I have a good friend whose son is deployed. She's done the boxes twice now. Some ideas from her:

Individually packaged wet wipes, or those larger quantity packaged unscented baby wipes. Frequently used to wipe a grimy face or whatever. Sam's Club carries them by the case and each package has a hard plastic closure;

Small bottles of hand sanitizer;

Also, look for the chapsticks that have the SPF in them. Not all do;

Recent snapshots of family and/or pets;

Lever brand soap;

Bags of hard candies - friend's DS' unit used them to hand out to the children as a gesture of goodwill - he is doing his second tour in Iraq;

Blank journal and pens or pencils.

She is going to get back to me with a few more ideas. I caught her on her way out so our conversation was brief. She mentioned that the Maxim would not be a great idea if the whole box is gone thru, you don't know that your DS will receive the rest of the contents?

There are no nudes in Maxim, just provocative posing in scanty clothes. I can't imagine why it would get pulled.

My dtr lives in SKorea; it's very hard to find things to send her because everything is available there. The foods she longs for are perishable and can't be sent. My neighbor's husband was in Iraq for a couple tours; he said he could buy anything he wanted in the PX, or whatever it's called. He said the things he appreciated the most were actual handwritten letters (as opposed to email) and goofy pictures of the family. He treasured his letters.

So I guess I'd send the things on his list and try to find a surprise for him - something he loved as a kid, maybe.

lynn, my son in law was stationed at Bagram AFB and my daughter became the master of package contents. Chris said his fellow soldiers eagerly awaited his packages because he always got the "good stuff".
Surprisingly, the wax wrapped cheeses shipped very well* and he loved those with a package of crackers.

I'll check with him to get his list of favorites.

* Before we sent the cheese I left it in my car, in the Florida heat, for one week. I opened and ate it and it was fine. We figured if it was still good then, it would be okay through shipping.

One thing, send the package Priority and try to mail on a Monday or Tuesday. The packages go to a central station and they ship once the cargo hold is full. We were told that items mailed at the end of the week might be delayed to the next week's flights.

My brother is in the big A too-second tour.
I have sent him licorice, small Smuckers peanut butter containers, the 1 0z size. (May have to buy from a specialty store or restuarant). Batteries, a small hand held mist fan). It is hot overthere, 118 last week! Sunscreen is a good idea.
I am looking into those neck evaportive cooler bands, anyone use them?

teddas,
My sister used those cooling neck things while golfing and she loved them.

Lynn,
Based on sherrman's comments about her friend, I wonder if you can get his friends, neighbors, & other people who know him just to write out a quick note to throw into the box. Especially if, when you ask, you offer them a blank post card or note card to do it right then, on the spot. Who could refuse that? And then he'd have a little pile of evidence of how many people are thinking of him. Heck, I'd write out a note for him if I had your address to send it to you!

Jean

When my brothers were in Iraq, I'd send them some of the basics, the chapsticks and the like, turkey jerky for the brother who didn't like beef jerky, and then I'd hit the dollar store to fill up the box with random fun stuff.

Dollar bags of candy, small toys like yo-yos or paddle balls or mini Etch-a-sketches, crossword puzzle books, a Magic 8 ball, things like that--nothing big enough or expensive enough that they would feel the need to lug it back to the states. Anything my brothers didn't want for themselves, they gave to guys who weren't getting packages from home, or they gave to the chaplains to give to people in the hospitals.

One of my brothers really liked getting holiday decorations--a paper turkey at Thanksgiving, a tiny fake Christmas tree or the like.

I usually made a box about 75% practical (including things they had specifically requested) and about 25% random fun.

When my son was deployed to Kabul he really enjoyed getting powdered drink mixes that they could mix in their water bottles. Especially liked the Gatorade ones. Any boxed foods that could be made quickly, Top Ramen, etc. Couldn't get enough Chapstick and sunscreen. And of course personal letters and pictures.

Thank your son from me for his service!

Hope you don't mind me copy & pasting from someone I sent to a few years ago. Some of the input is from guys that have served. -

Anyone planning to ship stuff like this, go to the USPS and pick up the customs form. You also need to write on the box, just the form. You have to list everything that is included in the box.

Shampoo - gallon, split into smaller containers
Lotion
Chapstick - about a 10 pack
Deoderant - 4 sticks
soap - family pack - probably 16 bars

I made 3 gift bags - with a wire basket to hold the stuff inside the bag. He was planning to share the stuff with friends, one bag is specifically for him.

