Troops in the Middle East, Part 2

Phone cards are most useful if they’re global / international if possible, and I believe AT&T prepaid is most reliable. I called to find out how the domestic cards translate to calls from other countries. A 120-minute domestic card from Sam’s Club will get only about 8 minutes calling the US from Iraq (at most – less from Afghanistan).

Here are a couple of phone card links:

phone card sales https://thor.aafes.com/scs/product.aspx

AT&T military phone card sales http://www.usa.att.com/military/index.jsp

calling centers http://www.usa.att.com/military/camp/calling_centers.jsp

polly, i was offering andrade to mellisaohio.

Well, 4 boxes sent and 2 to go....they will go out tomorrow.

my 2 boxes went out today. I hope you are all saying that you're part of a Dave's Garden group. Won't that be fun when they start opening all the DG boxes.

I sent out Christmas Cards yesterday...introducing myself...then 3 packages went out today.

I love those new Priority Mail boxes...I stuffed them full and they only weighed a little over 5#...$7.70...post office said they would have cost $12.80....savings of $5.10 per box!!

The gal at the post office also took the www.davesgarden.com from me. She has heard me talk about DG so much...says she is going to check it out....she retires in 2 more years. Needs to get involved now. Jo

My box went out today, 8 lb 6oz. I stuffed it full. LOL

Ruth

My 2 boxes went today: 7#14 & 8#2. The priority boxes are a good deal! I bought enough stuff for more boxes next month! We'll just mail boxes every month.
I went to Cheryl_Il's site: www.operationhomefront.org and they have directions for making neck coolers. If anyone is interested: http://www.operationhomefront.org/Community/community_help_support_coolers.shtml

My box is packed to the max and ready to go in the mail tomorrow morning.

But, here's the dilemma. DH had to run into town this evening to get a knee brace for our son because he put his knee out at basketball practice. So, he also grabbed the list of things I was thinking of putting in the box and came home with enough stuff to pack about 4 boxes. Said he couldn't help himself and he got carried away. LOL He was in the service during Vietnam, so I'm not surprised at the compassion.

So, now I gotta go find us some more service guys to send packages to. I'm gonna follow the www.anysoldier.com link above to find some more.

OH JOAN...Your DH is a wonderful guy...even if he is "Da Fuzz"!! LOL Jo

My husband was in the Middle East earlier this year and it looks like he's going back next year, too. What you all are doing is SO MUCH appreciated by the folks who are serving our country. You deserve a round of applause and a proud salute. I am honored to be able to call you my friends.

Blaine HELPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

Brugie just found a great source for INTERNATIONAL phone cards. And it is not too late to order them for they will email you the info and you just put that printed email in your Christmas card!!!

It is only 5.5 cents per minute for international calls made from Iraq to the US. Much better than all the other ones I have seen which have all been 30 to 50 cents per minute.

BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT the card only works on a DSN line. Can you check or do you know if your son's unit has a DNS line??

THANKS
http://speedypin.com/prepaid/phone-card/TRV25?aff=147&co_branded=1#usbases

This message was edited Dec 8, 2004 1:02 PM

I have no idea. The DW said when he called he said he was using a card but that's all.

I'll send him a note but would not count on a response anytime soon.

Oh great!!! I hope he gets to let us know! Thanks

The dozen AT &T cards that were 60 mins, and came in a pack at Sam's were $23 and change; that's about the same. by my math.
Sent out all the greetings and contact info for all five of my soldiers; included a dozen phone cards in the cards.
Spent two hours at Sams yesterday, 1/2 hour at CVS and two hours at Target today; going to Krogers for a few crackers, then i'm finished. Tomorrow I pack them.
Are you tissue/gift wrapping many things and marking them, or just packing them as is in the boxes?

Pollygardening, did you get International cards at Sam's Club?

