Note: Rodrigo Cantu was dropped from this list on 07 Dec 2004 due to 60 days of no contact.

08 Oct 2004:

I have decided that I will use this site to continue to thank those who send items and who have already sent many items. The amount of packages sent has been beyond all expectations. Your large hearts and caring attitudes towards those who you have never met speaks very highly of you as people. On behalf of the people I work with who benefit from your packages and especially on behalf of the children here, I thank you from every part of my heart.

My most recent travel this past week was to XXXXXX where we did a patrol. At a village, I saw lots of kids around, so I decided to open up my pack and give out some goodies. I was carrying little camouflaged bags containing crayons, pens and a small notebook. The bags were sent by one of the readers of this site. It was great! Of course, I got mobbed as usual and I had to seek the help of a police officer to hand stuff out in an orderly manner. Well, this method did not last too long, but I had a good time none the less. I handed out several bags worth of pens, notepads and the school bags. I wish I could carry more to places like this, but my pack only holds so much and I also have to carry food and water for myself and my boss. When I start my day out on missions like this, my pack is pretty heavy, which is not much fun jumping in and out of helicopters and HMMWV's, but it is all worth while when I see the kids faces and even their parents faces as I hand them items.

I have included a couple of more pictures. In one you see a crowd gathering. The way it works in this country is that there is a hierarchy. The older people are supposed to go first, then it works its way on down. It usually takes us a few minutes to get the interpreters to sort everyone out. We prefer to give to the younger kids first since they are the future of this place, but it does not always work that way as we must respect the culture. In the picture you see a crowd of older people, but there are kids in the group. The other pic is me with a few kids. A couple of them are holding the bags I was giving out. You can only see a few pens in their hands because as soon as you give them out, they hide them for fear of other kids taking them.

Well, as you may know, it is starting to get pretty cold here. We are at about 7700 feet elevation on our main base, so you can imagine the temperatures are dropping nightly. It is especially cold traveling in the helicopters since we have the large windows open to make room for the machine guns aiming outboard. Items of consideration to send would be cold weather items. However, we must stay within uniform regulations, so unfortunately I have to be picky about these items. under armour makes a long sleeve cold weather version of their shirts and pants. Size large will work for the vast majority of people here. Again, the colors can only be the green and brown versions. Long sleeve and the tight pants will be good.
Additionally, LL Bean carries a good line of warm weather gear. Black, green or brown knit caps will be useful as well as gloves in brown, black, green or tan. The gloves should not be so thick that we can not carry weapons properly. Thick black socks that help with moisture will also be useful. I believe some stores carry dark colors of thermal underwear. If these are sent, we can use our regular shirts over them to cover the odd colors. If stuff is bought in green, get the darkest green possible. I have been sent some cool max shirts which are great, but the green is too light and therefore can not be used in uniform.   

Thank you all for your support.
Rodrigo

02 Oct 2004
I apologize for the delayed response. I have been traveling quiet a bit lately and have been unable to reply to many of the boxes and letters recieved. The packages get distributed, but that is not a guarantee that letters get returned. I continue to travel several times a week, which has enabled me to give out a great deal of school supplies and toys. However, the biggest donations went to a girls school being started in Kabul...one of the few girls schools in this country.
I would like to thank you and all those who have donated and sent items to us. I continue to travel several times a week, and therefore can not keep up with returning the letters as I would have liked to. I appreciate the efforts of all who donated and would like them to know that although they may have not recieved a confirmation letter, their gifts were greatly appreciated and distributed throughout our work area, schools and villages.
I will be traveling more and more since Afghanistan's first ever Presidential Elections are a week away. We are expecting an even busier few weeks. I wish I could pass on the responsibilities of collecting the boxes to someone else, but I would not feel right in doing so. Due to this, there is no need to update my article since I will more than likely be unable to send out thank you notes and such.
The pictures were taken by another service member while out delivering school supplies.

