Military question

[coffeegrl]

Ok, so I don't have a lot of money to spend, but a very dear friend of mine (it's been very, very complicated--I'll just put it that way) is going to Iraq with the National Guard in April, and will be gone for a year. He is also, most likely, going to be moving to the other side of the state within a couple weeks for a job. As much as that makes me sad, the job would be awesome for him, as he makes less than I do right now, and I'm working only part-time because of grad school. (He just finished his undergrad in December due to previous deployments which interrupted his college education.)

Anyway, before he moves to the other side of the state, I would like to get a couple things for him for when he is deployed, since we probably won't get to see each other again before then. I don't have a lot of money, so I'm not making some big sort of care package. What I would like to get are just a couple of international calling cards, so he can call home to friends and family, and some postcards (some already pre-addressed to me) and stamped already.

Here's the thing. I have no clue how or where to get these things!!! Where do I buy international calling cards and how much do they normally run? Is there some place, like maybe an office store, that just sells plain post-cards (not anything fancy or "touristy") and how do I know what kind of postage to get to pre-stamp them for him? Are all calling cards the same price for a set number of minutes or are there different ones you can get, from say different companies, that might give me a better bang for my buck?

Thanks so much for any help!

[wackyaunt]

You might skype with your buddy for free if you have a web camera on your pc...

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

He can send mail without putting stamps on it ~ just so you know.
Ask if he is taking his computer and can Skype ... if so, you can always buy Skype credits for him that let's him use his computer to call a landline in the U.S. (I think it's free to use Skype computer to computer).
Depending on where he'll be stationed (and whether or not there is an exchange there) an AAEFES gift card might be nice. (That's basically a gift card for the BX ... Base Exchange)
Once he gets to his final "camping destination" you should be able to send him actual care packages. I recommend the US Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes (medium sized) which you can mail for less than $12, no matter how heavy. And you can fit a LOT of things in there. Cards, newspaper funnies, magazines, snacks, books, etc.
DO NOT JUST BUY AN INTERNATIONAL CALLING CARD ~ some don't work over there or have ridiculous fees. My wonderful DH will be back from Iraq in less than a week and I will ask him what he recommends.

[NancysSummerSip]

Coffee, Sam's Club, WalMart, Costco and a number of major retailers and phone service companies sell international calling cards. Yes, they are for a set number of minutes. I found a variety of them on AT&T's and Sam's Club websites.

US Post Office has the prestamped post cards, and can make sure they are stamped with the proper FPO postage for where your friend will be stationed.

[coffeegrl]

Thanks for the tips! I do have Skype on my laptop (I don't have a landline) and he has a really nice, top of the line laptop, which I'm sure he'll take with him. I'm betting it has Skype on it.

And I didn't know he could send mail without stamps. So I could just buy some postcards or get him some cheap stationary/envelopes and he can send them without postage?

Thanks Molly, for checking with your DH on the calling cards. I want to make sure anything I give him he can actually use and isn't just wasted money.

And thanks for the tip on the Base Exchange. I'll have to find out from him if where he is going has one. And I'll definitely be sending him care packages while he's gone. I just didn't want to give him one more thing he has to pack and keep track of with getting over there.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I know that people have given my wonderful DH calling cards in the past and he couldn't use them in Iraq at his base ... so that's why I am suggesting you wait until I can ask about calling cards.

Every card my wonderful DH sent me from Iraq ... no postage was required. If your friend is going to Iraq or Afghanistan, that should be the same. (Not sure about other areas of the world) But if he mails a BOX ... postage was required.

[bobosensei]

Ditto on the no calling cards. For the Army they can use the MWR phones for free.

When DH is deployed I send him paperback books, homebaked things, and anything else he asks for. He is really able to get himself anything that he wants on the FOB or by ordering it online.

[olderburgher]

When our nephew's National Guard Medivac unit of the guard was in Iraq last year we sent him Post Office "if it fits it ships" boxes quarterly containing nuts, gum, Individual packets of Crystal light to flavor the water in his canteen, chap sticks, salty snacks, paperback books every other month, video games. All reportedly a hit. His calls were Skyped to his wife and family.

[montanatransplant]

When our son was in Guam, we chatted alot over Skype. In fact we talked more when he was there, than when he is on our terra-firma.
Re: AFFES gift card. To buy one, you would have to have an military ID card. But they can be purchased on-line. Your postage to him (letters, postcard) is the same as state-side.