My son, Iraq, Ideas

upnover

upnover

Grumpy, decrepit Old Man
Moderator
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
Morganton NC
I know there are several here that have been to Iraq. My son is going the first of Feb to Indiana for some re-training, and then to Iraq. He leaves here on Feb 2nd, and his birthday is Feb 4th. I was wanting ideas of something(s) I could get him that he would be allowed to take with him, that would benefit him over there. Something that he can use for either safety or convenience.
Thanks
 
STUFF

Living in a tent in the desert is not the best in the world, but can be made tolorable. Keeping yourself entertained during down time is the biggest issue, so, dvd/cd player, dvd's, cd's, lots of books, few good pic's/vides of the family, ect. Send a letter once a week, with pics of whats going on at home, an occasional cake or treat of some sort, Magazines of choice once a month, no playboy or like stuff, its not allowed in country.
fold up chair, ect.

And remember, he has to lug all this stuff around, so think about what you get him to take along on the trip over.

We have a list of "stuff" to take floating around here some where, I will try to locate a copy and get it to you.
 
I bought my brother the biggest self-inflatable air matress you can buy. He said he was thankful for it every day. You can find them at REI.

I also bought a patch kit for those unexpected punctures,although he never used it a year. I also found a head lamp with both clear and red bulbs. He worked the night shift and enjoyed the red bulb to read when others were asleep.

As stated earlier go burn every DVD he has and send those with him. Computer access over their is overwhelming. A small laptop could be very useful.
 
As a currently deployed soldier, I'll second a good laptop PC. for the most part, everything i "need" is provided. But anything to pass idle time is the best gift you can give a soldier. The faster you can make the time pass, the easier the deployment will be.
 
upnover said:
I know there are several here that have been to Iraq. My son is going the first of Feb to Indiana for some re-training, and then to Iraq. He leaves here on Feb 2nd, and his birthday is Feb 4th. I was wanting ideas of something(s) I could get him that he would be allowed to take with him, that would benefit him over there. Something that he can use for either safety or convenience.
Thanks
Click to expand...

best wished to your son on his b-day and i hope he is safe while in Iraq:beer:
 
Thanks all! Larry I appreciate that list. I just wanted to make sure that anything I get him he will be able to take with him.
Chasepop, what is REI? and is a self inflatable better than just a regular air mattress? Also, the head lamp you mentioned. Was it LED or? I know LED's last longer but something that uses military batteries would be good.

I already figured that I would send him Magazines. He like Petersons, JP and Fourwheeler. I figured instead of getting them from a subscription, he might get them sooner if I just bought them and sent them to him. Ideas about that??

The fold up chair sounds like a good idea I hadn't thought of. I guess it would beat having to sit on your cot or whatever sleeping equipment he may have.

Keep the ideas coming guys, I really do appreciate this.
 
upnover said:
Thanks all! Larry I appreciate that list. I just wanted to make sure that anything I get him he will be able to take with him.
Chasepop, what is REI? and is a self inflatable better than just a regular air mattress? Also, the head lamp you mentioned. Was it LED or? I know LED's last longer but something that uses military batteries would be good.
I already figured that I would send him Magazines.
Click to expand...


Recreational Equipment Inc.

http://www.rei.com/

great store. I love that place. I would suggest Cds and DVSs and/or great mags, as was suggested from a couple former deployed personell I know.


Rob
 
Go to REI.com. There are two stores in Raleigh and one in Durham. You should be able to just look under Hiking and camping gear, air matresses and search for self inflatables. Look at the width and thickness. Here's a link to the page on REI.com. Therma Rest is the best in the industry. I bought my brother the Luxury camp model. The length measurement should be slightly larger than the heigth and width of the user. Although I see that the pillow top has been added to the line up.

http://www.rei.com/online/store/Sea...hermaRest&noalias=1&vcat=REI_SSHP_CAMPING_TOC

A self inflateable is better because it has a foam core that can be slept upon if the mattress deflates or is punctured. The self inflatables also offer a better insulation barrier for colder nights.