Thank you all
Rodrigo

03 Aug 2004
First off, I would like to say thank you for the great response we have recieved regarding packages. I went on a two day trip recently and when I returned to my home base, there were 8 boxes waiting for me. I passed them around and everyone acted like it was Christmas here as they were opening the packages. We got stuff we would use and then took the remaining items to an area we set up in our building. The contents were empty in less than two hours! I feel like giving special thanks to a few who have sent several packages, but I do not want to single anyone out since every single package means so much to us! I have recieved a few packages of pens and school supplies, which is great news! I appreciate the fact that you take your time and well earned money to do this. You have already made quiet a few kids happy. It is sad to say, but the cost of a box of pens/pencils can pay a teacher's salary here for three days...so that tells you why it is so hard to get the supplies. If some of you are willing, you can get a tiny back pack and put pens, crayons, and writing pads in them and then send them over. I will distribute them them directly to the kids...back pack and all.

Some of you have been kind enough to send kool-aid and other powder drinks...thank you! The only change I would make is that you try to get pre-sugared drinks since we can not get sugar here. We can always use a great deal of beef jerky as that is always a good snack and is lightweight, which makes it easy to carry around.

Some additional items I am requesting is Under Armour shirts and underwear. As many of us are finding out, the cotton undershirts we wear daily become wet with sweat and never really have time to dry off. Under Armour shirts are made to pull the sweat from your body, Additionally, the shirts dry in a matter of minutes, which is great out here. Our temperatures easily reach 110-120 degrees in some ares where I travel, so the Under Armour shirts are a dream come true. The same goes for the Under Armour underwear/boxers. The only two colors we can use here are brown (Army) and green (Marines), so I would appreciate it if only those two colors were sent. There are two types of shirts...one is a loose fitting style and the other is a tight fitting style. Either style is good, but the tight ones are preferred. In the loose style, size small and medium are needed. In the tight style, sizes large and extra large are needed. In underwear/boxers, size large and extra large are needed. Of course, colors do not matter for the underwear.

We have a pretty good assortment of exercise equipment where I am at, but we can use a few of the big exercise balls that you may have seen on Pilates commercials or exercise shows. The balls are easy to carry around in packs, so they can be used anywhere.

I know the things I list cost money and I know that you work hard for it.
If you can not buy things, a quick letter or note is also always a welcomed sight. Some of you may also work for places that might be willing to purchase and send over items..whether they be for us or the kids here, they will definately be used.

I have included a couple of pictures...one is of us conducting operations in a village. As you can see in the boys hand, he is holding a pen and is very proud to have it. The other picture is me in a southern area of
Afghanistan.

Rodrigo

18 Jul 2004
I am a Marine working for the command group of Combined Joint Task Force 76 (CJTF-76). I wish I could tell you my specific job, but due to security reasons, I can not. CJTF-76 is primarily Army soldiers, but as the name implies, we have Marines, Airmen, and civilians as well. Our living conditions are better than most service members over here. We live in 7 person plywood buildings with 220 volts for the most part. We are fortunate that we have community showers with running water and semi-regular toilets. Most of us live on Bagram Air Field, but a few of us are fortunate to be able to do a lot of traveling around the country of Afghanistan. A large majority of us are originally from units in Hawaii.
We have two small stores on base that are hit and miss with certain items. If you want a tv, dvd player, or stereo, you can find it there, but try looking for shaving cream or soap and you will have a harder time.
Some things we could use over here include, but are not limited to: q-tips, shaving cream, eye-drops, shavers, foot and body powders, kool-aid and gatorade powders, shower gels, and loofas (shower sponges).   
Females have it harder here and could really use hair products...not only shampoo's and conditioners but also items to keep their hair up within regulation such as black and brown pony tail holders and hair pins, facial products to help condition and clean skin, body scents, and hair removal products. Items such as nair work great here since showers are limited to 5 minutes-not enough time for females to shave, so hair removal products work great. Feminine products are in abundunce here, so they are not needed. However, nail clippers, nail files, and the likes are needed.
Also helpful will be soft toothbrushes and dental floss. Peanut butter, beef jerky, and cookies are hard to come by, so some will be great.
Of course, any items sent are greatly appreciated and will definately be distributed to these in need. Thank you

I thank you very much for conducting such a task. I am fortunate that I am able to travel to villages and visit different locals. I have noticed that kids here do not have anything of value. A special request from me would be for pens to be given to the kids. Many kids can not get into schools without something to write with. I have asked my old high school and other places to help, and many have complied. The look on a kids face when he/she is given a pen is undescribable. Thank you...