Surplus items to send US soldiers living A Real Burningman

munney · Post by **munney** » Mon Sep 08, 2003 6:57 pm

I am putting together a series of care packages with some co-workers to send to US soldiers in the Desert of IRAQ. Believe it or not, the US Govt, is not taking great care of the volunteers out there, and since the conditions are pretty much the same as Black rock city, I thought some of Yall might have some extra stuff to send me to send to them. Give it a shot if you believe in what they are doing there or even if not.

I looked at a list from Military moms or something like that, and it looks just like a list of Burningman Supplies. They need Goggles,(if you can spare yours), Toilet Paper, Beef Jerkey, Suntan Lotion, interesting Magazines, pictures(to remember what home is like{Burning freak pictures would be great}But since it is an Arab country, Nudity pics should be limited, Unfortunately), And no Pork products like Slim Jims or Spam......

Anyway,

See what you have that is non perishable, and Post it up here, and I will start the plannings of the care packages.

Some other goods might be Dried Nuts, Shaving cream, Razors, Things to mix into water, ie Gatoraid, Energy Powder? WetWipes, and all those other things that made BRC a more hospitable place for you.

Thanks for your help in advance,

Uncle Uncool, Johny R

mac · Post by **mac** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 9:02 am

munney, props on givin a $#/! about those guys over there I commend your care for their well being. I wish I saw more of that. Anyway the point is I just got out of the Marines a year or so ago and a tip to your care packages a soldiers or Marines greatest longing while in the field other than sex is nicotine. Tip 70% of all marine grunts dip Copenhagen snuff.I assume that soldiers can't be much different. There is never enough copenhagen to go around.

madmatt · Post by **madmatt** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 9:55 am

Munney - I applaud your idealism, bravo.

Mac - Thanks for the shot of sobering realism.

I'll wait to see the details and try to send something over.

Isotopia · Post by **Isotopia** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 9:56 am

I'd like to send them all a plane ticket home.

Kinetic II · Post by **Kinetic II** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 10:21 am

Isotopia wrote:I'd like to send them all a plane ticket home.

Considering ALL of my friends are in Iraq or Afghanistan, I'd be one of the first in line to chip in for this idea. Bring 'em home. We don't need to be nation building anywhere besides here in the states.

munney · Post by **munney** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 12:08 pm

Yall are all really cool for even looking into this action, and FYI, a couple of packages have already been sent, so any help would be appreciated.

Copenhagen would be good I guess, I dont know what I was thinking of sending, but Goggles and cool magazines, and even burningman pics, to let them know what they are missing, so maybe they won't re-up and all that.

Anyway, be well and if you have anything to send, let me know and we'll get it there.

Try not to overcompensate for undercompensation!

BlueBirdPoof · Post by **BlueBirdPoof** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 4:41 pm

What's the feeling about books? Too expensive to send or okay? I usually try and sell and donate the rest to the Library--but I understand they are stuck in barracks when not on duty.

As for magazines--I've got piles of old science fiction digests (mostly Fantasy and Science Fiction and Asimov's--circa 1990s) that I'm looking to get rid of. Is that interesting or just too much bulk to be worth it again?

If books are good, let me know, I may even hit thrift stores next (November 8) weekend.

Isotopia · Post by **Isotopia** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 5:17 pm

Burn a disc full of MP3s. Someone over there is gonna have a reader and damn near every man/woman over there has an iPod from what I understand.

Iago · Post by **Iago** » Mon Nov 03, 2003 6:44 pm

Isotopia wrote:Burn a disc full of MP3s. Someone over there is gonna have a reader and damn near every man/woman over there has an iPod from what I understand.

Hey, Isotopia you got that one right. It spent 9 months in an infantry line company as a ground pounder humping the central highlands of Vietnam 36 years ago until I got my sorry ass shot up. We only had these 3" reel to reel tape machines then, but some of my brothers would carry them. Man, there was nothing better than toking up and listening to some honest tunes back from the real world. AFVN (Armed Forces Radio Vietnam) would never play Frank Zappa or the Who. I'm sure times have changed for the brothers out here now, but it's kind of like the same old shit. Definitely an excelent suggestion bro...

aimeefissure · Post by **aimeefissure** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 11:55 pm

"This war will never be won while there is an expectation of hamburgers, beer and rock 'n roll."
-Col. Kurtz, Apocalypse Now, written by John Milius & Francis Ford Coppola

All feelings aside, I would not choose to describe Military service as a "Real Burning Man", nor would I say that Burning Man is a "Fake Military service". They are dissimilar. Many people go to Burning Man, not just to get fucked up and party, but as a kind of social protest against the attitudes and actions that have created the militarism which plagues the U.S.

