Parcel to Afganistan

[RAPA Pilot]

I know you are all pilots, so am I but a friend of mines son has been posted to Afganistan. He is a young bloke and an infantry soldier. I'd like to send him a parcel which is free under 2kg and I feel it is my small way in supporting 'our boys' while they have to be away.

So my question is(and I'd like sensible answers) as I've neither been to Afganistan or to war what would be the most useful(legal) stuff to put in the parcel?
My ideas were, carton of fags, snacks, tooth brush/paste, soap, Nuts magazine, I dunno stuff like that. Mobile phone perhaps????

Any suggestions?

Thank you

[chumzpilla]

I know you are all pilotsNot everybody is. Anyway, don't put a mobile phone in as they are not allowed in theatre. Just put some treats in like sweets, magazines. Don't bother with the cigarettes as he will be able to buy them cheap enough in theatre.

carton of fagsOh and don't let our American cousins hear you say that, it gets them all excited.;)

[Runaway Gun]

Definitely NOT a mobile phone..... that's a NO NO !!

Would a Fleshlight fit in the box? :}

[Pontius Navigator]

I know you are all pilots, so am I but a friend of mines son has been posted to Afganistan. He is a young bloke and an infantry soldier. I'd like to send him a parcel which is free under 2kg and I feel it is my small way in supporting 'our boys' while they have to be away.

So my question is(and I'd like sensible answers) as I've neither been to Afganistan or to war what would be the most useful(legal) stuff to put in the parcel?
My ideas were, carton of fags, snacks, tooth brush/paste, soap, Nuts magazine, I dunno stuff like that. Mobile phone perhaps????

Any suggestions?

Thank you

Drink powders to ad flavour to the gallons of water.
Moist toilet tissues. They may pull his leg but . . .
Talc
Vac Pac food that will add variety.
Savoury snack stuff.
Magazines certainly
Toiletries certainly.

[minigundiplomat]

Ive just returned from my umpteenth visit, and cn tell you that lots of people send talc etc and there seems to be plenty lying around.

Ideas:

Nuts/Zoo
Pens
Clothes pegs
Mustard (small squeezy tube)
Tabasco
Wet wipes
Proper teabags
Ground coffee
Travel wash detergent
Playing cards (especially if 'decoratively covered')


finally, though this may sound a little strange....seeds for chilli plants.

Whatever you send, Im sure the gesture itself will lift someones spirits.

[Laarbruch72]

"I know you are all pilots"

Not so here either... in fact I've served in a role not so removed from the Infantry very recently.

I'll pick up on some of PN's suggestions, most of which are very good:

Drink powders to ad flavour to the gallons of water: No need, they get various ones out there including Lucozade Sport sachets.

Moist toilet tissues. They may pull his leg but : Not a bad idea depending on how far forward he is. It's nice to have a clean arrse when deployed in the middle of nowhere.

Talc: Extremely good suggestion, keeps the creases round your "private areas" from getting red and painful. I would also add foot powder as an essential. 16 hours in boots at 50 degrees C is no picnic.

Vac Pac food that will add variety: Again, depends where he is. If he's in Bastion, don't bother, he's getting well fed. If he's far forward then yes.

Savoury snack stuff. Absolutely. I lived for the parcels containing the odd packet of cheese biscuits from my wife, or even certain crisps. Find out his favourites.

Magazines certainly: Yep, agree wholeheartedly. The dirtier the better.

Toiletries certainly: Yup, shower gel, razor blades, etc are always a winner. They cost a fortune out there, IF and when available.

[SirToppamHat]

Before the abuse starts rolling in, obviously the following suggestions are based on his having access to power and a laptop! I am fully aware that this is not the case for everyone.

How about some films or TV programmes, football matches. What progs does he like?

Blackadder is probably ubiquitous by now, but my youngsters enjoy things like Scrubs and the Inbetweeners (?).

If you can get stuff in AVI form, you should be able to get 8-10 films on a single DVD - if you don't know what I'm talking about, ask your local computer geek!

If you are feeling pretty generous (and he has the laptop!), portable Hard Drive would go down well, especially if you fill it with music, films etc. You can pick a 250GB HDD for about £50. See here:

Portable HDD (http://www.ebuyer.com/product/140190).

