So my brother is visiting from California tomorrow before leaving for Iraq for his very 1st deployment ever. I'm sure he's scared to death and I'm just a nutcase but can't really show him. I don't want him to get upset and worry about me worrying about him. I'll be seeing him for the 1st time in months this weekend and I'm so excited but so sad too.
Is there anything special I can do for him or give to him before he leaves to fight for our country? He's so brave and I'm so proud of him! Thanks Moms!
Thank you to all for your kind and generous responses. I am so worried and upset that he's going. I used to change his diapers and give him bottles and hold him while he slept...and now he's going off to war. :( His job will be fixing destroyed radios and communication devices out in the fields. He'll be a target b/c he'll be wearing one of those radios with the big antennas. So all the prayers for safety we can get would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks to all!
Laminate a couple good photos of your family with perhaps a Bible verse on the back. He could pin it up somewhere or put us it as a bookmark or just keep it in his pocket. But laminating it on a durable plastic might be a great idea. I would bet Office Max/Depot could do it for you, just like an id-badge type of size & durability.
Thank him for his service from all us Mamapedia ladies!
MArines fly a commercial jet to Kuwait then are shuttled in. Mine had two 70# packs he had to schlep around for a week until he got to his destination.
My hubby took pictures of the kids, his camera, a small sudoku book, and his snack mix, his computer adn WiFi card.
Everything else is superfluous and gets in the way. It's just too heavy.
Kindle
Crossword puzzle books/Sudoku/word searches small ones
a small camera
pictures of your family
Make a flat J., laminate it and he can take pics of you at different places. My "flat nephew" went to Iraq then to Moscow, Germany, I think Ireland too.
The cell service will suspend his service until he returns. Have him put your mom on his bill, then she can turn it on while he is flying home.
Have him get her a general Power of Attorney, I am assuming there is no wife. Otherwise she should have it.
His computer or iPad, although theft in Iraq, sadly, is pretty high. I would stick with the Kindle or Nook.
As soon as he gets there and has an address, start sending him care packages, every month. They live for those. You will spend a ton at the post office, it's so worth it though.
I made my hubby a photo album that he could keep easily with him before he left. I'm talking the 4x6 size, cheap ones, but I put pictures of me, the kids, him with the kids, his family, etc. I figured it was small enough to put in one of his many pockets and he could always look at it. Beyond that, the best thing is just to mail him stuff each week. I would send chocolate, hard candies, pictures the kids colored, movies, etc. I ended up sending him a VCR/DVD, one burner electric stove, cheap pot, soup, ravioli, and other canned goods. When my brother in law was there, he used the stove and pot and LOVED when we sent Zataran's red beans and rice (we are from New Orleans, but you get the idea). I also sent him a game boy with games (this was over 8 years ago), he took a laptop, we sent books and magazines, even if they weren't exactly current, if he likes sports, he'd apprecaite a Sports Illustrated even if it's a week or more late. Notes of encouragement and special packages are huge! Don't forget at holidays to send things like lights for Christmas and even a mini/tabletop Christmas tree, etc. Tell your brother thanks from me!
J.:
Please tell him thank you from us for his service and sacrifices!!!
I don't know what his MOS is so it's hard to tell you what to do for him...
If he's EOD - a VERY SMALL photo album would be great. As EOD squads usually live off the land and carry only the essentials in their backpacks.
Tell him how much you love him. Tell him how proud you are of him.
Bake him some brownies and cookies to eat on the plane or once he gets there..
I send care packages to my friends who are there...
i put in silly string - helps them detect wires
I put brownies, cookies and non-melting candy...jolly ranchers, etc.
my boys draw pics for them too!!
Just wanted to say thank you to your brother and your family. You have an amazing, brave brother. Good luck to him and our family will say a prayer for him tonight.
We got our son a Nintendo DS when he left for his first deployment. This time, we're getting him a Kindle. He worked really long hours, but when he wasnt working, he wasnreally bored. So something to do is good. I also tried to send a care package once a week. I sent him baked goods mostly, but he also requested things like lip balm, Starbucks Via, saline nasal spray, gum, baby wipes, sun screen, etc. I also sent him phone cards, so he didn't have to pay for the phone calls home himself. Also, I always sent enough of whatever I sent to share... Even stuff like lip balm, I
figure, if he needs it, others do too. My son told me that the woman who worked in the mail center commented that she never gets packages from home, so I sent her a couple ( it was fun to send girl stuff!) He said it
made her really happy ( and him too.).
Wishing your brother a speedy and safe deployment!