The problem is if you just bought the regular phone cards, the international calls cost much more using them than those made in the US. You do not get the amount of minutes it says on the outside of the packet. You get much less if you are using it to call from Iraq to the US. So if your card is for 60 minutes for calls inside the US, calls made from Iraq will be much,much less minutes.

See the above post of

Cheryl_IL
O'Hare Area, IL
Zone 5b
Dec 7, 2004
11:29 AM


A 120-minute domestic card from Sam’s Club will get only about 8 minutes calling the US from Iraq (at most – less from Afghanistan).

Global phone cards are supposed to be best and they're sold in units instead of minutes, but I'm sure 8 minutes is better than nothing. anyone can buy them from a commissary or military exchange if they're purchased for military. They're available online but I haven't bought them online so I don't know exactly how it works.

If you want to wrap things for more of a gift-type feel, I would try using a clear wrap (maybe celophane or clear gift bags, etc.) just in case the box gets opened for inspection.

We sent a couple dozen stockings filled with stuff but I tried to think about what might happen if they got opened and inspected, and if the inspectors would care or have the time to put everything back they way we sent it. So instead of putting everything directly in the stockings, we filled a zip-lock bag and stuffed one into each stocking. That way, the contents could be viewed and if they weren't put back into the stockings they should still be alright. anything that wouldn't fit into the stockings got packed separately so at least the holiday feel might be preserved with the stockings.

Here are links from the post office that give tips on packing and other good stuff.

http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/2003/html/pb22098/apofpo.html
http://www.usps.com/communications/news/press/2003/pr03_018.htm
http://www.usps.com/communications/news/press/2004/pr04_060.htm

Edited to try and fix the links. Argh! I don't understand what I do different that sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.

This message was edited Dec 8, 2004 4:26 PM

This message was edited Dec 8, 2004 4:29 PM

Nesbitts is on the way, all 7.70 lbs of it, lol

Must be good timing on this threads questions to the mideast-
This just received from A1C Nesbitt:

"Ah, yes sir. We use DSN lines here. And just about any phone card will work I believe. "

All of my packages and letters left today....I'm looking forward to hearing from my soldiers.

I sincerely hope you do. Although it won't be my fault, please know that the ones without the courtesy to at least send a quick ".. I got it, thank you, gotta go clean my gun" will really bother me.

You know....I just thought of something...I should have put a self addressed blank card in my boxes...make it so easy for them to write a line and drop it in the mail...Dang...hindsight is better than no sight! Jo

I'm sure my soldier had plenty of good upbringing : ).. although i did tell him that i knew his time was not very abundant and it would make me happier if he took the time he was going to use to write me to write to his mom and dad instead ; )

Thanks Blaine for finding out for me! I will purchase the International phone cards tonight at the site Brugie found. They will get so many more minutes than the domestic cards to use for the same money .

I sent out my package to my GI girl, Macdonald. I finally have a girl to buy for! LOL. I stuffed 10.5 lbs in one of the flat rate boxes. The postman said the PO is losing lots of money on them. Mine should have cost $22 he said to mail. I could hardly close it, it was all off kilter so I had to put tape around it!

I am stuffing another 3 boxes tonight with goodies for some other solders and also am bringing home lots of skin cream with sunscreen samples from work and will do 1 box with just that. I will ask my GI girl to pass them around. I figure they can carry them easily in their pockets while out in the desert.

To make my boxes festive I am adding a few candy canes after every layer of things and on top I put a crinkled ribbon bouquet in Christmas colors on top. I also included a little angel ornament in the box for my G.I. girl!

I have to stop and pick up more things for at the end I took the boxes and gently but firmly tapped them on the floor and the contents settled and gave me a couple more inches.

I must say I finally feel in the Christmas spirit and want to thank all of you for your great suggestions.

