Memorial Day got to me

I finally watched Band of Brothers over the weekend. I really liked it and, naturally, want to read the book now. After discussing it with my mom she told me that I really should read The Fall of the Third Reich. She says she read it years ago but remembers it as a truly remarkable book. I capped off the weekend by watching Baghdad ER last night. It was excellent and did a great job of showing what those folks are going through. As gruesome as it was, I know it was nothing compared to what really goes down in that hospital.

Well, after an entire weekend of American soldier stories I went online to see about writing to a soldier overseas. Now lets be clear, I am NOT a fan of blind patriotism. I believe it's not only our right to question our government but our obligation. No power should be allowed to rule unchecked. That being said, I understand how necessary a patriotic mindset must be when serving in the armed forces.

I found some good sites but can't decide which one is the least political yet most helpful. (This is one time I think politics should be set aside.) I checked out Soldiers Angels, Forgotten Soldiers and Any Soldier. There are ways to send home made blankets, letters, care packages and so on. I'm thinking of sending a care package so I read some of the requests. It seems most are interested in getting clean. There are lots of requests for Purell, soap, shampoo & razors. The women are longing for Bath and Body Works hand and body soaps as well as tan "ouchless" hair ties. They seem to be drinking a lot of bottled water so the individual Crystal Light and Kool-aid packets are big, along with the typical snack foods we're so fond of in the US. CDs, DVDs and games are also desired. I hear that war time is 95% waiting around and 5% panic/hell so I guess that explains their lists.

I'm not sure where I'll send my package but if anyone has any recommendations please let me know. I know nothing about these organizations so any advice is appreciated.