DaytonDailyNews.com

Staff Sgt. Thomas Fields returned from Iraq in June after spending a year there.

"Mail was an important part of the day," recalled Fields, military liaison for Greenville-based Troop C, 2nd Squadron, of the Ohio National Guard's 107th Cavalry Regiment, which sent about 100 guardsmen to Iraq last month.

People who have a loved one serving away from home get into a routine of sending mail and care packages filled with much-needed items and special treats, especially during the holidays.

"Care packages are still one of the warmest things that a service member can receive," said Lt. Col. Robert Bramlish, family program director for the Ohio National Guard, which has deployed more than 9,000 guardsmen since the war on terror started. "It doesn't matter if they know the person or not."

More than 1,000 Ohio guardsmen are deployed around the world. To get more information about how to send packages to members of deployed Ohio National Guard units, call (800) 589-9914.

Bramlish suggests sending smaller items such as Tic Tacs, hard candy, wet wipes and beef jerky packaged inside one-gallon resealable plastic bags that soldiers can stuff inside cargo pouches. If sent to the unit's leader, that person can channel the items to those who aren't receiving much mail or care packages, he said.

Pre-paid phone cards also are a good item to purchase, he said, because you are buying someone an opportunity to call home. Bramlish said there are 22 AAFES stores in Iraq, which he likened to the military's mini Wal-Mart.

Service personnel can usually buy toiletries and other items there.

But not always.

Theresa Bocock's son — Army Pfc. Gary Grimes, 21, of Dayton — is in Iraq. When he requested toothpaste, deodorant and other toiletries, she sent him a package "overnight" Nov. 20. She was overjoyed to hear he received it five days later.

Tucked inside the box were his early Christmas presents — five Play Station games and two DVDs.

"If not on a mission, they are on the base," she said. "It's holiday time and they can get homesick, so I was trying to find something to keep them busy and not thinking about not being home."

She began choking up when she said those words — "not being home."

"It's so scary as a parent," she said. "Even though I do not like him being there, he believes in what he's doing."

To ensure delivery of holiday cards and packages by Dec. 25 to military APO/FPO addresses overseas and to international addresses, the U.S. Postal Service suggests sending them by recommended mailing dates. Check at your local post office for the specific dates, which include Dec. 4-19 for Priority and Express Mail services. For more information, go to www.usps.com/supportingourtroops/.

> Send greetings and photos to our troops overseas

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2094 or mkissell@DaytonDailyNews.com.