19 Sep 2022:
Happy Thanksgiving!!! We recently crossed over the half way mark of this deployment. Now we need to get through Thanksgiving and Christmas and keep the morale up for all our junior Soldiers. Many of which have never been overseas, which means this is their first holidays deployed overseas. Our leadership continues to find new and creative ways to motivate our Soldiers as the weather continues to get colder and Soldiers start thinking about the holidays and missing home and family traditions more.
It's finally prime time sports season, which provides a greatly appreciated and much needed temporary relief from the mission. Everyone has his or her favorite football team (college and pro) and hockey season is well underway as well as college basketball (Go Michigan State). Anything sports related in letter or care packages is amazing.
Once again, I would like to pass along my great appreciation for all the support me and my team continue to receive out here. Every letter and care package is significant in terms of affecting morale and I try to respond to everyone that supports us (please include your email address).
Our living conditions remain the same. We continue to have access to a coffee pot (Keurig) and a microwave. Our sleep conditions have not changed and that means there are some concerns as the weather continues to get colder. Larger blankets / comforters would be appreciated. We still have access both 110 and 220 power but most outlets are 220.
Packages continue to take between 12-16 days to get here. So please be patient, I will try and reply to everyone.
Happy holidays and thanks for the continued support!
V/R,
David R. Bruce
05 October 2022 Update
I cannot believe it is already October! The weather has absolutely changed and started getting colder here hence some of the requests below. When we are not working (after long shifts or one day on the weekend) we are allowed to relax and take the uniform off, hence the request below for flannels and hoodies below. Everyone (but me) has been enjoying the start of football season. Of course my teams from Michigan are struggling. Hopefully when hockey season starts I will have something to cheer about. We are co-located with some Canadians, so talking about hockey with them will be fun.
Once again, I would like to pass along my great appreciation for all the support me and my team has received out here. It is truly impressive and absolutely has a direct impact on each and every Soldier out here.
As I have mentioned in the last two posts, Any Soldiers has partnered with extreme outfitters which is one of their sponsors. They have requested we include the link or URL to the item(s) we need, to ensure we get the quality items we need in a tactical environment. So after our consolidated wish list, I will include links to specific items still requested.
Our living conditions remain austere and after 3 months I have also include some cleaning supplies like I did in last month’s wish list. We continue to have access to a coffee pot and microwave. For coffee K-Cups are preferred but we have a French Press as well. We sleep in crapped quarters, with most of the junior Soldiers in tents, but we still have access to buildings that have both 110 and 220 power.
Packages have been taking about 12-16 days to get here. So by the time this gets posted and any future packages come it will be getting close to the holiday season (Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas). If anyone has any seasonal decorations that would be awesome! Forward thinking, but if anyone has the ability to send 220 (European plug) Christmas lights, that would be amazing for when we get into November.
Like the previous months, I receive a lot of feedback from people that thank me for creating / sharing a detailed list of options so they know what they send is actually going to be used. The wish list below is just a list of ideas, we absolutely are thankful for any and all support. Letters, pictures, care packages big and small all make the significant impact on the quality of life and morale out here. As more Soldiers learn about the care packages I share, the more Soldiers have been making requests. As always anything and everything is very much appreciated!!
Ukrainian Flag
Thanksgiving and Christmas Decorations
Retractable lanyard
Swiffer WetJet Mop Cleaner and Pad Refills
Swiffer Duster Cleaner Starter KitM3 Command Hooks
Twin bed blankets / comforter
Oreos
Doritos
Cheetos
Beet chips
Beef jerky
Summer sausage
Spicy Mustard
Sirachi
Cumin (the spice)
Protein shakes
Starbucks Double Shot Iced Coffee
Cigars
Memory supplements - PureNature Cognifen
Small rug
Funny door mat
Hand Warmers
Hoodies (sizes M, L XL)
Flannel shirts (sizes M, L, XL)
“Running” socks black ankle
Army green socks Small
Moisture wicking t-shirts (L)
Deodorant clear gel
Mach III razor replacement blades
Stamps
Slinky
Yo-yo
Magic 8-ball
Fidget spinners
ANYTHING: sports related to Michigan State University, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators, Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers or Boston Red Sox
A few items from Extreme Outfitters:
Tactical OD Green or Coyote colored socks (sizes medium and large) https://extremeoutfitters.com/product-category/footwear/footwear-accessories/socks/
Tactical backpacks https://extremeoutfitters.com/product-category/packs-and-bags/hiking-backpacks/
Solar Portable USB Charger: https://extremeoutfitters.com/shop/camping-outdoors/electronics/solar-and-portable-power/biolite-charge-40-fast-usb-c-pd-powerbank/ ,
Much thanks for anyone and everyone who can and is willing to support me and my team during this deployment.