The best service we can provide to individuals who have been tricked and co-opted into aiding the U.S. Military in it's political adgendas, is to send them letters, literature and documentation explaining how they are being used, and how they can break the cycle. Things aren't all shits and giggles over in Iraq, but all that gets portayed in mainstream media is smiling soldiers with shiny guns, and Bush with Thanksgiving turkey. If a whole military unit refused to fight on the grounds that it was cruel and unusual, it would make a huge international statement.

Now we have thousands of good and honorable people stuck half way around the world killing other good and honorable people. The US Military psychologically represses it's service people, and they in turn physically oppress the citizens of other counteries.

The U.S. Military spends millions of dollars a year spreading propaganda to potential recruits and enlisted service people. Counter propaganda is needed. Instead of playcating our loved ones overseas, why not ask them, "Why are you risking your life to fight a government that the US supported and funded while it was convenient"? Ask them, "Did you know that the US provided strategic assistance to Iraq during the war with Iran"? "Did you know that top Al-Quida organizers were trained by the US Military during the Russian-Afghan war"? " Did you know that 800,000 peolpe were slaughtered in Rwanda while the U.S. stood by and watched, but now that oil is envolved, you are being asked to risk your life for a 'humanitarian mission'"?

Send them books and pamphlets that will help them understand and break the cycle of Military manipulation, cruelty, violence, and nation building.

What do we really need: soldiers who refuse to kill civilians, or soldiers with plenty of snuff?

If you want to send aid packages, send them to the teachers at your local public school. They are real heros giving their lives for a selfless cause, while receiving minimal resources and pityful pay. Tell them you appreciate what they are doing for our country, throw ticker tape parades for them at the end of the school year, produce documantaries and specials on the LifeTime Network and History Channel about their sacrifice in the face of insurmountable odds.

Wouldn't that be the day?

mac · Post by **mac** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 4:40 pm

Aimee- I try and make it a point not to argue with people about views on what you call militarism, eventhough I have been in the military.But when people spit out their everso-profound statements bashing the U.S. military actions around the world, I feel compelled to ask if they realize that they are free to voice their opinions only because of the sacrafices of those who have served in the past. Plenty of communist leaders of the past would have loved to take control of U.S. soil and deny you of that right.
I don't see anything wrong with you attempting to educate our troops on your views,and more power to you.But don't be suprised if those young people who feel that they are truly doing the right thing take your prospective as a slap in the face from someone who stands on a soapbox too far away to see the appreciation on the faces of the Iraqi people whom they are risking their lives to help.I agree in the sense that the U.S. picks and chooses whom to help, and possibly with the motivation of our own personal gain.But I choose not to pretend that I know enough about foreign policy to talk as if I could make all the right choices.I'm pretty much all winded by my own preaching but before I shut up I will say that of the hundreds of Marines that I served with none of them approached the thought of war with a brainwashed drive to murder women and children.Oh and don't knock the Copenhagen thing, it's a valuable commodity over there.

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 6:56 pm

Oh yeah,

I'd probably also like to send our troops a few cards reminding them that probably 10% of the men and women putting their asses on the line and with whom they fight with over there are gay/queer folks doing it for a country whose president would do everything legislatively to further diminish their right to love who they choose. By offering up a Constitutional ammendment to lock in their systematic discrimination and insure 2nd class citizenship those poor hacks are willing to put their asses on the line while George Bush puts his heel to back of their necks.

Yep. I think that's what i'd like to say.

Isotopia · Post by **Isotopia** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 9:57 pm

I'll send them a few pair of my old cha-cha heels but I know that'd clash with that fab cammo thing they got going on with their uniforms and stuff.

DangerMouse · Post by **DangerMouse** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 2:52 pm

For suggestions/information go here:

http://www.equipped.org/deployed_milita ... stions.htm

or

http://www.operationmilitarypride.org/packages.html

PurpleKoosh · Post by **PurpleKoosh** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 6:19 pm

Yes, this is ancient, but I wasn't following the thread before.