Others are available, the more rugged the better.

STH

[Pontius Navigator]

I hear that food in Kandahar is not that good even if only REMF are there. The problem is the attacks on the convoys. Maybe the forward areas get the pick and Kandahar gets the left overs - and only right.

The drinks flavouring was someone else's suggestion.

Certainly any parcel or any mail is a highlight of the day.

Stick in yesterdays papers. Who knows, the paper might have plenty of uses.

[PPRuNe Pop]

Ummmm. And where would be the best place to send a parcel if you don't know anyone, and to what address.

Mrs PPP thought it would be a good idea and so do I.

[minigundiplomat]

I hear that food in Kandahar is not that good even if only REMF are there. The problem is the attacks on the convoys. Maybe the forward areas get the pick and Kandahar gets the left overs - and only right.



You are joking? I eat better in KAF than I do at home! about 5 choices, a short order bar, salad bar, every desert imaginable, ice cream twice a week and tea, coffee, coke etc on tap.

When we leave Bastion for KAF, it's normally for a good feed.

[Pontius Navigator]

MGD, only saying what I was told - sometimes chicken, sometimes lamb, sometimes no on the menu, and all the time not enough.

[airborne_artist]

PPrune Pop - you could send it to this lad (http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/PeopleInDefence/FusilierBecomesYoungestBritishSoldierInAfghanistan.htm) - I'm sure he'd share it.

[minigundiplomat]

MGD, only saying what I was told


Yeah, perfectly happy with that. Considering it's location and the geopolitical landscape surrounding the theatre, anyone who is disappointed with the food at KAF has seriously unrealistic expectations.

Perhaps 6 months in a FOB with Menu D would give them a new perspective. I know when we pick the battlegroup up from a few days/weeks out in the field, they can't wait to get to the DFAC.

However, I appreciate different people place differing values on certain items. One criticism I do have is that the queues are getting long, though not as long as BSN where the cookhouse designed to feed about 2000 is now struggling to feed about 5-6000.

[Laarbruch72]

PN: KAF is awesome, I was thinking more of troops who are further forward and not seeing civilisation for weeks on end. Maybe there's not always chicken, or always lamb, or always pork at KAF, but there's usually at least two of those choices.
I thought your other suggestions were great though, so you're not badly advised... I was actually interested to know where you'd got your gen from! :ok:
The newspapers are never a bad idea for the front line, someone will always pass an hour or two reading a ten day old paper.

MGD and I have probably been used to more spartan conditions.

[RAPA Pilot]

Thankyou to everyone for all your suggestions. I went shopping today and have packed the following items;

Elastic bans medium x4 18g
Pens ballpoint blue x2 11g
Bulldog clips small x3 20g
Cloths pegs 1 pack 217g
Chewing gum 1 pack 33g
Spring toggles x2 4g
Tea bags PG x10+plastic bag 33g
Tabasco 57mls 147g
HP sauce 285g plastic bottle 318g
Chocolate Fruit +nut x2 102g
Oat bars x2 108g
Coffee sachets with sugerx10 112g
Cleansing wet wipes 186g
Scotch brite pads x3 9g
Foot powder 104g
Vaseline 69g
Cotton buds 28g
Nail file 1g
Medium sized Plastic bag 50g
Assorted small toiletries 205g
Pair of scissors 102g
Total including box 1967g

I will post it Monday. Next month I'll send him something different. More food stuffs perhaps.....
Cheers
RP

[Pontius Navigator]

RAPA, another thought.

Send sufficient for swaps and shares too.

As for newspapers, apart from Page 3, a specific request was for the Saturday and Sunday ones. Done quickly they can even be there by Friday. If you read them first and then post them, apart from cover and tape it is free.

[RAPA Pilot]

Thank Pontiuss

I personally don’t read the papers because their full of crap and I don't actually believe anything they write but having said that I am willing to send out the Sunday People or similar so the lads can oggle the girls and read the trash just to while away a few boring hours. Maybe I should send the Sunday Mail for the officers, what do you think?