04 September 2022
Another month, another update and I’ll start the same way as last month; THANK YOU for all the support our team has received. My team has truly been blessed with a few very supportive individuals and groups. Sincerely every package and letter has an instant impact on moral and the quality of life for all of us. It is weird to say but it feels like the individual hours and days go by fast yet the calendar seems frozen as we still have months and months left. The weather has finally turned here so the 90+ degree days are over and now the mornings and nights are cold (note the request list below includes cold weather items). In a recent letter someone commented that they like that I referenced the Soldier I care for as “my kids”. I’ll tell ya it feels just like that as a couple of them are just 19 and eyes wide open every day!
With the turning of the weather has come football season. Everyone is excited for college and pro football so the constant talking about each person’s team seems to dominate the limited down time we have. Needless to say if anyone is reading this from Michigan, sending anything MSU or Detroit Lions would help me keep these young kids in check!
As I mentioned last time, I noticed that Any Soldiers has partnered with Extreme Outfitters which is a sponsor. They have requested we include the link or URL to the item(s) we need, to ensure we get the quality items we need in a tactical environment. So after our consolidated wish list, I will include links to specific items still requested.
Our living conditions remain austere and after two months I have also include some cleaning supplies in this month’s wish list. We continue to have access to a microwave and a different styles of coffee makers so we can use whole bean, ground coffee or K-cups. We sleep in crapped quarters, with most of the junior Soldiers in tents, but we still have access to buildings that have both 110 and 220 power.
This month’s list actually grew again. Overwhelmingly people have written and thanked me for creating / sharing a detailed list of options so they know what they send is actually going to be used. As more Soldiers learn about the care packages I share the more Soldiers have been making requests. As always anything and everything is very much appreciated!!
Ukrainian Flag
The Book: G-2: Intelligence For Patton by Oscar W. Koch
Retractable Lanyard
Soap Dishes for bar soap
Small/medium Mirror
Swiffer WetJet Mop Cleaner and Pad Refills
Swiffer Duster Cleaner Starter KitM3 Command Hooks
Yoga mat
Twin bed blankets / comforter
Doritos
Cheetos
Beet chips
Beef Jerky
Summer sausage
Spicy Mustard
Sirachi
Cumin (the spice)
Ritz crackers
Protein shakes
Starbucks Double shot Iced Coffee
Cigars
Coffee travel mug
Multi-Vitamins
Memory supplements - PureNature Cognifen
Plastic Tupperware (small bowl)
Cast Iron skillet / pan
Plates & Bowls
Flatware
Liquid dish soap (small)
Plate scrub brush
Workout drink shaker
Goodies headache powder
Small rug
Full sized bath towels
Funny door mat
Hand Warmers
Hoodies (sizes M, L XL)
Flannel Shirts (sizes M, L, XL)
Scarfs
“Running” socks black ankle
Army green socks Small
Moisture wicking t-shirts (L)
Men’s Running shoes (size 11)
Woman’s Running shoe (size 7.5)
Deodorant clear gel
Mach III razor replacement blades
Small finger nail clippers
Nose hair trimmer
Stamps
Slinky
Yo-yo
Magic 8-ball
Fidget spinners
Running Arm Band
Hockey puck & left handed stick
ANYTHING: sports related to Michigan State University, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators, Detroit Lions or Detroit Tigers
We do not need any crossword puzzle books, playing cards or bibles as we have more than enough of all those things already.
A few items from Extreme Outfitters:
Tactical OD Green or Coyote colored socks (sizes medium and large) https://extremeoutfitters.com/product-category/footwear/footwear-accessories/socks/
Tactical backpacks https://extremeoutfitters.com/product-category/packs-and-bags/hiking-backpacks/
Solar Portable USB Charger: https://extremeoutfitters.com/shop/camping-outdoors/electronics/solar-and-portable-power/biolite-charge-40-fast-usb-c-pd-powerbank/ ,
We do not need crossword or other puzzle books, decks of cards of Bibles as we brought a bunch of each of those items.
Much thanks for anyone and everyone who can and is willing to support me and my team during this deployment.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
Dave Bruce
02 August 2022
First off, THANK YOU for all the support our team has already received. It is truly overwhelming and humbling to know so many people still support the troops despite our deployments not being headline news. I can’t believe it has already been a month that my team and I have been on the ground! For this being my 10th deployment it sure is moving right along. It is crazy to have so many young kids on this deployment that have never deployed before. I am certainly feeling like the old man on this deployment. After a month we have been able to establish ourselves and identity what we are missing, have run out of or things that would be nice to have. Like I have over the years, I’ll include a wish list at the bottom of this post.
