Great Ideas For U.S. Soldiers Care Packages

Most of these came from listening to the radio program "Ryan & Gretchen" in the morning on Q108 (107.9 FM in Nashville).

When I tuned in, they were compiling this growing list of items "live" on the air -- with listeners (servicemen and women, as well as their spouses & friends) calling in and adding their own.

One of the coolest things to me was the fact that they had an in-studio guest who had served TDY in the U.S. military providing feedback about:

the types of items that American soldiers need most

which items are the easiest for male and female soldiers to utilize

items that might sound like a great idea, but for one reason or another are not wise to send to soldiers

It was great to hear the point-of-view from someone who has been there, done that!

Here are the best items recommended for military care packages...

Included are most of the items from Gretchen and Ryan's list, along with several of my own after I did a good bit of research myself to see what servicemen and women really wanted...

The Best Items To Include In Military Care Packages:

Deodorant
Shower to Shower body powder
Jelly beans
Disposable camera
Rice Krispie treats
Altoids or mints
Beef jerky
Snack mixes
Sunflower seeds
Chewing gum
Nuts
Long-distance phone cards
Little Debbie's snacks
Ziploc bags
Coffee
Gatorade
Jaw breakers
Poker game
Playing cards
Dice
Music CD's
Footbag/hacky-sac
Toothbrushes & toothpaste
Inflatable pillow
Cookies in individual packages (Big bags often fill with dust if not eaten right away.)
Dominoes
Pasta and sauce
Canned food items
Spices, salt, pepper
Smoked oysters and sardines
Squeeze butter
Pringles chips
Individually-wrapped licorice
Microwave popcorn
Ramen noodles
Macaroni & cheese
Disposable shower towels
Olives, pickles, peppers (Be sure to add lots and LOTS of bubble wrap around these items.)
Cereal bars/granola bars
Microwave pasta that doesn't need refrigeration
Hot cocoa mix
Soup mix
M&M's (plain or peanut)
DVD movies
Koozies to keep water bottles and cans cool
Newspapers
Magazines
AA batteries
D size batteries
Air fresheners (...like stick-ups, F'breeze.)
Canned air to blow dust out of electronics
Stress relief squeeze balls
Sewing kit
Baby wipes
Board games
Shoe laces for gym shoes and boots
Brown t-shirts
Boot socks
Underwear
Hand warmers
Inflatable seat cushions
Razors
Ink pens
Notepads of paper
Word Puzzle books
Icy/hot patches
Air activated heat wraps for sore muscles
Foot massager
Microwaveable plates, bowls, paper plates
Foot powder
Vitamins
Paperback books
Gift baskets filled with lots of useful items and packaged as a present

Ideas for gift baskets sent to soldiers as care packages.

Tips for sending packages to U.S. military overseas.

Fun new gift ideas for soldiers and their families.

Thanks That Cost Less for military care packages.

UPDATE 11/17/07:

See what we sent to a couple of military units in Iraq -- last year and this year.

The Fun Times Guide

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