My sister, who is very rich, has a former employee, a kid she and her husband came to care about deeply, in the army on the Iranian border of Iraq. She rarely hears from him because he only has access to e-mail about three or four times a month, but he is scheduled for some home leave in spring.
She wants to send him something that he is allowed to have while in the military and in a war zone but she wants it to be something he can use. She has considered everything from state-of-the-art body armor (that she understands some people have sent soldiers over there from home) to IPODs to most everything else. Money, within reason (no $100K monopoly sets or anything, but she would go a few thousand dollars without blinking) is not an object. Does anybody have any suggestions?
Playstation Portable? A cool toy, something to distract and pass the lonely hours… a handful of games to go with it. That’s what I’d probably send if money weren’t an object.
I’d second the body armor. The government isn’t providing adequate body armor, so I’m sure it would be appreciated. If money is truly no object, maybe she could buy off a congressman. Apparently they’ll sell their soul for $10,000, and I’m sure they could help bring someone home, where they’d be a lot safer than in a war zone.
The body armor provided to U troops is pretty darn good. (On the other hand, see today’s NYT front-page article.) If you wanted to get the oversize trauma plate and the additional side plates, go over to Bullet Proof Me. Excellent selection.
I am currently deployed and may be able to offer some suggestions. I would at first advise your sister to ask the young man what he feels he needs. In my location, the body armor provided is sufficient for what we face in our regular operations, but his may not be.
Some things I can offer are these:
Almost all Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) have electricity, so a TV with a console game would probibly be appreciated. I would think that a 19" TV and a PS2 or Xbox would get quite a bit of usage. Current DVD’s are always appreciated. Another suggestion if money really is no object is a satelite phone. A reasonable one may cost about $300, and minutes to the US are about $1 each, but it will allow him to stay in touch with friends and family back home.
A laptop computer could also find use for games and movies, if there is no internet access at his current location. Internet should be available at some point in the future. That is one of the resources that is usually added to a FOB kind of quickly.
Probibly the best gift you can give to a soldier deployed is the knowledge that someone at home is thinking about him. Regular letters and cards from home are always appreciated. No one likes it when mail call always leaves him empty handed.
Most of the oversized body armors probably wouldn’t be very popular. When I was still in the army I knew of guys who took the ceramic plates out of their body armor as it was, and this was back before we even had anything as good as the current interceptor body armor.
I don’t think I do better than Sgt. Schwartz for suggestions, but here’s an additional thought or two:
On various sites I’ve seen recommendations of night-vision goggles (I think this is for units with fewer resources). Also, a really nifty small clothes-washing machine. But as I understand it, units vary in how well they are equipped, how much they move and what they can carry, and so on. The ideal gift for one soldier/marine may be nearly useless for another.
I would think small electronics would be a good bet–portable, etc.
Thanks for the suggestions. I’ve suggested the portable electronics to her- she wants me to pick them out as she still thinks PONG is way too technical.
Very stupid question probably, but I’ve considered writing to GIs, and despite my demographics and the fact they’re young and firm it really isn’t anything salacious. I’ve thought of sending some funny stories or whatever and just doing a pen-pal type thing because it might help boredom, but have no idea to go about it as I don’t even know how to contact the ones I know who are over there (ex students). Is there a “pen pal” type program?
I think that is a great question, Sampiro, and I thank you for your support. A couple of sources I am familar with are www.operationDearAbby.net and www.Anysoldier.com these are good links to get you the information you need to correspond with service members. I am sure all will be glad to hear from you.
