The large box, which was going to Afghanistan and was full of comfort items for a female Soldier, wound up costing $15.50. I had $20 cash, which I got for the rolls I delivered New Year’s Eve, so I used that to pay for the box. I knew I was not going to be able to send all four of the flat rate boxes; I was going to be just under $1 short, which was a bummer. But at least I had enough for three of them. So I told the Postmistress (who happened to be the one on duty) that I had more boxes out in the car, and I would be back in a few minutes with them.

Now, the post office was pretty busy, almost as bad as the pre-Christmas rush. I went out to the car and got the three packages and the customs forms, and headed back inside. There were four or five people in line ahead of me, so I excused myself and asked if folks could move just enough for me to set the three packages on the counter right inside the door. I didn’t think I could hold them for the duration, and if I set them on the floor I’d have a hard time getting them picked up as crowded as it was. They cleared a spot so I could set my boxes down, and I patiently waited my turn.

When my turn came, I got the Postmistress’s window again. As she was processing the first customs form, she asked me if I had any help sending care packages, maybe a church or something, and I told her no, I was doing it on my own. Then she asked if I had family in the Military, and I told her no, I adopt Warriors from AnySoldier.com and do my best to spoil them rotten. She said “You’ve been doing this for years; you’ve always done it on your own?” and I told her yes, aside from an occasional donation of items for packages, it’s been my labor of love all this time. She raised her eyebrows and said “Wow…you’ve spent a fortune just on the shipping alone, and now it’s gone up again.” I agreed, and said our Warriors are worth every bit of time & money spent. I told her about my Raise Dough for the Troops fund raising efforts, and we continued chatting while she processed the final two boxes.

As she was working on the third package, I had my checkbook out, and she said “Wait a minute, don’t start writing yet. Is this all the boxes you have?” I said “No, I have one more out in the car,” and she said “Go get it while I get these ready to go.” I went out and got the final box, and when she got it processed, she handed me her credit card and said “Do me a favor and swipe this for me; I can’t reach the reader from here.” I was prepared for her to pay for the one box I didn’t have enough funds for, but y’all, she paid for all four of them… $50.  I was standing there with my check book out ready to write a check for the balance, and she said “You just put that away. I’ve got these. Happy New Year, Ms. Tracy.” After I picked my jaw up off the floor I stammered out a thank you and told her that my Warriors and I appreciated her generosity more than words could convey, then I headed out the door before I could make a fool of myself by crying or something.

Well, I made it out to the car without breaking into tears, but by the time I pulled out of the parking lot they were flowing pretty freely. That was the most awesome thing that’s happened in a long time. And that means I’ve still got $44 and change in the Troop Support account, so I can send three more packages even if I don’t get any bread orders any time soon…

Didn’t I tell you it was an Awesome Post Office Story?  Pleasant View Postmistress Betty Choate, you’re an angel in disguise!

I’ve already got one box filled up, the customs form filled out, and ready to seal. It’s not a Flat Rate Box; the items I’m sending wouldn’t fit in one of those, but I don’t think it’ll cost much more to send using Parcel Post, SAM (Space Available Mail). Nothing in it will spoil or be any less useful if it takes a day or two longer to get there. Besides, when you send priority mail, it only goes priority to the point at which the Military Postal Service picks it up, and from there on, all bets are off. It’s all pretty much “SAM” from there until it reaches its destination.

My first box of the year is for Any Female Soldier, and includes a set of rose-print flannel sheets, a set of rose pink bath towels, some feminine hygiene supplies, toothbrush/toothpaste, smell-good lotion, shampoo/conditioner, and a “Tranquility Fountain” that doesn’t take up much space but will bring a little bit of relaxation to a stressful place. Of course, a note and a Guardian Angel card are the last two things I’ll put in the box before I wrap a pound and a half of tape around the outside…Okay, so I’m exaggerating a little. More like a pound and a quarter of tape… Hey, I don’t want stuff falling out of the package on the way over to Afghanistan, right?

The second box, which I have almost got ready to tape shut and address, is a hygiene box intended for male Soldiers. Chock full of toothbrushes/toothpaste, chapstick, lotion for extremely dry skin, razors & shaving gel, macho body wash, deodorant, wet wipes, anti-bacterial wipes, stuff like that. Since you can’t mix hygiene gear and food in the same box, all the hygiene supplies I have on hand are going into this one box, and then I start on the goodie boxes.