RP

[TheWizard]

RAPA Pilot,
Some good ideas in your shopping. However, I would hold back on the Fruit and Nut chocolate. Experience shows that it does not arrive in a the same form it left the UK and may possibly ruin some of the other contents!
On a similar note, I would suggest that anything liquid based (tabasco etc) is put into a poly bag in case the movers/posties are a little vigorous when they are handling parcels.
As old fashioned as it sounds, Kendal Mint Cake was a favourite on a recent det, probably due to the sugar rush it induces!!

I am sure your gesture will be very well received:D

[Dundiggin']

What a TOP BLOKE YOU ARE! WELL DONE! I am not taking the p@ss I really think that you have and are doing a thoughtful and considerate thing for your mate's son. It WILL make a huge difference to him. Once again VERY WELL DONE!:D:D:D

[GPMG]

My mum sent a parcel to my Brother whilst he was on Op Haven. It included a big pack of chocolate covered raisins. And a wedge of stilton with cheese biscuits and a small bottle of port.

Upon arrival the raisins had turned into an interesting yet edible cake. The stilton had to be cerimonially buried, but the port was well recieved. It seems that the same type of food parcel that was perfect for NI and Norway, werent suitable for slightly warmer climes.

[taxydual]

Post another conflict, 27 years ago, my oppo's mother in law sent him a 'morale boosting' gift. It was a £20 Woolworths gift voucher. Snag was, that we were in the Falklands and the nearest Woolworths was thousands of miles away.

Ah well, it was the thought that counted.

[RAPA Pilot]

Struth, I'd forgotten about Kendel mint cake. I used to love that stuff. Didn't realise they still made it. I will lose the Fruit and nut and replace it with the cake. Everything liquid is sealed and taped up so hopefully no leaks.

Thanks Dundiggin. Actually I feel pretty bad I didn't think of it before but I didn't know anyone in country before now although I'm sure I could have found out and sent it to 'a soldier' etc etc had I thought of it.
It only cost about a tenner to put together and about two hours of my time and a little thought and advice from you guys. I will encourage some of my colleauges to part with their easy money and send more bits and pieces to support 'our boys'.
Poor bloke wont know what to do with all the boxes at mail call.lol but he'll have a lot of new mates all of a sudden:)

[Jumping_Jack]

Please don't send parcels to 'A Soldier' in the hope that someone worthy will get it. This practice is being discouraged because it prevents 'genuine' addressed mail getting though due to limited space on the airbridge. By law the BFPO has to send the boxes so they can't filter at Mill Hill. This has been a real problem......please don't do it even though it sounds like a great idea.

Thanks....

[Laarbruch72]

You're right Jumping Jack, "unknown soldier" mail should never be sent, it does indeed slow the mail for the genuine recipient and overloads the sorting system..
If someone really wants to help a serviceman they should ask around the local town, and find out who has a son / daughter overseas, and maybe send a post box to them.
I have to point out though JJ that service mail has not gone via "Mill Hill" for some time now. It goes via BFPO at Northolt, that's been the case for at least one year.

[AvEnthusiast]

I think a person from Afghanistan can better judge what is needed. I would only go for toiletries, magazines, and external HDD full of songs and movies. about the rest don't worry they are well provided with all those things.

[NutLoose]

RAPA Pilot
Struth, I'd forgotten about Kendel mint cake. I used to love that stuff. Didn't realise they still made it. I will lose the Fruit and nut and replace it with the cake.


I sent a parcel out to a couple of US Marines that were in Iraq with a friends son and were getting nothing at all from home, due to their families not being able to afford much, I bought Kendal Mint Cake off EBay, they do it these days in individually wrapped portions, sent them a big bag full of the stuff along with everything else, one of the makers in Kendal has a shop online..

Biggest problem I had was getting it there, the parcel was for two of them and heavy, In the end I had to post it to the Via the USA so their postal service could then ship it back, took about 2 1/2 weeks all told and the postage went into 3 figures!! and I am not counting the pence, it was the postage from here to the USA that was the crippler, the rest was cheap on their side of the pond.. Still the reports back of the joy on their faces at seeing someone cared to do this for them made it all worth the while. :O

I even bunged in a 3 lions Cricket and a Rolls Royce Baseball cap for them :p