I re-read the instructions for this website and two things are new. #1 we can’t include pictures anymore. That is surprising as I liked sharing pictures of my team so you can see who you are supporting. If you send me a care package and include a note with an email address I will do my best to reply and share a picture of our team. The second new thing is that Any Soldiers has partnered with Extreme Outfitters which is a sponsor. They have requested we include the link or URL to the item(s) we need, to ensure we get the quality items we need in a tactical environment. So after our consolidated wish list, I will include links to specific items requested.
Our living conditions remain austere. I misspoke last post about having access to a microwave but we do now. We sleep in crapped quarters, most of us in tents, but we still work in buildings that have both 110 and 220 power. We have limited infrequent access to a VERY small PX/BX (store) that is utilized by more Soldiers than it was designed for.
This list is a little longer this month as the Soldiers realize we have support! This is a wish list from a variety of Soldiers, anything and everything is very much appreciated.
G-2: Intelligence For Patton by Oscar W. Koch
Retractable Lanyard
Soap Dishs for bar soap
Small/medium Mirror
Yoga mat
Twin bed blankets / comforter
Oreos
Doritos
Cheetos
Summer sausage
Spicy Mustard
Sirachi
Ritz crackers
Protein shakes
Starbucks Doublesho Iced Coffee
Cigars
Coffee travel mug
Multi-Vitamins
Fly swatter
Plastic Tupperware (small bowl)
Liquid dish soap (small)
Plate scrub brush
Workout drink shaker
Goodies headache powder
Small rug
Full sized bath towels
Funny door mat
“Running” socks black ankle
Army green socks Small
Moisture wicking t-shirts (L)
Men’s Running shoes (size 11)
Woman’s Running shoe (size 7.5)
Deodorant clear gel
Mach III razor replacement blades
Hair gel
Small finger nail clippers
Stamps
Slinky
Yo-yo
Magic 8-ball
Fidget spinners
Running Arm Band
Hockey puck & stick
ANYTHING: sports related to Michigan State University, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators, Detroit Lions or Detroit Tigers
A few items from Extreme Outfitters:
Tactical OD Green or Coyote colored socks (sizes medium and large) https://extremeoutfitters.com/product-category/footwear/footwear-accessories/socks/
Tactical backpacks https://extremeoutfitters.com/product-category/packs-and-bags/hiking-backpacks/
Solar Portable USB Charger: https://extremeoutfitters.com/shop/camping-outdoors/electronics/solar-and-portable-power/biolite-charge-40-fast-usb-c-pd-powerbank/
We do not need crossword or other puzzle books, decks of cards of Bibles as we brought a bunch of each of those items.
Much thanks for anyone and everyone who can and is willing to support me and my team during this deployment.
Respectfully,
Dave Bruce
03 July 2022
I am the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of a small team. This is my 10th deployment and with each one I have been supported by members of this website. I am extremely grateful and hope I can get support for my team again during this tour. Our living conditions are fairly austere, most of the Soldiers are in open-bay style sleeping conditions. We have access to a community microwave and refrigerator. We work in buildings that have both 110 and 220 power. We have limited infrequent access to a VERY small PX/BX (store) that is utilized by more Soldiers than it was designed for.
Our unit is from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, but the members of the team are comprised of men and women from Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, Maryland, Georgia, California, Texas and the Boston area.
We just started our deployment, which will last at least 9 months. We will be working through the 4th of July and will spend many holidays, birthdays and other significant events here during our deployment.
In terms of specific requests a few on my team forgot items, only brought one, or have had items destroyed during our movement.
Guys have requested Mach III razors for shaving, gel shaving cream and clear gel deodorant.
Both sexes have requested additional hygiene items to include 3 in 1 liquid shower soap, toothpaste, full body shower towels, twin sheets and shower curtains.
Several team members have also requested memory foam, yoga mats, Goodies Headache Powder and multi-vitamins. Additional requests from the team include Protein bars, Protein shakes / powder, Liquid IVs drink powder, small rugs, running socks black ankle, army green socks all sizes, moisture wicking t-shirts variety of colors (size Large), tennis shoes, stationary, stamps, envelopes, coffee travel mug, tennis balls, hockey pucks, football and soccer balls. All kids of food and snacks would also be appreciated.
We do not need crossword or other puzzle books, decks of cards or Bibles as we brought a bunch of each.