I don’t know how many goodie boxes I will wind up with; it’s always hard to tell, looking at what you’ve got on hand, just how many boxes it will take to hold it all. Inevitably I will overestimate how much will actually fit into a large FRB while I’m at Sam’s stocking up on “stuff” for our Warriors, and one care package will turn into three or four. That’s not exactly a BAD thing, except for when I find I don’t have enough postage money to send that many. Then it’s frustrating…Maddog, if you read this, I KNOW you understand what I’m talking about…LOL!! I’m pretty sure you, Pam, and Phillis have also been there, done that and got the T-shirt.

Since my most recent bread order brought $20 for the Troop Support Account, rather than the $8 I was counting on, that means at least one more package I can send than I originally thought. That’s always a plus, for me AND for whoever that “one more package” winds up going to. Of course, Monday is when the postage goes up on mailing packages, but even recalculating based on the rise in postage, I can still send 5 packages instead of 3. There just won’t be any money left in the account to speak of…until the next bread orders start coming in.

Okay, I’m gonna get back to work, sorting stuff out and packing boxes. I’ll type at y’all later. Thanks again for reading my ramblings; I appreciate you taking the time to visit my blog. Chime in any time, whether you read it here on my website, or in my notes on facebook, your input is always more than welcome.

However, I have $44 and change left in the Troop Support Account, which is only enough to mail 3 large flat rate boxes. So I’m going to have to Raise MORE Dough for the Troops. Right before Christmas break, several people at Ashland City Elementary and the Annex Building discovered I was baking bread and placed some last-minute Christmas orders. They’re putting the word out to others, and I’m expecting some orders when school starts again in January. I even got a phone call from a lady who had some of my rolls at her cousin’s house on Thanksgiving who wanted to know if I could bake some for her to serve on New Year’s Eve. Of course I can!! She placed a small order; $8 worth, but that $8 put together with what’s left after mailing 3 large FRB’s will enable me to send an additional package – woo-hoo!! (Okay, so it doesn’t take a lot to excite me…LOL!)

I’ve gone through my Support Rolodex and cleared out all the contacts who are due to come home within the next 30 days. Their mail gets cut off about a month before they redeploy, so if you send anything after that point, chances are good that they’re not going to get it. I need to figure out which of my contacts are due for a package so when I have the postage available, I can go ahead and get one sent. I’m going to go ahead and pack boxes, and fill out customs forms, but not address anything until I know I can actually send it. I need to get started writing letters again, too. When I can’t send packages, I write letters so at least our Warriors know they haven’t been forgotten.

I got a message from one of our Soldiers who got a Christmas package. He was originally due to redeploy in March, but is actually going home in just a matter of days. So it’s kind of a miracle he got it. His unit will still be there, so I’ll just address anything else to one of his other Soldiers. I can’t recall exactly what all I put in that package but he mentioned the Nerf football and how much fun they were having with that…Yay, I made some Soldiers smile!!

Thanks for reading my ramblings. Feel free to leave a comment; it’s always good to see a comment on my blog, otherwise I can’t tell if anyone is actually reading this stuff or if I’m just writing for myself. If any of my Warriors are reading this – Y’all know the routine…blah blah blah, nag nag nag, STAY SAFE!! Don’t make me have to come over there… (No, seriously, don’t…I refuse to fly, and I don’t believe I can drive over in my little red Mazda – neither I nor my car can swim…) LOL!

Randy popped on IM long enough to wish a Merry Christmas; he was baking cookies for Santa. I’m so glad he made it home in time for Christmas with his family. Don’t you just know they’re having a wonderful Christmas now!! He’ll be getting out of the Army soon, so they won’t have to worry about another deployment. Like any of our Warriors who have kids, he’s missed out on a lot of “big moments” with his young’uns; now he can start to make up for lost time.

Jon’s home, as well. So no more worrying about him, either. I’ve adopted a few more Warriors, though, since Carmel, Lettsi, Ron, Jerry, Hall, Randy and Jon have returned to the real world, so still have plenty to spoil and fret over. That’s just part of being a bona fide, certified AnySoldier Support Junkie. It’s what we do…LOL!

I’ve got to fix supper; I’ll type at y’all again later. Take care, and I hope everyone has a safe and Merry Christmas, especially our Warriors who are currently deployed.

Charlie raising Tennessee State flag over Afghanistan...

