is there a book that I can send to my brother in Iraq about post dramatic issues like reajusting to home?
342054
When your brother returns he will go to classes that will teach him what to expect when he comes home.  He will be taught how to deal with homecomings and re-integrating with his family, the signs of PTSD and other things.\n\nI highly recommend against your assuming that he has PTSD.
1151838
if you want to send his something patriotic go and visit a local elementary school. talk with the principle and see if there is a way he could have a class write little letters or make cards for your friends platoon.  your could send the cards or letters to your friend and he could pass him out to those in his platoon.  i did this for my husband while he was in Iraq.  it did wonders for him, especially since it was from people he didn't know (makes there day basically since there from the little people).\n\na military wife
90033
Hey! Last week is not very far... l think you will hear from your brother soon .definately, they don't take them by force! and if they are being taken by USA for military training..., its not easy but l believe  they will make it and soon get used to it. more hopefully everything will be alright...
496720
I'm wondering if my brother is okay in Iraq. He got hit with shrapnul a few days ago. He had surgery and they say he will be fine, but I'm still worried. Who knows, something worse could happen.
356182
god bless you. my hubby is also in iraq. i would suggest reading, spending alot of time with your friends over there, and exercising in the gyms there. try also to talk to your chaplian when you are stressed out. good luck to you.
669659
I am an Army brat. My dad is now a retired Lt Col. I've been to Ft. Meade in Maryland, El Toro in California, Keflavik in Iceland, Ramstein in Germany (which I am now at stationed in the Air Force), Mildenhall in England, and Ft. Lewis in Washington. I'm glad that your dad is coming home to you soon. Hope he enjoys his short break from the desert. God bless!
317977
don't worry about stuff like that until you know for sure, my husband is infantry and he has lost 8 guys with about 12 seriously wounded, if i was scared all day long, i would be crazy by the time he came home, plus, i have been there, not infantry but transportation, and i can picture his day to day life right now, so it is hard, but hang on, he will be home soon.  Also, I deal with it this way, if my husband does not make it home,  i know he was doing something he thought was right and wanted to be there and i would honor him for that.   go to the department of defense website, they list causalties. the address is dod.gov/releases/
836813
I am totally against the war in Iraq, but I have spent a lot of time over the last couple of years packaging up care packages for the holidays to send to them.\n\nDon't worry too much about lunatics that make those kinds of remarks.  We can all feel what we feel about the war itself, but the fact is that many of our soldiers are over there actually making life better for some of the Iraqis.  \n\nWhat I did was I scoured the paper for articles about local family members with loved ones overseas.  At this time of year, there are a lot of personal interest stories, since many of these families will be spending their 3rd or more Christmas without their loved one.  I'd then go to the phone book or 411 and get the phone number for the family.  I'd introduce myself and tell them what I wanted to do.  They would give me the name and address of their soldier and I'd send a care package.\n\nYou could also call a military base near you and ask if they have a "clearinghouse" for holiday cards.  They may have something set up where you can take the card/package there and then they'll forward it.\n\nI also asked around at my church.  Many many people there either had family or knew people who had family overseas.  They're a great wealth of knowledge.\n\nIn Tampa we have a group that does shoeboxes - people take a shoebox, fill it with everything from toothbrushes to Visine and take it to the Shoebox headquarters.  Those shoeboxes are then sent over to the troops.\n\nIf you're interested, a great shoebox would have:\n\nDiaper rash ointment\nVisine\nHard candy\nCrystal Light\nMagazine(s)\nSomething from your hometown (a city guide brochure, postcard, whatever)\nA picture of you and your family\nMoisturizer\nGum\nA restaurant gift certificate for when they come home\nCDs \nA handwritten message\nBaby powder\nSoap\nToothpaste\nToothbrush\n\nUse your imagination!  Imagine yourself stranded in an awful, hot, sandy place with nothing to do - what would you like to get? \n\nJust remember, cookies will be shattered to pieces by the time they get there and chocolate will have melted.  Try to keep any treats to hard candys, Twizzlers, gum and stuff like that.\n\nGood for you.  Regardless of your feelings about the war, many of the men and women over there are good, kind and decent human beings.  It means the world to them to get something - even just a card - to let them know they're remembered.\n\nIt was really cool - I sent this HUGE care package to a young man who was a platoon leader - I wrote him a note saying that he was to "play Santa" with the box and hand the stuff out to his buddies.  I had gotten his name from the paper, contacted his mom and gotten the address (I stood up at church one day and asked people to bring stuff for the box - and BOY DID THEY!!).  Anyway, several months later, I got a phone call from a local reporter.  This young man's mom had called him when I did the package and told the reporter about me.  \n\nIt turns out that the young man was coming home, LOL, and the reporter wanted to arrange a meeting between us :)  So, we met at my church and they did a little 60-second segment on the meeting.  It was very cool :)  It was nice to meet the young man and know that the stuff that was sent was needed and appreciated.\n\nIt does make a difference :)
833606
Try the link below to see if you can hook something up through them.  I have a list of websites, but it's mostly geared towards soldiers who are deployed, this is the only one that looked viable.  \n\nDon't listen to everyone else who says he needs to budget.  While that is true, if your son is lower enlisted and far enough away that he'd need to fly home, chances are he could actually use the help.  My husband and I have been married since he graduated BCT, and trust me, I understand the money thing.  \n\nIf he's not in a hurry, he could fly Space A for really cheap, but that will only get him so far, he'd still have to pay for transportation home from and back to the airport where they drop him off, and there's no guarantee on dates and times.  Also, if there's a civilian run travel agent on post where he's stationed, have him check there.  Whenever I fly home (from Germany) I book my tickets at the travel agent on post and they usually have some really good deals.  I elected not to go through the emergency channels (for expediency) last time I went home, but still got a ticket through the office on post for half what they wanted online for a flight the next day.  \n\nUnless there's an emergency in the family, there's no place within the military that will help with elective travel.
