19 Oct 2004:
My situation here has changed and I won't be able to be a contact for anysoldier anymore. I'll be here long enough to get anything that's already coming but not long enough for anything after that.

Could you post the following note on my page and remove the address so no one sends me something before reading the message?   I'd sure appreciate it and I really appreciate the service you provide. So, if you would, please post the following message.

Over the past several weeks those of us at the Centcom DDOC have been blessed with your generosity. Your care packages with treats and items from home helps close the distance we feel and reminds us that those back home are supporting us. Your cards and letters of support, prayers and well wishing have motivated, inspired and allowed us to press on with the mission, invigorated from the encouraging words.

I have been honored to serve as the point of contact for those service members in my area and know your generosity has not gone unappreciated. Getting mail here is one of the best parts of the day. To be able to deliver your cards, letters and packages brightens the faces of all who benefit from them, from the youngest enlisted troops to the grizzled senior officer and enlisted. We all deeply appreciate your efforts and support. Unfortunately, I won't be able to continue as the point of contact for my unit. I will be coming home soon and need to prepare for that. I will look for someone to step in place of me so we can continue being blessed by all of you.

I thank you and those I hand your mail to thank you. You all are those we serve and we are truly honored to serve such fine fellow citizens. We may not all have the same feelings on the war but you all support us, the troops, in making us comfortable and helping keep our spirits up. We have been uplifted and strengthened by all you've done for us. In turn, we will serve our country with the utmost courage, honor and compassion.

I wish there was something more I could say to express our gratitude but these words will have to suffice, that and the knowledge you have done our parts, now we must press on and do ours until it's time to return home. Thank you all and may God bless each of you.

Sincerely,
Sgt Josh Tripp
Centcom DDOC

11 Oct 2004
I sent out another e-mail looking for people who want to get in on the generosity of people stateside and got another small bunch of replies. We are truly a unique bunsh here. In our unit, Centcom DDOC, we have DoD civilian workers, contractors, Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force personnel. It's getting more humid here as the wind begins blowing in off the gulf coast. For those who want specifics on what they can send or what people here would like, here's a list you can choose from. All are items used and needed regularily here, in addition to the treats we all love. :)

slim jims
beef jerky
pop-tarts (frosted strawberry are the favorite but any will do)
nuts (mixed, honey roasted, dry roast, salted, we devour them all)
granola bars (chewy are the favorite)
drink mix (pre-sweetened)
hard candy (jolly rancher seem to be popular)
starburst (or other soft type chew treats)
pringles
garlic powder
garlic salt
old bay seasoning
dove bar soap
liquid shower soap
hand lotion - small bottles
shampoo
conditioner
kleenex
mouthwash
shaving creme (the gillete gel stuff is popular)
razor blades (mach3 or mach3 turbo mostly)
magazines
paperbacks
movies/dvd's (action, comedy, drama... pretty much anything reasonable)
pre-paid phone cards

That should give anyone enough of a list to pick and choose what they want to send. By no means should anyone feel obligated to send a big package, though they'll never get turned away. :) All of us here at the Centcom Deployment Distribution Ops Center greatly appreciate the generosity and care from all of you back home. You really help us remember who we are serving over here while we also serve the Iraqis and Afghan people. We've received many packages and letters so far and all have been gratefully received. We try to write everyone who sends us something to say thanks. We work crazy hours here and we're pretty busy so please don't take offense if you don't hear from us for a while.

We'll be coming into the rainy season soon, that should be interesting to see. We recently had a huge crop of Marines come in after spending 8 months in Fallujah. These brave warriors looked like they'd been drug behind a truck but, they were all in good spirits, walking tall and excited about their trip home. It felt really good to get them their airlift out of here and know that they are now back in the states, able to see their husbands, wives, children and families again. That is the real reward of the work we get to do here, knowing we're getting these brave people back to their loved ones. Thanks so much for all your support and I will work on getting some pictures put up on here so you can see the beneficiaries of your charity! God bless you all.

28 Sep 2004
We live in 8 man tents, not 16. Not sure what I was thinking before! :) The troops I'm representing as a point of contact are from three military branches, save Navy and Coast Guard. So we would ask those wonderful folks back home who send us mail and packages if they would either specify which service they would like their mail to go to, i.e. "attn: any Marine, attn: any Soldier, attn: any Airmen". If you don't care which service your mail goes to, just put "attn: any troop" or "attn: any service member". This will greatly help me distribute items more fairly and evenly.

We are seeing a lot of troops come in to base who are heading home, and that's always a good thing. We were sitting at dinner last night in the chowhall and watched hundreds of Marines come in who had JUST gotten back from Iraq that day. I really felt for those guys. They were dirty, still sweating and many were still carrying their weapons. Even as a Marine in Kuwait, my heart still went out to these warriors living in much more humble conditions up north. I am grateful to be able to support and serve those brave service members and it's quite an honor to know the work I do directly affects these troops. We arrange and schedule the planes that take these weary troops home and bring in fresh replacements to carry the work forward.

I would like to thank all those who have sent us mail so far. I working on a system to get thank yous back to everyone who sends us mail or care packages. It's the least we can do for your kindness and support. The care packages usually get shared among a group of troops and the cards/letters get distributed to individuals. Each and every item that comes is very appreciated and lifts our spirits everytime.
Again, on behalf of all I represent, I want to extend our sincere gratitude for all the support we get from our fellow citizens and families back home. Without you as a reminder of what we serve, it's very easy to lose sight of why we're really here, to protect all we hold dear, of our own citizens, and the citizens ofIraq and Afghanistan alike. God bless you all and Semper Fidelis.

16 Sep 2004
We live in 16 man tents. Have electricty. We have access to toiletry items and regular meals. We don't have it as hard as some of the troops in Iraq do. Basically, all we like to get are snack type items. Things like pop-tarts, slim-jims, mixed nuts and similar snack items. Things like powdered gatorade or similar drink mixes are great considering the amount of water we drink in a day, it adds a little variety. We also greatly appreciate items like chapstick, kleenex, disposable cameras, non-prescription pain relievers like tylenol or advil. We are a small crowd for those I represent but still, every care package or letter from home reminds us of why we get up each day and serve over here. For those I represent, we are the soldiers, airmen and marines who coordinate and schedule ALL of the airlift missions for the Central Command area. All deployment flights from the US, redeployment flights going home, R&R flights and so on. We are the heart of DOD airlift for this theater.

We want to extend our sincere gratitude for all the support we get from our fellow citizens and families back home. Without your support as a reminder of what we serve, it's very easy to lose sight of why we're really here, to protect all we hold dear, of our own citizens, Iraqis and Afghanis alike. God bless you all.