Being the wife of a soldier I can tell you that they (the soldiers) do not care how the dang thing is put together, as long as it will hold water and keep them cool.
There are also places online that you can adopt a soldier, or a troop and send stuff to them directly. If you know someone that has a family member overseas it is great to get an address and send directly to them and then they will pass out to the rest of the troop.
Thank you for supporting our troops!
There are all kinds of directions online just google cool tie pattern and see what workds best for you!