[Gombessa]

A good friend of mine is shipping off to Iraq for a year, and I'd like to get an idea of what I can send to him.

I've asked Senor Google, and he has a lot of good suggestions, but most seem tailored to troops who are out on the front lines. My bud is an officer and as far as I can tell he's going to be stationed full-time at Camp Victory in the green zone. So I don't know if stuff like foot powder and moleskin is going to be quite as useful for him (though if there's a general shortage of stuff like that maybe he can give them away to those who need it)? Similarly, I now know the base has stuff like movies, coffee, cafeteria food etc. (and here I thought everyone just got MREs all day and night), but I have no idea what kind of quantities/variety are involved (e.g., would general stuff like instant or fresh ground coffee, cookies, etc. be usable or just redundant)?

So anyways, I know there are a lot of military peeps here so I thought I'd ask if anyone had suggestions on what kind of amenities would make life easier on-base (and also, suggestions on what NOT to send - I know he likes durian of all things, but I gotta think about the other troops too).

Thanks!