359167
There is at least one:\nhttp://www.iraqicookbook.com/\n\nTry using searching on Google for some more.
820319
Here is a website that contains addresses of soldiers in Iraq and Afganistan. Not all soldiers have internet access. Many of them are out in the middle of no-where. But they deeply appreciate receiving packages. And with Christmas approaching what better way to support our troops than by sending them a box filled with homemade cookies, candy, and small gifts? Here is the website where you can contact our troops.\n\nhttp://anysoldier.com/WhereToSend/
892005
My brother served in Iraq until July when he was killed there.  But one of the things he always mentioned was the letters, cards, and little tokens of appreciate that total strangers sent to the troops.  A little something like a card can brighten someone's day.  When I was going through boot camp I got cards from people I didnt know but appreciated them just the same. Especially with the holidays coming up.
196670
How about sending them to Iraq
823483
I would like,  ..They were at home now...  \nI’m sorry,    I am crying..  \n My brother died in Iraq.\n The US Armed Forces are OUTSTANDING....
809769
This used to make my day even when wounded it was the highlight!  Thanks for asking.  \n\nThe United States armed forces cannot recieve cards to "any serviceman" this year due to fears of terrorism.  Instead, the Pentagon has set up a secure email system that allows anyone to send a message to "any serviceman." Just pick the branch of the service, type your message and click send.\n\nThe story behind the "to any serviceman" cards:\nSince 1967, when Sgt. Billy Thompson wrote Abigail Van Buren and mentioned that a wonderful Christmas present to our armed forces would be "just a letter from home," American citizens have been sending holiday wishes to servicemen and women stationed overseas every holiday season. Dubbed "Operation Dear Abby," the program has brought holiday joy to hundreds of thousands of U.S. military personnel deployed away from home.\n\nTo access the site, visit http://anyservicemember.navy.mil/\nMilitary Exchange Prepaid Calling Cards\nThe Department of Defense Military Exchanges have been authorized to sell the following prepaid calling cards to individuals and organizations who wish to purchase these cards for our troops serving overseas in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.\nhttps://thor.milexch.com/scs/default.aspx\n\n12 Ways to Support Our Troops\nBy Lance Helgeson\nhttp://www.aarp.org/bulletin/yourlife/Articles/a2004-12-07-12support.html\n\nYou can adopt a specific or random service person for a prayer circle.\n\nhttp://www.presidentialprayerteam.net/troopsadopt.php  \n\nYou can write to a service person.\n\nhttp://anyservicemember.navy.mil\nThere are dozen of organizations, which allow you to purchase items and present it to a service person, but there are other options you might consider.  Visit the closest VA Hospital or for something really unique try: \nwww.snipersonline.org (They ask for contributions to buy items that the Government refuses or that is out of stock.\n\n\nGod Bless You and The Southern People.
398061
Do you have an FRG Leader you can ask?  If not, I sent my son the following and he loved it.\nBaby wipes, poptarts, canned spaghetti(with poptop lid), Vienna sausages, crackers, sunflower seeds, puzzle books, sun screen (very high SPF), more baby wipes (can't have too many of those) and LOTS of love letters from you.  Your letters mean the world to him right now.  It is hard having him so far from home, but stay true and keep writing to him and letting him know you will be there for him.  My prayers are with you both and my hat is off to the both of you.  Being a soldier is hard, but so is being the woman behind the man.  You get the bad times too, but none of the recognition
253747
You may be thinking of:\n\nRecipes for Disaster, an anarchist cookbook recently published by the CrimethInc Worker Collective.\n\nIt is the long-awaited follow-up to the CrimethInc. collective’s notorious first book, Days of War, Nights of Love. This 624-page manual complements the romance and idealism of that earlier work with practical information and instruction. Over thirty collectives collaborated in testing, composing, and editing the book’s 62 sections, which range from Affinity Groups, Coalition Building, and Mental Health to Sabotage, Squatting, and Wheatpasting. These are illustrated with extensive technical diagrams and first-hand accounts, and prefaced with a thorough discussion of the diverse roles direct action can play in social transformation. If you’re looking for a tactical handbook for revolutionary action, look no further.