I am a big believer in supporting our troops who are deployed overseas. Yes, sometimes (often!) I don't agree with what the president or Congress is doing, but that is not the fault of our service personnel. They need all the support and recognition they can get!
Marines are special. The best!
If you feel the same way, you might want to adopt a Marine. It took me a while to find this information. It'll make your search easier, I hope! (I have information below, should you wish to adopt someone in another branch of the armed services.)
Believe it or not, some of our Marines get little or no support from home (letters, care packages), and this is monstrous!
If each family "adopted" one service person overseas (Marine or not), it would be wonderful. Would you like to help? Or at least get some information? Read on for information on finding a Marine to adopt, what and how to send care packages, etc.
Groups (often as fund-raisers) and businesses also sell pre-made "care packages," and something like this might be a good choice if you don't have time to shop and pack.
Since I'm a big fan of needlework, I think Marines (and maybe families back home) might be interested in some USMC designs. Here's information about putting together self-contained "kits" to send.
I'll try to get some charts up here that are Corps-related and suitable for small, quick-to-stitch things, such as bookmarks.
As the veteran of many household moves, I'm an experienced packer, but there are a few special considerations when packing boxes for shipment of goodies overseas to our military personnel. This second file includes suggestions for a "generic" care package whose contents can be used by just about any Marine. (Anything your own Marine can't use can be swapped with others.)
You may want to adopt someone from another branch, or someone in addition from another branch, in addition to your Marine.
Semper Fi!
For more information on deployed Marines, see the files on:
marbeth@marthabeth.com
Last updated May 31, 2007.