In another box will be some celebrity mags (People, In Touch, OK), Newegg catalogs, chocolate bars, choc covered cherries, donuts, tasty kake, M&M's, candy.

-------------------------------------------

playing cards 2 decks (little known fact, soldiers spend a lot of down time playing cards). Chewing gum (combat packs, several), MPC mag (newest), variety of recent mags and a handful of paperback novels, disposable razors, handy-wipes, and need to pick up
some other misc. sundries and pre-paid calling card

---------------------------------------------------------

Updated list.
Chewing gum
books
magazines
baby-wipes
moist toilettes (anti-bacterial)
backgammon board
chess/checkers
Phase 10 deck
2 poker decks
Toothbrushes
toothpaste
batteries
foot powder
misc powdered beverage packs
disposable camera (and pre-paid envelope to send them back in. Will develope, post, and send negatives/originals to him or anyone he wants us too)
Pre-paid calling card (picking up tomorrow right before we send off box)
Chistmas Card :)
1 roll of plush toilet paper
A 4-in-1 pack with jump rope, tacks and other 'fun' stuff
Dominoes

Blue Star Moms will be able to tell you, either contact one of them directly or check the website for the chapter near you for a list. They have the experience, they'll pass on all that information to you. I think my friend (who is a BSM) said chapstick will melt if it's sent at the wrong time so you might want to double check on that. Trying to think what she's told me in the past...individual size Purell was one thing they requested. Travel sizes are preferred.
Oh...and nothing made with pork!

I pulled this list from my local BSM website:

Requested Items
Power Bars, High Protein Snacks Packs of Gum
Beef Jerky or Slim Jims Cookies (prepackaged)
Tuna (foil pack or with crackers) Individual sized cereal boxes
Instant Oatmeal/Soups (no cups) Snack bags of chips & pretzels
Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds and Nuts Individual Condiment Packages
Powdered drink mixes, Instant Coffee/Tea/Cocoa
T-Shirts, Socks, Underwear Sunscreen and Lotion
Travel Size Hand Sanitizer Q-Tips
Bug Spray (non-aerosol) Travel Size Foot Powder
Deodorant (non-aerosol) Boot Liners/Insoles
Eye Drops Toothbrushes & travel size toothpaste
Calling Cards Small First Aid Kits
DVD Movies, music CDÂs or cassettes Travel Size Games/Small Toys
Disposable Cameras Small memo pads
Handheld Electronic Games Blank Greeting Cards
Crossword Puzzles, Word Searches, Comic Books Pens, blank paper, plain envelopes
Number 1 requested item: cards, letters and photos from home!
In addition to the above items, there is also a need to supply our female military personnel.
They have expressed the need for the following items as well:
Hairbrushes, Hair Ties & Clips Face Cleansing/Moisturizing items
WomenÂs Deodorant (non-aerosol) Tights and Nylons
WomenÂs Reading Material Nail care items (clippers/files)

Thank you all so much for the great suggestions!!! I've added them to my list and am heading down to town this afternoon to shop for them.
Thank you also for the advice.
* Flyingflower: Chapsticks could melt . . . OMG! IAm going to contact BlueStar Mothers organization
* Roselvr: sending enough for him to share with friends
* Camlyn: inexpensive thing to give kids in the area
* hhireno: include notes from his friends
* Monablair: get pkg to post office on a Monday or Tuesday . . . thanks!!!!
* Shermann: Maxim is ok to send . . . DS will appreciate that!

To everyone who gave me suggestions as to what to send: I LOVE them and and heading out to buy them.
Thank you!!!!
Lynn

When hubby's best friend was in Afghanistan, we sent him home-made cookies packaged with a 'FoodSaver', and he said they arrived in excellent condition. We also sent the little tin cups of fruit coctail, mandarin oranges, etc. Our friend was part of a group that was regularly "way out" on patrol, far away from base camp for weeks at a time. While that far "out" they didn't get a whole lot of fruit.

I'm curious - - do you have to pay postage (ie, UPS) to send the boxes to the troops overseas?

Rilie - US Postal Service - I included this with my post above because it's what the service guys had told me..

