I was wondering if anyone has could give me some info. on what you can do for a marine who is about to deploy? My daughter and her boyfriends best friend is home for 2 weeks and when he returns to CA he will be deployed right after that. I don't have any experience with the military so I was wondering if some of you could give me some guide lines as to what we can or can't do to support him while he is gone. (he doesn't have support from his own family so I would like to make sure he gets some from us) I am not sure what can be mailed, how long it takes, or what projects there are out there to let them know we care. I see alot of you have family in the service so I thought this might be a good place to get ideas. Thanks so much.

Best way to mail to them is to use the Flat rate boxes from the USPS. They have a special rate for military. You will get a military address to send to. He will appreciate packages and letters. We would send our daughter news magazines, the sunday comics, Tea, cause there was plenty of coffee but she's a tea drinker, we sent her favorite candies. Some personal products that she could not find there. My daughter was on a "larger" base so most things she could get herself. She would order herself books and dvd's from Amazon. I sent her a quilt which she loved having with her. Others will have great ideas too!

flat rate boxes~! my bro is a marine and two of his best friends. We send them those little pre made macncheese and pasta cupthings. Things you cant find there. Instant stuff. Homemade stuff always rocks!!!Hard candys that dont melt. Its pretty hot there. Card games! Notes from kids, colorings and stuff mean ALOT to marines.

Depending on where he is going and how much room he has ,most have very little especially the Marines,they still live in condemed barricks right here in the US, some when deployed live in a tent with others, some have little plywood like shelters. I just kept cards,letters, news from home and assorted snackes and things. Many have access to computers and can comunicate easily. Some however depending on their "job" in the military may only have access to a computer once in awhile. When My son was in he was too tired to walk to the chow hall so I sent lots of food he could prepare with hot water, oatmeal, raman noodles etc.It really depends on their likes.

It is important to support those who don't get much in the way of support, My son asked me to write to a girl that didn't have support, now three years later we still wright letters at least once a week and she has been to my house once, She has become a dear friend to me. And I know my support means the world to her. I am glad you will give this young man a link to home....

Depends on where he's at and what he likes. I've adopted several soldiers over the years and usually the adopt-a-soldier organizations have great wish lists. You should be able to find them easily online. Some of the things not listed earlier are beef jerky, instant drinks you mix with bottled water (such as Mio or Crystal Light), and baby wipes. Chocolate and candy bars are discouraged.

Please have the Marine also sign up with AnySoldier.com. It is a neat site. They have lists of things OK to send, as well as a list of soldiers you can send/write to. Lots to see on there.

Here is a list I got from the Soldier's Angels organization.

http://soldiersangels.org/uploads/su...lier5-2010.pdf

We do the same for my little brother (Army) He really likes the notes and pictures from the kids. He also wanted a small flash light, black gloves, kimchi flavored ramen, energy bars etc. He most appreciated the fleece Army blanket (pannel Walmart) and the drawings, notes and pictures from the kids. I made sure to put in stuff like food he could share and also have the kids write notes to his army brothers. It would be nice if you get the marine's likes and dislikes when it comes to sending food stuff. My little brother was not big on candy or cheese type of stuff but wanted lots of energy bars and and ramen. He had a hard time keeping his weight on and hydrated.

Asked my DH since he's a marine. He said playing cards, magazines, greeting cards, favorite treats. Basically anything that would remind them of home was always appreciated.

My son always said favorite treats were appreciated, BUT you must send enough that they can be shared (smile).

MotoMail.com It was my best friend. One of my guys was way out (Darkhorse 3/5) and we had virtually no communication with him for 6 months. MotoMail allows us to e-mail them and the e-mails get printed out and delivered. It made me feel good knowing that I could 'talk' to him any time I wanted... though they only got deliveries every few weeks.

Also, yes the USPS lets us ship the flat rate boxes at a discount. I sent tons of stuff, but one call he made in the middle of the night was that he wanted Ramen, Energy Drinks, and Cigarettes and Chewing Tobacco. I was FLOORED as he didn't smoke or chew, but he said he could use those things to trade other guys for things he wanted. lol I refused to buy them, but allowed one of his friends to buy them and I shipped them. Why that seemed justified in my mind I'll never know.

Also, socks and underwear. The only way my guy had to do laundry was by hand, and that was only on occasion. They would wear socks and underwear for days on end. I always alternated a package of each in every package I sent. Oh, and a couple thermals. It get's cold. Magazines were a favorite of his also. Lots of time people get those lists, and so everyone sends the same stuff over and over. Just take your best guess based on what you know about him. Packages take ABOUT three weeks. I sent a package about every other week.

Plan for a lot of what you send, to be left behind. They don't have a lot of space to bring stuff home.

Also, check out MarineParents.com, defendersoffreedom.com just off the top of my head, to get on the list to have packages mailed to him.

Good luck to him and all his loved ones. It's super hard for us back home waiting..., being left back here and always wondering how they're doing.

When my Navy son was on his last ship, he asked me to send either goodies that he could stuff in his mouth and eat quickly, OR enough for all his buddies. Said that when he got a large package from home, he would go back to his bunk and on the way see his friends on either side of him and following him all the way!!!! Lots and lots was his wish!!
And when my brother was in Vietnam, we hunted all over till we found tropical chocolates...otherwise he said he could open the package and pour it into a glass!!! He missed his hard chocolates!!!

Will anyone be there to see him off? It means so much to them to have a familiar face to send them off and greet them when they come back.

All of the other links are a great place to start, once he gets there and gets situated they will let family and friends know what their email and their mailing address.

Care packages are a life line to home, getting a box means everything to them. A friend of mine that's stationed I send him Phone Cards so he can call me, I send Capri Sun juice to him, crystal light packets, crackers and cheese, little mini packs of cookies, try not to send anything with chocolate in it or on it as it melts, magazine's, books, mini containers of shampoo, soap, etc. Socks are always needed they get a form of jungle rot or foot fungus from the heat and their boots.

Depending on where deployed you can not send some materials. Letters and cards are greatly appreciated. When my son was in USAF basic training I send a card or letter every day and a "week long" letter. I did the same a few years later when my neice was in USAF basic training. Just ANYTHING to let them know someone at home cares.

Thank you for all of the good information. This gives me a lot of good ideas and places to start.