The subject title basically says it all, but what should you request initially that your family mail you in basic? Outside of letters, what items would have been the best to get. And what will the DS' take up as contraband (and what will make you the mockery of the whole unit if mommy mails it to you)? When I go to basic I want to have my family set up on a plan to get me the goods, but I really want a heads up on what I'll need before I get there.

Everything you will physically need will be issued to you, unless you're a female, then bringing bras is a good idea. The only other thing will be the love and support through letters. Anything else sent to you WILL BE searched by the DS's, so cookies, candies, etc are just a really bad idea. Pictures are nice as well, and no one will ever make fun of you for those (unless they're naked ones of your gf or bf-those are always fair game)

man, all you're really going to want is somebody to write you and tell you they love you. they WILL give you everything else you need and take everything else away from you... including your individuality!!! hehehe! LOL! Nah, just get a letter from somebody that loves you. That's all you'll want or need. God bless you duder!

I just remember reading on the forum that cough drops were to boot camp as cigarettes are to prison: currency. I didn't know if there were any other noteworthy items to consider.

quote:

Originally posted by Darquewaters:
I just remember reading on the forum that cough drops were to boot camp as cigarettes are to prison: currency. I didn't know if there were any other noteworthy items to consider.

If you can get a hold of them, and if your DI's/RDCs etc allow them.....they can't come through the mail, and someone in our division got caught with one after buying them at the exchange. Let's just say it wasn't pretty.

quote:

Originally posted by Darquewaters:
I just remember reading on the forum that cough drops were to boot camp as cigarettes are to prison: currency. I didn't know if there were any other noteworthy items to consider.

Self Care has cough drops and those are the only ones you need.

My brother thought he'd be funny and he sent me an envelope filled with plastic toy ants and glow in the dark stickers.

Suprisingly, my drills didn't give me too hard a time, I just explained to them that my brother was "special" and they left me alone with my ants.

I'm going back to basic in october, he threatened to send me glow in the dark plastic ants. I hope he doesn't

stamps

if your mails you any kind of package your RDCs will make you open it up in front of them.

quote:

Originally posted by Darquewaters:
I just remember reading on the forum that cough drops were to boot camp as cigarettes are to prison: currency. I didn't know if there were any other noteworthy items to consider.

It ain't like jail cuz I been in both. Boot camp is much worse than jail. why? cuz there's really nobody there to break the rules with... and YOU WON'T want to... if you do anything in the military... someone will see it... and they'll tell on you. trust me.

but yeah,
I'll tell you what i did... and this is no lie... I broke the rules a lot, cuz i knew i was going to get recycled anyway... so, i'd ask to go to bathroom during briefings and huff a damn white out pen used to do laundry marks...

i was a junky when i went in... i would've died if i didn't join them. it's sad but true. the reason a cough drop is like cigarettes though... is cuz they give you these shots and everyone gets sick as a damn dog about the second week. i ain't been sick since. that was about 6 years ago. i probably took up to 40 shots total because I went international. So I had to be immunized for various things they have there. (you only get about 6 or 7 in boot camp... all at the same time, both arms, quick and relatively painless)

i used to hate a needle, but i realized the anticipation of it is worse. so they took a young man who was a junky and turned him into the solid mental case i am now see. it was a good result all in all. i used to not want people to see me w/o my clothes on... by the time they were done "experimenting" with me... like a damn lab rat... i could just strip in front of a room full of doctors... let them shoot me up with god knows what... we really didn't know... but i ain't been sick since. something good! cuz we had to be "global mobile"... whatever that means???

anyway, yeah, them damn cough drops may as well be like dope in jail. i'll tell you what i did... they recycled me and i went straight to the store... i bought me some otc medicines. small packages (the single doses) of stuff like sudafed, tylenol, and some benadryl (which i'd live to regret as i was already sleepy as hell!)

I was so sick though. If someone else goes to sick call, wait till they get back with the meds... figure out if you can trust them... then ask them for some meds (when nobody else is around! which will be hard) if you need them. They never would let me go. By the time they let me go I damn near had pneumonia. Don't ask to go to sick call unless you really, really have to... the T.I. will draw a bead on you and make your life a living hell.

If you get caught though, you'll get recycled. You DON'T want that. Don't ever do drugs! I'm still sober, believe it or not...

I was just recently in BCT at Fort Knox KY,
We were very limited to what we could have,I would keep it simple, stamps,pictures,and calling cards,everyting else that u need the Drill seargents will facilitate a way to get u to the PX and purchase it.

Vitamin C drops were like crack to us lol. Since you can't have candy and that sort of thing, we binged on the vitamin c drops and cough drops you get from sick call. The DS's put an end to that though once they realize how much we were abusing them, and not really using them for their intended purpose.

My son is in basic now - he has asked me to ship his contacts - is he allowed to have them at basic or is that something that would be confiscated?

I don't know if the rule has changed, but when I was in basic in '01, contact lenses weren't allowed during training. They might let him keep them for off duty use.

I got back from basic about 3 months ago and contacts were a no-go. I wear contacts normanlly but would not recommend it during BCT. I did however wear them during AIT without a problem. The key difference is the CS gas. We didn't have any in AIT. That stuff burns the eyes enough without a barrier to hold it on there.
The vitamin C drops were definitely the cats meow during our basic also. I don't think I could ever have one again, but they were good then!!

In answer to the origional question, don't have them send you anything but regular mail. First off, you don't have much extra room for reminders of home. Second, as already mentioned, contraband will be confiscated, and you'll receive a dose of trouble that you don't need.

Just tell them to keep it simple.

I always enjoyed the food the other's got from home, since our CC made them share it with everyone on the spot. Leftovers got locked up in the office (and those of us on staff usually ate most of them at night).

quote:

Originally posted by hutch633:
My son is in basic now - he has asked me to ship his contacts - is he allowed to have them at basic or is that something that would be confiscated?

some places allow them for graduation.....depends on where he is.

I'm going to pre-package my own care packages/mail for some stuff. Are you usually allowed to keep vitamin c drops if sent from home? Or are they something you have to buy at the Joe PX or self-care?

These are the little boxes of Vicks Vitamin C drops right? We got to have a reasonable amount of those when I was first in basic, but that was a long time ago.

Are guys usually hard-up for stamps? If so, is this something you think I could trade to people for taking my fire-guard shifts? If so, I'm going to buy rolls of the things.

Vitamin C and cough drops aren't allowed.

Stamps are always in demand.

I would tell them not to send anything other than letters unless you write and ask for it. There were a few guys who had family send them toiletries, but I don't understand why. The only thing I wanted was pictures of my family, the more the better. I have my wife take at least a few pictures each week to send.