I was told that one of the "boxes" (I think APO) was close to my house so for me it would be a more direct ship & wouldn't take as long of time as someone that doesn't have the APO by them.

Anyone planning to ship stuff like this, go to the USPS and pick up the customs form. You also need to write on the box, just the form. You have to list everything that is included in the box.

Thanks Roselvr, I guess I was just curious if a person sending a package to US troops stationed overseas is responsible for paying the international postage to ship to Afghanistan, Iraq, etc.?? I'm surprised by that - - it must be fairly expensive! Becuase we live close to a military base, when we sent packages or letters to our friend in Afghanistan we just had to drop them at the MFRC and the shipping was handled by the military, no charge to us. People not living close to a military base just pay postage to somewhere in Ontario (or Quebec maybe, not sure) and they are then taken care of by the military.

Deck of playing cards!

We would spend inordinate amounts of time playing cards while waiting for our scheduled patrol/ Watch times to come up.

Calling cards were always another biggie. I used to set up and program digital switching networks and I would always reserve one line off the back of my board and hook it up to the nearest commercial box. I would set a time limit for phone calls home from my switchboard and one by one the Marines would come to my van to call home. They were lucky to be attached to a COM Unit. The Motor T guys weren't always so lucky. There would be lines by the pay phones waiting in the hot desert.

I never spent too much time away from home since I was in the Reserves but the few times that I got attached to an Active Duty Unit I'd see a small holiday decorations.

I have a great picture of one tent when I was in Egypt who went all out. They had silk plants, trees and a Welcome Mat decorating the outside of their tent in the middle of the desert. When they packed up to go home they gave everything to the Egyptian Military Personal that were also out there.

Rilie, the way I understood it was that an APO box was not considered over seas mail, so the answer to your question would be no. I also wondered that when I did it because I'd never done it before.

Lynn keep wanting to ask how you are doing? I know it can't be easy having your child over there.

~Hugs

Just to clarify, APO addresses are addresses in the US. Think of it as a huge Post Office Box for all the people serving in a given area. If you are sending anything by mail, you pay the postage to the APO address only. The military pays the cost of getting the letter or package from the US to the recipient.

I've currently got two brothers serving overseas, but not in combat areas. I pay only the postage to New York, where the APO address is. But the packages still make their way to the boys.

If you think the recipient might even be mildly interested perhaps those small-sized Dell word puzzle mags (Crossword, Sudoku, KenKen) would be both light weight, useful as packing and then worked on later. They are avaialbe at most grocery store magazine sections and bookstores and only cost a few bucks. Someone stationed at Bagram which might have a big PX might be able to purchase them in country, but out in the field, they would be treasures, if not for your son, then perhaps some one in his unit.

For sheer mindless, but restorative, downtime nothing beats a really tough KenKen puzzle for me. I have to focus exclusively on it, which clears a lot of stress away.

I love the idea of getting your and your son's friends and neighbors to send a quick note to include in the box. That would be a treasure trove.

Thanks to the info given out regarding sending boxes to APO addresses to a soldier or sailor. It's all right on the money.
I was advised to go to my local post office and get the customs form, label and the largest APO prepaid box to use for my son's things. The box costs just $12.50 for me to send, and it's one of those "whatever you can get in there; it all ships for the same price" boxes. They have specific boxes in 3 sizes to send to military personal overseas, so ask for those special boxes. There are pre-printed labels on each box to fill out for the soldier's name, rank and address numbers (they're all numbers).

Thanks to all your very, very helpful suggestions, I came back home with enough to fill 2 of these boxes (LOL!)! So, I'm sending off one tomorrow and the other next week. BTW, the post mistress at our post office informed me that parents have been telling her the Army is removing all beef jerky before sending the boxes onto our service men and women. She has no idea why, as they're not the restricted pork products, but advised me not to waste my money sending any.
Rose: thank you for thinking of me. I'm holding up well enough, although I shed a few tears in the middle of Target this afternoon, when a soldier in uniform stopped to help me pick out some items for my son. Sometimes, the reality of it all shakes me to my core, but then I pull myself together and get on with it.

Again, many thank for all your great suggestions. The soldier helping me today at Target was VERY impressed with them all. Me, too!!
Lynn

Just popping in to say that I had nothing to contribute to this thread except admiration. The ideas are stellar! Lynn, you are in my heart. Way to be a selfless and thoughtful Mom!