Hello again all,

I was hoping someone here could answer my question if care packages are allowed at AIT? I would like to send my stepson some cakes, but I don't know if he is allowed food. I texted him the question, but shocker, he didn't respond.

So, anyone out there know the answer?

Thanks in advance.

Disregard this question, please. He did respond to my text message and he will not be getting a care package from me. He asked us not to talk to him anymore. Little punk ***.

Thanks

What's his name and unit? I'll smoke the S**T outta him!

Thanks for the offer. LOL. He's just being a little punk. He'll grow up. Soon too. He's going to Germany. Wake up time.

Drill Sergeant05,

Can I ask you what company you take care of at Fort Gordon?


Stepson is in Bravo of your battalion.

Thank you for your service.

Back to the question does anyone know if it is ok to send care Packages to AIT soldiers at Gordon?

We have sent a couple of small packages, to my knowledge there isn't the kind of restrictions on snack foods that there was in BCT, after all they have easy access to the food court at the PX and the junk food isle in the PX. The only thing I would caution on is letting them know to expect the package, my son has said that mail call is a major hassle because of the overcrowding and if you fail to hear your name called and don't pick up your mail they consider you to have "missed a formation".

It's been a while since I was at Gordon, but care packages were always okay. The problem may be on his end, however: young guys can have a stigma attached to getting a 'care package from mommy' and resent it as a sign of dependance. Don't worry though.. give him a few years in and those care packages are like messages from heaven.

Also remember, those packages go to the post office, then to the brigade mail room and then to the company mail room before they get handed out. and if you send food items we make them eat it right there. if it's alot, they usually give most of it away.

My son is at Ft. Gordon & never seems to get mail we send (no care packages). He said there is no mail call on Saturdays & the post office seems to have more days off that on the outside...so he tells us. Could this be true? I'm puzzled as you say not picking up mail is considered to have 'missed a formation'. This isn't just mail we send either.

Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by K_T_F:
We have sent a couple of small packages, to my knowledge there isn't the kind of restrictions on snack foods that there was in BCT, after all they have easy access to the food court at the PX and the junk food isle in the PX. The only thing I would caution on is letting them know to expect the package, my son has said that mail call is a major hassle because of the overcrowding and if you fail to hear your name called and don't pick up your mail they consider you to have "missed a formation".

quote:

Originally posted by pfcrensmom:
My son is at Ft. Gordon & never seems to get mail we send (no care packages). He said there is no mail call on Saturdays & the post office seems to have more days off that on the outside...so he tells us. Could this be true? I'm puzzled as you say not picking up mail is considered to have 'missed a formation'. This isn't just mail we send either.

Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by K_T_F:
We have sent a couple of small packages, to my knowledge there isn't the kind of restrictions on snack foods that there was in BCT, after all they have easy access to the food court at the PX and the junk food isle in the PX. The only thing I would caution on is letting them know to expect the package, my son has said that mail call is a major hassle because of the overcrowding and if you fail to hear your name called and don't pick up your mail they consider you to have "missed a formation".

My son has always received the packages that we have sent. I don’t know if it makes a difference or not, but we have always sent them UPS 2nd day delivery (it usually takes 3 days for it to get to him). When we have done that, he gets a notice that he has to go to the mail room to pick up the package and sign for it, so perhaps the added accountability helps to insure that the package gets there. We haven’t sent much mail to Ft. Gordon because he said that mail call was a hassle, and he has a cell phone and calls regularly during off duty time. We did send him a card on his birthday and that made it to him without any difficulty.

Yeah... sometimes it takes awhile for them to get the time to go to the post office and pick them up. When my husband was in AIT last summer he told me that if I sent any food items send enough for the whole company... so I did. One time I sent like 10 dozen peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, for the next week everytime I'd talk to him on the phone there would be at least one person yelling "THANK YOU MRS. HAMEL!" lol or just someone shouting a request for another home baked snack... so the next time it was brownies... do you have any idea how much brownies weigh?!? I sent like 15lbs of brownies... they didn't all get eaten... they were good it was just too much lol.

I don't know what battalions/companies everybody else is talking about but in Bravo 447, if you sent food you were NOT allowed to take it in the barracks - meaning whatever is sent needs to be in portion enough to be able to eat it in the as little as 5 minutes your soldier may have between mail call and their next detail/class/formation/etc. I sent a whole bunch of food my husband's first week and he ended up having to give a bunch of it away and throw some away also because he couldn't take it inside.

And yes, they COULD get away with getting food upstairs, but it's asking to get in trouble, including possibly get the whole barracks smoked for it (which won't make your soldier popular no matter how tasty the goodies are).

So, maybe send one cake.

I opted for an easier route to receive packages. I opened an account at the UPS store and got all of my packages through them without having to get them inspected. Not that it mattered since I never had anyone ship me anything that would be considered contraband anyway. I simply liked the fact that I could send and receive mail on my own time.

Is the UPS Store on or off the base? Off base wouldnt' do a Phase 4 much good so I am assuming you mean on base somewhere.

I've never seen a UPS store but you can also try the PO Box route - there is a USPS down Rice Road just a hop skip and a jump away from the PXtra, I'll bet the PO boxes are in hot demand but it's worth a shot.

There is a UPS store in the same plaza as the PXtra.

quote:

Originally posted by DRILL_SGT05:
Also remember, those packages go to the post office, then to the brigade mail room and then to the company mail room before they get handed out. and if you send food items we make them eat it right there. if it's alot, they usually give most of it away.

DRILL_SGT05, thanks for making me laugh out loud! It sounds like you guys really enjoy / have fun in your job.