Kell,
I had to laugh because my box was lopsided too, lol....i had priority mail tape around the entire box because i was afraid it was going to bust open.
The post woman was like "you could've gotten a bigger box, ya know" i said not for this price i couldnt, lol.

oh you girls!
makes me want to put my name and address on the list! :)

Hey you guys....you may already know this, I sure didn't...but when I went to the Post Office yesterday to pick up my priority boxes, was not aware there are two different kinds and they are marked. The ones that are one price are marked that, so make sure you are packing the goodies into the right box.

Deann

Even if I don't hear from my soldiers, I feel so good about helping out. They have so much responsibility with their jobs, I'm sure days can be pretty stressful.

I do hope that I hear from them though....I've found so many more goodies that I'd like to send. It's amazing how you look at stuff with a different eye these days.

I found tuna and crab salad kits, they have a little can of tuna or crab and a little packet of crackers, perfect snack size, I would have never given them a second thought, but you're right Melody, I am looking at things a little differently. :-)

Melissa, I sent Cady some of the chicken salad kits, I thought they would be good.

Mine left today.. ..8.2 lbs. ,sure wish I could have stuffed more in. I'm so happy I had the chance to send a little cheer! Warm, cozy feeling, ;you know.
Jean

This Texas Santa has 2 boxes ready to fly out . This has been great for my Christmas Spirit. I also included a stamped, self addressed enverlope with a couple of sheets of paper to try to make it easy for them to send a quick reply with a wish list of whatever else they need or want and a comment on what was especially useful so I can send more. I stuck in a supply of gallon size ziplock bags too. I thought that they would probably like using them to store some of the things they want to keep free of sand!. sent a couple of common household items too, like small sissors, safety pins and writing pens. Sent some "boy " toys too, like those high bouncing balls, little race track cars that you shoot off a ramp, silly putty, nurf ball thingys. They are, after all, just kids that still need something to make them laugh and play with each other. Also sent playing cards and dice for the more wicked ones LOL.

Louddigger...you did GOOD! Jo

loudigger - that's a master stroke. They WILL play with that stuff. I've been told that 550 cord is so popular because the big thing is making stuff out of it like macrame. A constructive distraction for the hands and mind I suppose. I thought about the SASE.... after I sent the boxes.

i sent a pack of official world poker tour cards, but drew a blank on other fun stuff.

may need to make a trip to wally world : )

When my son in law was in the Navy he used to do Macrame...when the cruise was on the way home he sold lots of stuff for his buddies to take home to wives, mothers, and girlfriends....after all....macrame is just the same knots sailors use in daily life. Jo

I sent the chicken/cracker stuff too. Also bubbles. Even my 30 something year old kids still get bubbles from me on their birthday. There is a little bit of kid in each of us. I really like the ziplock idea. They are great for storing lots of stuff.

I understand they don't need to stamp their mail home -- isn't that true?
Am packing all five boxes -- was unfortunate to have just developed "wet"macular degeneration at a fortunate time - had laser this a:m, and my Dr had his nurse pack a dozen wrap around solar glasses for my boxes. They will be collecting them for me to pick up in a month -- possibly as many as 100!!!
Everyone wants to be a part of showing support!

Oh, that's entirely correct. SO , all you need include is a self-addressed envelope. No postage required. They just write 'Free Mail' across the upper right corner.

Hope you feel better Poly!

I AM DONE!! Just finish my last box. Stuffed 5 boxes in all beyond the rim. I am going to have carry them in by 2s into the PO. They are heavy. And I got every last thing in, nothing was left over. That was a feat unto itself. Though I had to break a few of the candy canes at the end to shut one of the boxes. I found Texas hold um sets at Ross. They came in little metal boxes with cards and poker chips. My DH helped out by doing Christmas cards for all those on the list.

I must admit I am tired. I stopped at stores every night after work picking up more stuff! Now to clean up all the empty containers and bags that all over.

Packed one box for 4o soldiers -- four more to go!
Will send smaller boxes to the individuals.
My dining room looks like a vendor's storeroom!
(Thanks, Kell -- I feel fine; doing this project makes my spirits soar (I just can't see!).