Red Dragon FRG Planning GuideSingle Soldier Barracks Upgrade and WELCOME HOME

Our Soldier heroes are coming home! For Single Soldiers, they will return to a barracks room with only the basic necessities. Our goal is to ‘upgrade’ their rooms with everything they might need for the first day or two, alleviating the need for them to go to the store immediately upon setting foot on American soil. We want them to feel WELCOMED HOME after a job well done in Iraq.

The USO has both female and male hygiene kits that brigade will provide for us. The female has a pink camo shave kit with female deodorant and female hygiene products.The kit includes:

Shave kit:*Lubriderm lotion*small scissors*unscented anti-perspirant (lady speed stick in the girl kit)*shampoo*tooth paste*sun screen*chap stick*comb*toothbrush*toothbrush case*2 lens cleaning towelettes*2 very small packets of shave cream

Small roll of toilet paper Packets of Gatorade (ladies have lemonade) Small beef jerky (check expiration date) Small trail mix 1 individual microwavable pop corn (check expiration date) Readers digest Crossword puzzle AT&T 100 minute phone card Cool pack scarf for the neck Playing cards Small plastic razor

Our Wish List

Our unit colors are red and gold. 1st Cavalry Division colors are black and gold. These would be great options for colors when looking for any of the items listed below. Ultimately, solid colors in a neutral shade will work best (black, tan, navy, beige, gray, white, or unit colors red or gold).

1. 200 Twin Sheet Sets – 1 flat, 1 fitted, 1 pillowcase (solid, neutral colors). The Army will provide sheets for the rooms if we do not get these. They are on a 30 day loan, giving the Soldiers ample time to purchase or unpack their own. We can decide how we want to do this … provide sheets they can keep or prioritize other items.

2. 200 Twin Size pillows – The Army does provide a new pillow for each single Soldier in the barracks, but they may have to sign for it before going to their rooms. If we want to provide a pillow for them, they can end up with two pillows or we can prioritize other items.

3. 200 small, round laundry baskets ($1.00 at The Dollar Tree) – These work great to hold all the ‘goodies’ we’ll provide plus they are useful for the Soldiers when doing small loads of laundry later.

4. 100 shower curtains (with rings) – A friend found a dollar store in El Paso who sold the shower curtain and ring set for $1.74 each. She suggested asking the manager of a local Dollar store if we can (NOT receive a donation) but buy at cost for a good cause.

5. 200 full-size towels – All-important for showering that desert sand off after months in Iraq.

6. 200 washcloths

7. 100 bath mats – Soldiers share a bathroom so we would only need 100 bath mats. This is optional, but a nice touch.

8. 200 bottles of hand soap

9. 200 hand towels

10.200 bars of soap

11.200 single load laundry soap (a friend went to a laundry mat (in El Paso, Texas) and found out who the vendor was who sells them the single load size Tide. The vendor sold them at cost which was 33 cents per small box.)

12.200 single load laundry dryer sheets (sample packs)

13.200 sets of shower shoes – This would be a total luxury but a friend was able to get black shower shoes and Old Navy t-shirts donated for her 400 Soldiers at Fort Hood just last month, so why not give it a shot?

14.200 air fresheners – A nice touch for stale rooms that have been closed for months.

15.400 bottles of water

16.200 small American flags to place in the basket

17.200 “Welcome Home, Red Dragon Soldier!” posters for the front door

18.200 “Welcome Home” hand-written notes to place in each Soldier’s room

OPTIONS FOR SNACKS FOR EACH SOLDIER:

19.200 boxes of Girl Scout cookies

20.200 bags of chips

21.200 bags of snack mix/trail mix

22.200 granola or energy bars

23.200 packages of cookies

24.200 packages of microwaveable popcorn

25.200 mints to place on the Soldiers’ pillow

Other snack ideas are welcome in increments of 200. All snacks must be store-bought, pre-packaged, and unopened.

Sample Finished Bed (Courtesy of a friend who just completed the Welcome Home fun!)