My heartfelt thank you to your son and all our Americans there. God Bless and prayers for a safe return.

I pray for your sons and all the others there for a safe quick return.

TxTravel- I guess that makes sense - the soldier we have been sending to is always on the move, so the packages sit in the heat/God knows where until he can retrieve them - good to know that the chocolate you send survives! I think the previous idea of waiting until he knows what he needs may be best for the specifics, but there's lots of great ideas here until then. He'll be in our prayers!

My heartfelt thanks also. I would think misters or anything that would help beat the heat would be great.

mms... my husband really misses it. He was an Army brat and enlisted at 18, so it was really all he ever knew. We try to stay involved through our son and we visit many military installations when we travel.

This weekend there is an AAFES event going on and loads of planes are still in Ft Worth to avoid tropical storms and hurricanes, so we are going to the NAS Ft Worth JRB this weekend! Yee-haw!

My prayers are said daily for our troops over in Iraq. While I hate war and wished to hell our Administration would do things differently, I want to thank every one who is in Iraq for our country. My politics may be different then yours, but you can sure as anything bet we all stand shoulder to shoulder in support of our troops. May I add my Godspeed to the rest and a hope that our troops come home soon.

A prayer also to the parents and families...may God give you peace in this troublesome time and know He walks with them.

My brother is 54 and is in Texas this week (shots and medical) and goes to Iraq next week for at least 8 months. He is retired Chicago Police (30 years-and Homicide for last ten or so) and is going to mentor and train Iraqi police who are being targeted so heavily now. He is doing this, strictly volunteer. My parents are mid-80's and are just literally "nuts" right now. He didn't even tell them until it was a done deal and it came out of the blue as far as they were concerned.

He did mention to me several times in the short time we talked last week that he has been issued one set and was told he needs more- socks and thermal underwear. It gets very cold in the desert at night in winter.

mms, how do I relay the positive? I mean this from my heart. What can I write to him about? I won't be able to talk to him about my parents, that's for sure. He left with screaming hysterics and buckets of tears over there. I've been thinking for days about what I can do, but can't come up with any good alternatives, except maybe to get his kids to send a big package together soon with my kids input. They're all 25 to 38 years old and it wouldn't be easy to do. And/or maybe we'll all do a video letter for him at my house on Thanksgiving.

Irony is that I've been trying to get my parents by me for 10 years as I'm the one who travels to them and does their chores once a week, and they stayed where they were because of his location. I just keep thinking that he will be fine, and that we have been through just as bad before- but I don't know how to buck up my parents. Everything I do or say, just seems to get them worse.

JJ5 -When my daughter left for Qatar last November, I was a wreck, and she wasn't even in one of the "hotspots" in Bagdad, (although there were incidents on her base in Qatar that we, U.S. citizens never heard about because of our lousy press...but I digress....) There is no way to make a parent "feel better" about this...we just naturally get worried sick. I relied on my faith and prayer, and my daughter stayed in touch as best she could because she knew I would be worrying. But you have to be SO proud of your brother...after all, he is a volunteer knowing full well what could happen to him! I will keep your brother in my prayers! GOD BLESS HIM and all of our military too! To ARKANSASNURSE, my daughter had more of a problem with camel spiders than the fleas, but I have heard other military using dog or cat flea collars around their ankles to try to eliminate that issue. Just send as many packages as often as you can, and stick in something extra for those soldiers who don't have anyone back here to support them....I was sincerely sorry for all the men and women she served with who never heard from anyone back home!

I have no advice, but I would like to join the others in wishing him and his company a safe, speedy return to the US.

I agree with dmkujat. You really can't make it better.
How you talk to your brother really depends on how he reacts and adjusts to life in Iraq.
My son really liked it so we let him tell us all about it (as much as he could) we exchange loads of political satire emails and we kept him up with digestible bits of what was going on here.
If your brother hates it, you may want to censor your comments taking care to not make him even more homesick.
I think listening is important to both.
Let your parents vent and let your brother speak freely to you, without judging what he says or discussing your political beliefs if they differ.
That can be emotionally exhausting but it is the right thing to do.
If you can't stand it, remember you'll have time to argue when he gets back.

When our soldiers (and selfless people like your brother) have stress from the homefront, it can interfere with natural and trained intuition.
Very dangerous.
Keep them safer by keeping them as happy as possible.

My son just returned from his second tour of duty in Iraq. He is a Marine, and was on the "jump team" for one of the Generals. It was a harrowing assignment, as he drove a humvee all over Iraq and was based in Ramadi.

God Bless the Marines! They have the toughest, most dangerous job in the world.
I am glad your son made it home safe!

JJ5--Try relaying the positive little things in life...for example, if you met a friend for lunch then tell him about that. My dh liked hearing all the stuff that we take for granted every day. Even funny stories of what the dog or cat did. TxTravelPro is SO right in that distractions and stress for the service members interfere with their jobs and can make the difference in life and death...not what anyone wants! My dh was a submarine officer, and so our messages were screened to make sure no bad news was passed on.

TxTravelPro--The military is all my dh knew also. He was commissioned after college and now 20 years later the civilian life is quite a change! lol! There are no commissaries in Oregon, so we enjoy going back to WA to visit friends and go shopping.

shoot - I didn't mean to finish that just yet!

What kept us sane was that e-mail connections are easy to maintain. There were several times when we were TERRIBLY concerned, and would send his a quick note. He was always prompt to calm our fears.

As a matter of fact, he just walked in (he's home on leave before heading back to Camp Pendleton) and told me that the hot weather is coming to an end, and that it shouldn't be too bad until April. The sand fleas are unlikely to be a problem.