BlueBirdPoof wrote:What's the feeling about books? Too expensive to send or okay? I usually try and sell and donate the rest to the Library--but I understand they are stuck in barracks when not on duty.

I got a snailmail letter from JohnnyJet at the beginning of December, saying that it was finally cool enough to send paperbacks - the glue in the bindings MELTS during the summer months.

Something to keep in mind....

girl · Post by **girl** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 10:47 pm

In response to the poster who thinks that we should send propaganda...do you really think that the soldiers over there would read your little informative packet and throw down their guns and start handing out paper scented flowers to the Iraqis in the name of peace and brotherhood? I kinda think that you don't have a realistic conception of what these folks are dealing with. They have seen misery and death. They also grew up with the same anti-establishment music and made for tv movies about Kent State that you did. They made a choice and whether or not it was informed at the time, they know what they are into now and they can't do anything about it until their tour was over, even if they wanted to. Those who are bothered by the horrors of war won't sign up again. Those who aren't, will. By the time these folks are over there your pamphlets aren't telling them anything they don't already know. You want to show compassion and empathy send a brother some chapstick and goggles so that he knows someone out there is thinking about him and wants to try and give him comfort. Stick something in there neat or unusual to remind them that they are a human with human sensibilities for a moment, just in case they need it. Give them something that will allow them some escape just for a moment from the reality that they are in just in case they see it as a hell that they are trapped until the tour is over. That's compassion. Sending anti-war propaganda to a US soldier is either ineffectual or pointless.

hovburglar · Post by **hovburglar** » Tue Jun 08, 2004 10:02 pm

I went to a regional burn in Utah over the weekend.....and wondered if that was what my brother felt/saw in iraq. Thank you so much for giving a shit about the guys who are living a real burning man.....and in a most unfreindly way!

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Tue Jun 08, 2004 11:44 pm

Thank you so much for giving a shit about the guys who are living a real burning man.....and in a most unfreindly way!

I'd argue that the folks over there are living in a pretty hash desert that's probably similar in nature (geographically and weather wise) to the playa region. I'd stop short - quite short - of suggesting they're living anything other than the lives of soldiers in a situation that's ugly and cruel for both sides.

VerbenaMaya · Post by **VerbenaMaya** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 7:01 am

One of the most appreciated things I have sent to Iraq & Qatar were large quantities of air freshners. Plain letters, cards, photos, jokes & bits of humor are great too. Also wanted to note that if you want to send books/mags and don't care about when they get there, the USPS has a special book-rate which is pretty cheap. Most of the time it wasn't any longer than reg. mail. Regular packages can sometimes take a month or more so I wouldnt send anything that can't sit around in a hot truck or warehouse.

Some of our military want to be there, be it for patriotism & sense of duty, desire to help in some way, experience, etc. But there are also some who don't want to be there for whatever reason. I know a few that actually hate the military & current politics etc, that got in the military, thought it was a good idea at the time, money for college, whatever, and are now serving till their time is up, some on stop loss are overdue to go home or get out period. The mental toll is demanding, even for those who do want to be there, and they have plenty of time to contemplate it all. So yeah, it might just be a can of copenhagen, but for some its a small daily reminder of home and that someone actually gave a shit, and you never know what simple little gift is the key to some person keeping their sanity in the sandbox.

zzberlin · Post by **zzberlin** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 8:42 am

> The best service we can provide to individuals who have been tricked and co-opted into aiding the U.S. Military in it's political adgendas, is to send them letters, literature and documentation explaining how they are being used

Wow, this is the worst idea I've ever heard. This should be like illegal or something.

technopatra · Post by **technopatra** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 5:48 pm

AHEM.

Burning Man is the real Burning Man. Those soldiers are in a war. The fact that we are both in deserts is pretty much the end of the similarity.

Whether they knew what they were letting themselves in for when they signed up or not is irrelevant. I think it is a lovely, compassionate thing to send presents from home.

We got a plea from a Burner in Afghanistan last year (or the year before?) telling us of the boredom, the regret, the yearning for home he experienced. What he wanted more than anything was letters - he wanted to connect, communicate with his other family, the our community.

