A tutorial on creating the perfect care package

There’s an art to creating the perfect care package. It must be filled with the perfect proportion of items that are practical and useful, and items that are practically useless.

A successful package might contain bags of whey protein, Cliff bars, a package of fake mustaches of all colors, and a book titled “What’s your poo telling you?” by Josh Richman and Anish Sheth, M.D. Yes -- I did purchase that gem at Spencer’s.

See, the perfect care package is a specially crafted work of art. Nobody wants to open a package to find a pack of jockey shorts and socks, even if they need them.

You have to send a little bit of "needs" and a little bit of "what the heck?"

The most important thing about a care package is how many smiles come out of it.

It’s hard work, but with a little creativity and a lot of goofiness, you can create the perfect box of love and laughs from home.

--Tiffany

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Sgt. Roberto D. Sanchez

The Department of Defense announced the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. Roberto D. Sanchez, 24 of Satellite Beach, Fla., died Oct. 1 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield Ga.

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From Terry Longpre, who attended the memorial for

Gunnery Sergeant Aaron Kenefick:

On October 1st I, along with 14 other Patriot Guard Riders assembled at the Main Gate of MacDill AFB (Tampa) to ride through the installation with our American and Patriot Guard Rider flags flying. Upon our arrival at the base Chapel we set our flag line.

Our mission was to stand in honor and respect for Gunnery Sergeant Aaron Kenefick who had been killed in Afghanistan on September 8th, 2009 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, along with 3 other Marines.

This young warrior was one of America’s finest. His military accomplishments were outstanding for a Marine with so few years in the Corps.

Aaron M. Kenefick was born and raised in Buffalo, New York.

In December 1999 - was selected as the Marine of the Year.

Upon completion of his assignment at Special Operations Command - Europe, Sergeant Kenefick was transferred to Headquarters, United States Central Command. While at CENTCOM, Sergeant Kenefick served as the Enlisted Aide to the Deputy Director of Plans and Policy and the SNCOIC forward for the J-5 directorate. Sergeant Kenefick was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant in February 2006 and served as the SNCOIC of Operations Support Branch, J-2X Division.

Gunnery Sergeant Kenefick's awards include the Purple Heart (Second Award), Joint Service Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Gold Star, Joint Meritorious Unit Award with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Navy Unit Commendation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal with Bronze Star, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with Bronze Star, and the Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon with Bronze Star.

We thank you for your service and the sacrifice you made for America.

Semper Fi Marine

--Terry Longpre

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Around the military:

U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Chris Lalonde, center, holds onto his military working dog, Sgt. Maj. Fosco, while Kirby Rodriguez, behind them, deploys his parachute during the military’s first tandem airborne jump from an altitude of 12,500 feet onto Gammon Parade Field on Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., Sept. 18, 2009. Lalonde is assigned to Company D, 701st Military Police Battalion. Members of the Army’s Golden Knights watched the historic jump during Military Police Warfighter Week. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Vince Vander Maarel

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Dustin Thompson, left, sits in an irrigation canal with Cpl. Tim Barney, a forward observer, during a patrol, near Checkpoint North in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Sept. 23, 2009. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aaron Rooks

U.S. Army Pvt. Joseph Bosse (left) and Sgt. Michael Tardie look out through a window of a building they secured during a training exercise at Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, on Sept. 4, 2009. Both soldiers belong to 1st Platoon, Bravo (Legion) Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, U.S. Army Europe. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Adam Mancini, U.S. Army. (Released)