Ohio National Guard Sgt. Zack Bell recalled getting care packages while he was deployed with his unit overseas. He would push aside the candy and toiletries, instead seeking the personal notes of appreciation or drawings from children wishing him a happy whichever holiday was closest.
For him, each of those 8.5 x 11-inch pieces of paper from back home were reminders of why he chose to serve.
“It was churches and schools and stuff, and they would get with their kids and say, ‘Hey, what is sentimental to you around Thanksgiving time?’” Bell said. “And, they would draw a picture, and there were little notes, like, ‘Hey, think of this. This is what you got to look forward to when you get home.’ That was really cool to me. Not so much the candy that they sent; the letters of support.”
He’s slated to deploy with his unit this year to Africa and said that those doodles, and kind words from kids, will keep his spirits high.
“That’s what a lot of us are doing it for,” he said. “We’re not doing it for ourselves; we’re doing it for the youth and the next generation to be able to grow up in the country that we grew up in and hopefully better.”
Bell joined the Guard as a mortarman in May 2021 because he thought it would allow him more time with his family, but during his service, he has spent as much as 13 months at a time deployed to Syria, Jordan, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Calling one location “the most remote as you can get in this day and age,” Bell said that he asked for toiletries, but didn’t negate the fact that he and his buddies appreciated getting nicotine.
Meanwhile, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Vincent Lancia, an aircraft metals technology specialist, said where he was deployed was a little less remote. With access to a post exchange nearby, he really just appreciated the care packages that had “stuff in there for everybody.”
One item he remembers most from the care packages that came was a bunch of Magic: The Gathering Cards. He found it funny that a lot of the guys didn’t know what they were, so he taught them.
“I’m a nerd, so I already know how to play that,” Vincent said. “It’s stuff that helps keep the energy up, because obviously, out there, it’s not guaranteed we’ll get Wi-Fi and get access to certain things, so stuff to be able to do is always appreciated.”
Vincent’s dad, Chris, served 26 years in the Army. Now a member of the Night Stalker Association, a 501(c)19 nonprofit veteran’s organization, he serves members of his old unit, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR).
For insight on the wants and needs of those deployed, the association communicates directly with the chaplain, who gets the information from the senior enlisted leader. A unique aspect to the organization is that the families have an opportunity to add items to be shipped.
“Maybe somebody’s got kids, and the kids want to do a card for mom or dad and draw on it,” Chris said. “The families can get it to the chaplains, and the chaplains can make sure it goes in that person’s box. So, they’ll get a care package with whatever kind of cool stuff ends up in there.”
While their support is targeted for the 160th, if they receive additional requests from those outside of the unit, they can connect them with different organizations who can help get more packages to troops.
“I think it was less about what was in them and more about the fact that someone cared enough to send something to us,” Chris said. “And I think that’s something that a lot of times the intent can be missed, where people think that the service member wants something super fancy. No, no, literally, knowing that someone cared is oftentimes enough.”
From his time in service, Chris said that troops’ morale can tank while deployed to austere conditions or doing dangerous work.
“A lot of times it’s easy to feel taken for granted, or feel that maybe people just don’t care,” he said. “It just gives you that little shot of morale, shot in the arm of ‘All right, you know what? I’m out here doing this. I’m serving my country. People care.’ It goes back to gratitude. Folks tie gratitude to actions. We just want to know that someone cared enough to care.”
What do troops really want in care packages?
- Dude Wipes
- Nicotine
- Body wash
- Lotion (when in the desert)
- Shaving cream
- Letters from home/drawings from children
- Sunflower seeds
- Candy
- Nonperishable snacks, such as beef jerky
- Card games, crosswords, entertainment
- Baby oil
- Drink packets, e.g. Crystal Light
