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Gift ideas for military guys?

M

morkman100

Senior member
A coworker of mine is leaving for basic this week and I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas of a good going away gift. He enlisted in the Marines, and his specialty is basically guaranteeing that he will be deployed to Iraq as soon as he completes boot camp/training?

Maybe between $50 and $100.

Thanks.

morkman
 
Whatever he takes he will not be allowed to have so I am thinking a last good meal before he leaves. Its the last time he'll get to actually spend time eating 🙂
 
Originally posted by: yinan
Whatever he takes he will not be allowed to have so I am thinking a last good meal before he leaves. Its the last time he'll get to actually spend time eating 🙂
Click to expand...

I was wondering about that. Is that really true? Sunglasses? MP3 player? Is this just boot camp?
 
Originally posted by: yinan
Whatever he takes he will not be allowed to have so I am thinking a last good meal before he leaves. Its the last time he'll get to actually spend time eating 🙂
Click to expand...

QFT. You are more or less allowed to take nothing to boot camp with you except perhaps running shoes.

Wait until he finishes boot camp and when he comes home for his 10 day leave before he goes to MCT, buy him a nice meal (and if you can, buy him a beer...regardless of the laws, anyone who completes Marine Boot Camp is a MAN (or WOMAN for those of that gender) and IMO, should be able to have a beer or two.
 
You arent even allowed to take running shoes. You wear what you are issued. The only personal affects you get to keep are your wallet and identification. Everything else gets turned in the first night/VERY early morning you are there.

I hope hes in for a rude awakening... I wasnt...
 
Other than a Bible/Koran/Torah/equivalent, and possibly 2-3 family type photographs, and perhaps an address book (keep it small, space is valuable) not a spec of what he takes (not even the clothes on his back or his wallet and its contents) will be kept with him.

Just get him tanked, get him laid, give him some rest. He will need it.
 
Give him and HJ to remember you by. Save the rest of the $48-$98 for buying him a good meal and a couple cases of beer, a couple cigars, and other crap next time he comes in to town.
 
My buddy said chew or cigs when he went. They get care packages of everything else so the real dry items are those.

EDIT: Didn't read the whole post. Thought he was being deployed.
 
Originally posted by: SirStev0
My buddy said chew or cigs when he went. They get care packages of everything else so the real dry items are those.
Click to expand...

negative.

No tobacco allowed. Care packages get inspected and confiscated before you can touch them.

Perhaps you are thinking of an over seas deployment?
 
Thanks, but I'd say no to the dinner/drinks ideas... My company is buying lunch for the office as a going away thing. So this gift is something that we would give to him then.

This gift could also be something that he'll want/need when deployed in 3-6 months.

 
Originally posted by: morkman100
Originally posted by: yinan
Whatever he takes he will not be allowed to have so I am thinking a last good meal before he leaves. Its the last time he'll get to actually spend time eating 🙂
Click to expand...

I was wondering about that. Is that really true? Sunglasses? MP3 player? Is this just boot camp?
Click to expand...
If I wasnt allowed to bring anything in the Navy I seriously doubt it can be done in the Marines.
I even had to turn my glasses in.
 
Originally posted by: morkman100
Thanks, but I'd say no to the dinner/drinks ideas... My company is buying lunch for the office as a going away thing. So this gift is something that we would give to him then.

This gift could also be something that he'll want/need when deployed in 3-6 months.
Click to expand...
Assuming he's still in. About 50% washout rate in the first 6 months, especially if any of that time is spent in pre-deployment mode.

Also, theres no way of knowing if and when he will be deployed before going to bootcamp, so dont assume that at all. Active duty wont know what unit they are joining until much later. And reservists, even though they know what unit they will be assigned to, and even if they know that far in advance of a deployment (unlikely) they have a good chance of missing it because they wont have spent enough time with that unit prior to going over.

buy him tickets to a sporting event then.

 
Well since all tangibles are out of the question... I say get him one night with a hooker... I'd include blow too but the drug tests may screw him a la Zane Johnson.
 
When my brother was deployed he asked for books. When he went to basic we didn't give him anything. Maybe you could give him money?
 
I've given this compass out to my troops after a significant milestone in their career.

Just have their name engraved on the brass placard to personalize it. Only their name, not their rank.

Edit: Some troops will never get issued a compass, but this is the official one. And your friend will probably keep it with their field equipment during a deployment or training. He'll likely have it his entire career because there's a tie-down, thus you won't lose it.
 
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