When I got home and checked the mail, there was a large manila envelope with an APO return address and a customs form, which immediately identified it as coming from one of our Warriors. Inside the envelope was a 3′x5′ American flag, and a certificate dedicating the flag to “Jake” and Tracy Roberts, on behalf of our adopted Warrior and Task Force ATTACK. The flag was flown on a mission over Afghanistan, in an Apache Helicopter, and the certificate was signed by the Pilot-In-Command as well as the Co-Pilot/Gunner. Who’s gonna quibble over the fact that “Jake” is actually “Jack,” with a treasure like that?? Certainly not me! Jake was pretty impressed, as well…

I’ve baked bread nearly every night this past week, including 4 dozen rolls I baked tonight for Jennifer to take to the early Thanksgiving dinner her family is having tomorrow. Tomorrow I am taking the day off. Well, let me re-phrase that a bit… I’m not baking any bread tomorrow. Instead, I am going to spend the day packing up the rest of the “stuff” I have on hand for Christmas care packages, and get them in the mail as soon as I can. It might be Tuesday, because I’ve requested Monday off from work so I can spend the day baking for Tuesday’s delivery. It will be an all-day job; I’ve got to bake 4 loaves of Cinnamon Swirl bread and 14 dozen assorted rolls (white, wheat, and garlic & herb). Sunday I will be in the kitchen the major part of the day, as well – that order includes 6 loaves of Cinnamon Swirl bread and 14 dozen assorted rolls, to be delivered Monday. I’ve raised a lot of dough for our troops in the past couple or three weeks…

I finally got a call from Chrissy at AnySoldier.com, to set up a recurring donation of $10 per month. I know I can spare that much for sure, from my $40 monthly allowance. I figure when I’ve got extra to spare, I’ll go to the site and donate in addition to the automatic donation, which will begin Dec. 27. Gotta do my part to help keep AnySoldier up and running! They’re the best at what they do, and all us AnySoldier Support Junkies would be lost without them! If Raise Dough for the Troops keeps rolling along at a fairly steady pace, I will try to send an additional $20 or so at random times. I expect it to level off after the holidays, but not to go away completely.

Well, I said I was going to hit the hay BEFORE 11:00 tonight, so I’m gonna sign off before I lose all track of time. I’m kinda sorta a little bit tired…If any of my Warriors happen to read this – Blah blah blah, nag nag nag, STAY SAFE!! Don’t make me have to come over there…

I’m setting up a collection box at the office for items to go in Christmas packages. In spite of the fact that I got practically NO contributions last year, I’m going to make the effort, anyway. There are several new people at the office this year, who came in at the beginning of the summer; maybe they will be more willing to help spread a little cheer to our Warriors than the people they replaced were. If not, so be it. I’ll do as much as I can with what I have to work with, same as always. Onward and upward…

I’ll make a flier with a picture of Captain Kru and the Christmas Tank at the top, with a list of suggested items underneath the picture and put one in everybody’s mailbox. I’ll put the same flier up on the refrigerator, one on the bulletin board, and one on the front of the interoffice mailboxes – shoot, maybe I’ll put one up in the ladies room and another above the toilet in the men’s room…nobody will be able to say they didn’t see the flier then. What do you think? Hmmmmm…

Well, I’m going to go write a reply to the letter that came today. I try to answer immediately; otherwise it tends to get lost in the shuffle, and I would hate to have one of our Warriors not get a response to a letter. If they can spend some of their precious little bit of down time writing a letter to someone they aren’t likely to even meet, the very least one can do is write back! Thanks for reading my ramblings once again – I’m sure you’ve got better things to do. ;~)

Over the last few days, I’ve gotten e-mails from three other troops we’ve previously adopted. One Marine who just arrived in Afghanistan (he was also in Iraq last time), and two Soldiers who will be deploying to Iraq again in the next couple or three months. The Marine sent his address and asked if they could count on our support again, and of course I added him to the Support Rolodex. Since he’s in a position to push mail out to over 200 other Marines, I shared his address with a couple of friends and fellow supporters – the more the merrier. He will be signing up with AnyMarine again, so he shouldn’t lack for supporters, but you never can tell. People do request addresses then fail to follow through, which is a crying shame.

Our Bronze Star winning tanker from Ft. Carson is one who will be deploying to the sandbox again shortly. He wanted to know if we’d support him and his guys again, and if I’d send him “that little newspaper you used to send in my care packages.” Now, that little newspaper is a free paper edited and published by the mayor of Pleasant View, titled “The I-24 Exchange.” We get it in the mail every Saturday, and mostly I check to see what the latest news regarding the Board of Ed is, read the obits and the arrest reports to make sure I’m not in them, and glance at the letters to the editor to see who’s bitching about what lately. Then we leave it laying around somewhere Maggie can find it and shred it to smithereens in place of chewing up the house while we’re gone to work. I refer to it as “All the news that isn’t fit to print.”

