From: Stephen Gamm
To: "Bradford Marker"
Sent: Saturday, June 18, 2005 12:27 PM
Subject: Re: great to hear your okay

 Hey Brad,

 Thanks for the thoughts. It is hard to show how thankful we are for
 people at home wanting to help. There are so many reasons we are here and people like you guys who are apprentice of what we are doing, makes the entire thing feel worth it. I laughed at your story about the writing home. I was an E-4 four times myself, but I won't tell any one. Now I am an officer. Go figure?

       As for helping supplies, phone cards will do us no good right now. Where we are located there is only a contract set of phones and this "Hodjie" run internet room. What we do is buy cell phones (prepaid) on the local market from our interpreters to use when the contract center is to busy or out of service.

           When you are at the major FOBs they have ATT phone
 centers. Things that are useful are dry lubricants for weapons, medicated things like antiphonal spray, powder, and or lotion. Non-greasy antibiotics for scratches and baby-wipes are also popular, and bug repellant. The bug repellant is the hardest to ship because it is such a strong solvent, if it leaks is melts any other nylon or plastics in the box including the glue/tape holding the box together. If it is sealed well they do OK. What ever you send, know that it will bake before we get it.  

       Oh, ...many of us have learned to keep shampoo for everything. A good shampoo that is not strong smelling makes a good body wash and cloths wash also. As for other ideas, I bet you already know from past experience.

 Thanks for the thoughts,

 No King but Jesus.

 Me