The one person I personally know in the reserves joined up because she wanted to go to college, and had a mother and a baby sister to help support. She grew up poor, ans she's Latina, which did limit her oppportunities. The Army was, she felt, her best bet to improve her family's life.

Just like not every American supports Bush, not every serviceperson supports the war. But conscientous objection after enlistment is tantamount to strapping yourself to a cross. She, or anyone who tried to do it, sets themselves up for not only prison time, but they are also putting themselves in serious physical danger from their own troops and risking all financial benefits for their families.

The idea of dousing them with propaganda is abhorrent.

Post by **AntiM** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 5:17 am

hovburglar wrote:

I went to a regional burn in Utah over the weekend.....and wondered if that was what my brother felt/saw in iraq.

Um, nope, not really, although there are a few similarities. Utah's currently my home territory, and yeah, I was at the burn too. I used to live in both Shiraz and Taif, so I do have a bit of background for comparision of Utah and Iraq. Desert sure, mountains, heat, even altitude, and come to think of it, actual religious fanatics (aka mormons), but there ain't here. No words can describe it, but the closest I can come is the air feels different. You know you at not at home, and home is where you want to be. That's lame and trite, but that's my perspective.

And you only get shot at in Utah during deer season.

Blonde Iguana · Post by **Blonde Iguana** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 1:25 pm

[quote="aimeefissure"]If a whole military unit refused to fight on the grounds that it was cruel and unusual, it would make a huge international statement. "

What idealistic little fairyland do you live in? US Soldiers are not given a choice about whether or not to fight...I don't know much about military law but I'm pretty sure that refusing to obey orders results in court martials, dishonorable discharges, maybe even accusations of treason, which could result in incarceration or worse. There are career and life-ruining consequences.

I realize this post was made way back in January, and I'm addressing it pretty belatedly, but I couldn't not respond. That is one of the most ignorant and condescending posts I have yet to read on this fantastic message board.

By the way, my partner, who is neither conservative nor a brain-washed ignoramus, is in Iraq right now, on a 1-year tour of duty with an Infantry unit of the Washington Army National Guard. He is not coming home until March 2005. He is a kind, easy-going man who, at the behest of George Dubya is planted directly in harm's way in central Baghdad, suffering through frequent mortaring, constant fear of roadside bombs and attacks, a lot of hate, 120 degree heat in full military gear, unrelenting stress and fear 7 days a week with no friggin' weekends - shit we can't even imagine.
I miss him like hell and I fear for his safety every damn day. He deserves a f****king care package every now and then to make his hard life a tiny bit easier, not uninformed propaganda.

So...I'm going to Burning Man 2004 for the first time, and my camp will be erected in honor of him and every man and woman over there with him. If anyone would like lists of things to send or specific soldiers to send care packages to (in particularWashington National Guard troops), feel free to leave me a message.

Blonde Iguana · Post by **Blonde Iguana** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 1:58 pm

After I cooled off I had a cool notion...to create a space at my camp to collect messages and tokens of caring and encouragement to send to my soldier and his mates in Iraq.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 2:41 pm

ive got some burnt ass chicken it probably tastes better then Iraqui child ahshit do they have poodles over there. yeah napalm poodle fries.. yuk.. they need some barbeque chicken.. and then I'll throw a beer in there general direction..

PurpleKoosh · Post by **PurpleKoosh** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 3:35 pm

Blonde Iguana wrote:After I cooled off I had a cool notion...to create a space at my camp to collect messages and tokens of caring and encouragement to send to my soldier and his mates in Iraq.

We did this a couple of years ago at the science-fiction convention Diane O'Thirst and I know each other from. A corner of our room party was designated "Virtual Bosnia;" we had a notebook for people to leave messages, a Polaroid sticker camera to include pictures of the more...interesting outfits.... We sent those off to him along with a set of the CDs I burned for the party, a complete run of the at-con newsletter, a con program guide - and when the reg staff heard what we were doing, an extra badge for our friend. His entire unit was thrilled with the care package.

Surplus items to send US soldiers living A Real Burningman

Surplus items to send US soldiers living A Real Burningman

To all you Cool Muthers....

Books?

Re: Books?

OUTSTANDING!!!

As a matter of fact....

i've got some burnt ass chicken

Re: As a matter of fact....