vets wouldn't think twice about?


Here's another question then. how often do you send care packages to someone on tour? do they accumulate for a week? How often do they get a mail call?  Probably pretty simple questions.. but hey.. i'm a simple guy!
Thanks for the imput guys!
Pipboy

 

[North]

I send  packaging that ends up as posters.I can't really explain other than my sense of 'ha-ha' is a little off-the-wall, and a lot of the guys really enjoy it. Gives people something to do.

I make cookies. Send auto/boat traders(might want to buy something when they get home). Pics of family. Mixed CDs that everyone wants. Insane things that my kids draw (You know the things you turn sideways and it looks like male anatomy?) Anything I think he might want to see from home, useless news items. I try to send stuff each week. I also send extra toothpaste, chips,pens. Just keep things fun.


Life is short,send fun.