Please note:

This website was set up to get parcels to Australian Soldiers/Sailors/Airmen/Airwomen deployed overseas.

You are welcome to cut and paste information and use it to support sending parcels to our service members serving overseas, however, when you do cut and paste please link back to Ocean Sky & Khaki to acknowledge OSK, and so that people can find the blog themselves.

If there are questions one of us will answer if you comment on a post at the blog.

*************

Monday, July 20, 2009

T is for "thanks"

Thanks firstly to Andrew Bolt for giving us a mention. A big welcome to all of Andrew's readers. You might want to check out these earlier posts that explain the mechanics of what we are doing:

I got a letter of thanks today from a Digger in Afghanistan. He's part of a team of a dozen soldiers who are embedded with Afghan soldiers, and they are based in an outpost that sounds like it is off the beaten track.

I imagine that these small outposts are lacking in most luxuries, like running water, toilets, showers and so on, and the food would be a lot more basic than what you'd get in a base camp equipped with proper messing facilities, full time cooks and good logistics support. It's in outposts like this that a care pack or welfare parcel can go a long way to making life a little more bearable. When in Australia, this particular Digger lives not far from me, and I hope I can buy him a few beers to wash the dust from his throat when he gets home.

But apart from the Twisties and the biscuits and the coffee, and best thing you can pack is a note that says, "thank you".

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

So glad to hear you got a letter back, Boy.

Silly questions, but here goes. When you send Twisties are they the little packs (from the jumbo bags) or standard size, AND are the original cheese ones or flavours like bbq preferred? I bought the larger size, but they take up way too much space.

My letters always begin, "First and foremost, thank you for serving our country and, especially, thank you for your service away from home".

Sandi

Nilk said...

Sandi, when I send twisties, I prefer to send the cheese. I've sent the chicken once before, though I'm not a chicken twistie fan.

I like a bag between 90-200g, and I sometimes use those little snack pack size bags as space fillers rather than using the foam beans to pack it out.

I didn't know there were such things as bbq twisties. I like cheezels, as well.

Boy on a bike said...

I'm not sure what size I send! I think it is the big ones. I normally buy 3 or 4 packs, because if the kids see them in the shopping, they grag a bag and scoff it before you can say "boo".

We are Twistie agnostics - cheese or chicken flavour is equally preferred, so I buy both and pack both if they will fit.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Nilk and Boy. I'll buy the big bags of (cheese) snack packs.

Did you see over at Bolt's that a poster called bh received a phone call from a soldier in Afghanistan who had received his/her care package? That would be one hell of a thrill, wouldn't it?

Sandi

JennyinOz said...

Sandi,
My 16 yo daughter says not to send the chicken Twisties because they taste "gross". She said go with the cheese Twisties and the big packet because they are way better.

I personally have nothing against the chicken but what do I know I'm just the mum.

I do like the idea of the small packets though so I will keep that in mind as an option. Variety and all that, given the 2kg restriction.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Jenny, I'll go with that.

Sandi

Anonymous said...

I am just packing my first care package. My kids asked what I was doing, so I explained. My son (7yo) promptly sat down and wrote a card saying "thankyou for being so brave and for being kind and trying to stop the badies".

My husband is currently in the reserves and is training to be an Army Chaplain, but now the children and I feel like we have a way of supporting the troops also.

Thanks for this blog, and to Andrew Bolt for directing me here.

Just wondering, as a compact piece of Australiana type stuff, do you think blank postcards with Australian pictures would be suitable to include, either as reminders of home, or for giving away to troops from other countries or to local kids?

Esther

kae said...

Hi Esther, I'm sure that the postcards will be enjoyed - you can also write a quick postcard and send it to the postcards only address in the sidebar...

Here's some info (if you haven't found it already) on contents, C is for contents

I'm sure you'll hear from the recipient/s.

kae said...

Hi Esther, I'm sure that the postcards will be enjoyed - you can also write a quick postcard and send it to the postcards only address in the sidebar...

Here's some info (if you haven't found it already) on contents, C is for contents

I'm sure you'll hear from the recipient/s.

San Tan Valley Home Theater said...

Nice bblog you have