His favorite care packages included stuff like beef jerky, and powdered drink mix to provide some variety to drinking just plain water. He REALLY needs to drink more water than he probably ever has in his life, because dehydration can be a serious
problem. We also included paperbacks -- either fiction or nonfiction -- and magazines -- surf, diving, travel, cars, etc -- which got passed around
were enjoyed by many more than just him. One of the most touching things he learned, was that if we sent something he didn't need or like, that was OK because there were so many who didn't get much support from family or friends at home, that someone would appreciate it. Candies that don't melt are harder to find than you might think, and chewing gum is always great. Oh, yes, and supplies like Gold Bond powder and moisturizing shaving stuff.
Good dark sunglasses are also a necessity.

Alec took his digital camera the second time, but I had to remind him to use it and he's really enjoyed being able to show us pictures of where he "lived," what it looked like riding around Al Anbar in a convoy, his buddies, and even the bullet holes in his humvee (no one in his vehicle was ever injured, although they were attacked three or four times.)

Most important thing is to stay in touch -- keep telling him how proud you are of him, and even though he may not tell you much -- you will be thrilled just to get a couple lines a week from him.

To be honest, this second tour was more frightening than the first (what we thought was the war part?). But realize that they are all watching each other's backs out there, and every one of them wants to get back home safely. I found it easiest to reconcile myself to the fact there was nothing I could do to protect him -- just as if he were away at college, or out driving on a stormy night at home. Staying in touch really gives you both strength. Your life will continue while he's over there. You will be surprised how mature he's become when he gets back.

mms... why you have a wonderful PX at Ft Vancouver (lol)
It is sooo tiny but the Fort is so lovely!
My son changed units, returning from Iraq to Ft Bragg, packing and heading to Ft Lewis via Dallas for a visit.
Days after his return to the US, while packing to move, he found out that his new unit is being deployed soon... and he just got back!
He takes it all in stride. We are pretty worried, of course.

TxTravelPro--I just about spit out my latte after that PX comment! lol! My dh worked with a fellow who had just finished his Army commitment and after 4 months he was called back up. Glad your son is also dealing with the return as well as can be

Oh, and I almost forgot about the store at PDX. I think it is a Air National Guard base.
It is about 1/2 the size of the Ft Vancouver PX!

Thanks all. dmkujat and TxTravelPro- you helped me and gave me some things to think about.

I think my brother will be like your son, TxTravelPro, and like what he is doing. We have never had any political arguments and have had long careers based in action and with some very strong, grim realities. I am a good listener.

The trouble has always been that he is not a good talker about small things. But I think I can get one of his sons to iniate some happy news and tidings.

What you say about their trained intuition and focus is so true, I know that. My first husband was in Vietnam and this brother was a Marine for 4 years from 18-22 yrs.old during Vietnam, but mostly stationed in Turkey. I've done this before, but my parents just aren't taking this well mentally or physically. I almost feel like I'm going to have to get them some Xanax or something. I know my dad will not impart any home news that's negative, but in my mom's case- ugh! And they are immigrants that don't go to doctors for anything.

My brother and I are not competitive and
haven't fought over anything since he was in high school. And I AM proud of him, but just am having a hard time dealing with my mother's hysterics. I do agree totally that it could be harmful for him to hear,see any of this. Which he might since there are at least 20 other family members as mouthpieces. Sometimes I think that email has it's downside also.

Thanks for all the thoughts and I hope yours are coming back safely. The news is so bias, getting more so with election time, that I wish I could just get her away from that TV. Hard to do when you are 82 and in a wheelchair.

Arkansasnurse: There'a a product that they sell in sporting goods stores, like REI. It's a spray and it's like OFF, only instead of spraying it on your skin, you spray your clothes. One small can for one suit of clothes, including the socks. The stuff is supposed to repel bugs even after several washings.

This might work better than wearing pantyhose in 110+ temperatures.

Last time I tried to get some, the store clerk told me that they didn't have much left, as the "armed forces" was taking up most of the production. It's a product that campers and hikers use often. See if you can't find some for your son.

Good luck on the spray and God bless!

My husband has been in Iraq as a civilian security contractor since last November, so here's a little advice from me!

1. The BEST phone cards you can get for calling to Iraq are usually sold at the ethnic stores frequented by people from the Middle East. Ask around and you can find where these stores are in your town. (In the DFW area, they are at 360 and Pioneer in Arlington.)
DO NOT use the cards from Sam's, Wal-Mart, or other American stores. They are NOT a good value for calling to phones in Iraq!!! For example, the Sam's calling card uses 12 units per MINUTE for a call fromt he US to Iraq!
For calling from Iraq, the best cards are sold at the PX there. Cards bought in the US might not work in Iraq, or you might have to dial 20+ digit "access codes" to get a call through to the US.

2. Baghdad has an excellent PX, so many things might not be needed via care packages. I had been sending my husband packages of tuna fish and picante sauce, but he says the PX now carries them. Things he DOES like in care packages are individually-packaged snacks, candy, gum, etc.

3. The best preventative for sand fleas is to take Brewer's Yeast tablets. Start taking them ASAP to build up your immunity before you leave! Unfortuantely, these are bulky, so taking a bunch to Iraq might not be practical, but you could get care packages! (BTW, this also works great for dogs at home!)

4. Keep in mind that a package will likely take a MONTH to mail, so homemade cookies, etc. will likely be spoiled by the time they arrive. As someone else mentioned, DO NOT send anything chocolate because it will melt in transit!

5. Keep these 3 things in mind: "No pork, porn, or playing cards." Iraqi customs prohibits these, so don't send your soldier a risque magazine, pork product, or a deck of playing cards!

Good luck, and God Bless our troops!