The headlamp was an LED headlamp and I think I picked it up at Walmart(Garret brand). Most any quality outdoor store should stock the air mattresses or be able to order them. Ask for therma rest by name.
 
what his job. if he's some one that will be moving a lot, chaseing the bad guy then be sure anything that you get him is light weight. if he's some one like me while i was over there, i went from my tent to work then back again. then load him down with what every he can carry. the best thing i had while i was over there was my laptop. i could watch movies on it, play games on it, and store pictures of home and the pictures that i took while i was there. another item would be one of those small DVD players, there pretty compact and will burn some time.
 
Chip, couple questions.. 1st, what service? 2nd.what kind of unit? Infantry/MotorT/ Comm... #3 Does he know where he is going?

The things to take along will change from unit to unit.. Remember that somethings he takes along will not come home. So dont buy a real expencive (example) folding chair.. half of the things my marines brought and bought.. were sold to the replacements, when we left.
 
somethings I liked having.. a larger camelback, under armour t shirts, a pair of ballistic sunglasses (I used oakley, and wiley X) most units issue the cheaper kind, but get him the wide lens or full eye shield, they give the most protection incase of an IED. I also carried a small GPS, even if he isnt in an infantry unit, he will be on a convoy at sometime. MP3 player.. easier to use,listen to and carry than a laptop or cd player with a butt load of cds. You can buy any dvd you can imagine there for less than $5 (for 2) a nice small flashlight with a red lens.. wali-world has them for like $5. Dont worry about getting batteries.. he can get them from either the PX or from comm..they have loads of them.
 
Hijacking for a sec Chip.

How the hell members of this board would recomend buying ANYTHING from REI is beyond me. They provide financial support to the Sierra Club and about every other anit-access group. Think people.

Rant over, sorry Chip couldnt help it.

Tell your son, Thank you. he is already a hero in my book!!!
 
how about one of those walmart RC crawlers? whitey89xj had one of those last time we went wheeling, and its a good way to pass time. Especially when FSB's break down. :flipoff2:
 
I was in a gun shop last year and a serviceman came in looking for a REAL Leatherman tool. He said that alot of guys were taking them over and recommended that he get the real thing.
 
jeep9mm said:
How about a Sony PSP...i know id love to play madden while waiting around. Or you cant go wrong with an ipod
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good call on something compact, cheaper and smaller then a laptop, and they have movies on for them. if they try and send me out in May, i'll have to add that to my list of things to pack.
 
upnover said:
He is in the 1451st Transportation unit. Truck Drivers and Mechanics.
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Ok, soo he will do a lot of driving. (news flash right? haha) MP3 players are great, they will find away to listen to music on convoys even though they arent supposed to, but its better then to have them trying to listen to a Laptop, cd player.. Get him a small flashlight w/red lens, a good leatherman/ gerber is great.. dont bother with the big kbar, rambo lookin knives. Balistic Sunglasses with 2 lens - 1clear for night driving and 1 shaded for daytime. A small rifle cleaning kit (otis) makes a good small one, they do lots of cleaning. Dont forget that there is limited space on planes going over.. so if he has way too much crap, he may end up having to toss some of it, or leave it behind.
 
OK, he has never been one for games like PS or the like, but he does like solitare. I got him a poker game, a tetrus game, and a solitare game. All handheld. Also got him a LED headlamp that will adjust from bare head to his kevlar helment. He already has a leatherman.
Thanks to all for the ideas.
 
jeep9mm said:
Or you cant go wrong with an ipod
Click to expand...

2nd on the iPod, a high capacity one so he can have a shit-ton of songs on it. I'm not a soldier, but I travel a lot for work and have lots of "idle time" to pass. I was hesitant to spend so much money on an mp3 player, but have absolutely loved it!! Mine is 20 GB and can view photos. The newest also play videos. Light, portable, he can listen to music to pass the time and scroll through photos of home and family!
 
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