I told Ron if they need toilet paper over there, I’ll gladly send the good stuff, no need to resort to newspaper. He said “No, we actually enjoyed reading that paper. It reminded us of home.” Huh…go figure…and I only used it to fill in the empty spaces in the care packages. Well, okay, we’ll have to find something else for Maggie to shred when Ron deploys again. Wonder what Mayor McCarver would think if he knew a group of tankers from Colorado liked his newspaper? Should I tell him? Hmmmm….

We got a nice e-mail from a contact who just received the package we’d sent. He said they got it a couple of days ago, and his Soldiers were still smiling. Among other items, they had requested hot cocoa. So I made up a package with a box of 60 packets of Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Mix, a large bag of miniature marshmallows, plastic spoons, and styrofoam cups. Oh, and in the empty spaces, an assortment of Willy Wonka candies – Laffy Taffy, Nerds, Everlasting Gobstoppers, Bottle Caps…you know the big bags you can get at Sam’s… Anyway, it got there fairly quickly – I was kind of amazed, and I was glad it brought smiles to Soldiers’ faces. That’s what makes it all worth while.

I’ve got to get up from here and get to bed. I’m getting a bit on the drowsy side, and Jack and the dogs have already hit the hay without me. Bosco isn’t a problem; he sleeps in a laundry basket with a blanket in it, beside the bed. Maggie, on the other hand, is probably on my pillow and ready to grumble at me when I make her move. Wish me luck…LOL! Thanks for reading my ramblings, and feel free to chime in at any time.

Please help fill their “needs” list below.

First and foremost, PRAYERS for the fallen & their families, as well as for these brave Warriors who continue the fight

Socks (both white socks and winter wool hiking socks)
MED – 24
LG – 22
XL – 10

Underwear (boxers and boxer briefs)
SM – 3
MED – 30
LG – 21
XL – 2

t-shirts (must be Army ACU t-shirts – Army will issue for immediate need but extras are always helpful)(Eagles of War Army Surplus in Clarksville has these for $8.95 per 3-pack)
SM – 3
MED – 30
LG – 21
XL – 2

PT shorts (or long pants) and shirts
SM – 3
MED – 30
LG – 21
XL – 2

Shower shoes
MED – 24
LG – 22
XL – 10

Towels, wash cloths, twin sheet sets, pillows, blankets (fleece)- Need 56 sets

Razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shaving cream (non aerosol) – Need enough for 56 men

The above items are the “immediate” needs.

Other suggestions are:

balaclavas, knit caps to fit under helmets (dark colors), winter gloves (dark colors and preferably water proof)

Ms Tracy – the second biggest troop supporter you never heard of…
My heroes wear combat boots. If you don’t stand behind our troops, please feel free to stand in front of them.

The US government has officially “condemned” the actions of the Taliban forces who are holding PFC Bergdahl, and railed at how they are going against Geneva Convention rules and regulations…Hellllllooooooooooo…we’re dealing with TERRORISTS here; since when do they uphold the rules of the Geneva Convention or any other humane actions? Political correctness is NOT the answer here.

All I or any of my readers can do at this moment is pray fervently that the US forces who are currently searching for Bowe can find him and rescue him from the clutches of the evil men who are holding him captive, hopefully with no casualties among the rescuers.  It only takes a minute of your time to send up a prayer on his behalf, and to ask God to bring comfort and peace to the Bergdahl family and the neighbors and friends who are worrying about this brave young man. There but for the Grace of God go any of our sons…

When I was checking out with the solar showers, the girl running the register (who I swear was NOT a blond) scanned and bagged the first one without paying any attention. The second one, she briefly looked at the box, which stated “5-gallon solar camp shower” on the label, then scanned and bagged it. The third one, she held up and asked me “So, these aren’t re-fillable?” I gave her a look and said “They’d better be. I’m sending them to some guys in Afghanistan who don’t have any shower facilities, and they are going to be awfully disappointed if they can’t put water in them.” A very dim lightbulb went on in her head as she said “Ohhhhhhhh….I thought you were buying so many because once you used what was in the box, you had to throw it away.” (Can y’all hear my eyeballs rolling? Do you know how difficult it was not to say “Did your Mama have any children that lived?” LOL!)

Well, I’m off to get these items boxed up and ready to put in the mail today. Shawn gave me $20 to help with postage, which is perfect.  I can fit two showers, two bottles of body wash, two shower puffs, and a pack of baby wipes in one of the small FRB’s. The postage for a small FRB is $10.35. So I can dig seventy cents out of the change jug and have exactly enough to put these things in the mail today. Awesome!! (P-Dot, if you are reading this…THANK YOU! from me and from Chuck and his men in Afghanistan. You rock!)