As most of you know, and for those that don’t know, I’m a vet of the USAF…proudly served my country during Desert Storm as an Air Defense Controller, but that’s a whole other Oprah.  I endured a lot during those few years overseas – a lot of ups and downs with my comrades, colleagues and “family”.

Some of the things that I most enjoyed, outside of the travel, the different cultures and cuisines of other countries, were the care packages from home.

While I was stationed at my first duty station –  NAS Keflavik, Iceland – I shared a dormitory with the 960 AWACS crews – so basically I lived with about 300 (only 8 other women in total) aircraft mechanics, crew chiefs, flight ops guys and a few other fancy technical types….with this many people in one living arrangement, someone was bound to have a birthday….that is to say that, boxes from home would arrive sometimes a few times a week, housing socks, underwear (THANKS MOM), other toiletries and 99% of the time, some type of baked good OR prepackaged treat from home.  We were in HEAVEN…And during the holidays, at least once a day, someone would run into the Dayroom, ripping open a box, stuffed to the brim with potato chips, confections and goodies from the good ol’ US of A.

Just to give you an idea what it’s like to be stationed on what is considered a Remote Duty Station, as is a lot of the APO’s/FPO’s that are in the Middle East and Afghanistan, let me explain a few things to you….

We actually had a ration card that we had to carry and use at the PX/BX for “luxury” type items such as liquor, beer and the likes.  Most people would barter or pay for rations that they hadn’t used by the end of the month.  Funny stories ensue with these scenarios – trust me.

Fresh produce was only shipped in once a week for our base supplies…and with the number of active duty members on base….this didn’t always last….so we ate a lot of weird and wonderous combinations whether cooked in the dorms or at the base chow hall – which by the way, was run by Icelandic cooks.  Because I worked with the F-15 Fighter Interception Squadron, I would sometimes sneak out to the FIS and eat at a normal chow hall – (read: USAF chow hall, specifically for the pilots) – always a treat, in more ways than one.  You could nosh over great, hot food and recount that days scramble and intercept with the guys you talked to daily over the radio.

We didn’t have the luxury to have a lot of American type snacks – the comforts of home, so to speak – all the time either.  You *could* buy these things in Reykjavik – however, you’d pay dearly for anything snack-like.  A friend of mine paid $10.00 for a pack of M&M’s once off base….true story.

Again, if that weekly supply plane couldn’t get through due to weather, well, you were eating what you could for the time being….

Having said that – we always had food – it wasn’t that we were destitute or without….but just without the creature comforts of home.  And you don’t always realize how much you love your crunchy Cheetos until you can’t get your hands on them.

The Marines – who usually don’t socialize so well in all situations (mix with booze, fueled by competition and really truly an elite group) – had their own little gig that would serve grilled cheese sandwiches, chili, burgers and the likes in their dorm – basement of their barracks.  Great cheap, drunk food if you felt like you could deal with the jarheads for a few hours.  Always comical.

The USO had a fish fry every Friday night – cheap plate of local fried Icelandic þorskur (Cod) and all the trimmings, which probably was tinned coleslaw that even my Grandpa Flood had eaten in the late 50′s while he was stationed there.  And if I wasn’t working a 12-14 hour midshift, I would usually hit the USO.

But nothing says home more than brownies, cookies and the likes…it really does make you feel like you’re experiencing home, even if just for a few minutes, you can close your eyes and pretend you’re at your local church bake sale or school’s cake walk….you can almost smell it being baked….and you can definitely taste home, even if it is someone else’s family fudge or chocolate chip cookies.  Until, you’re called into action for something nutso on base…and you’re back in the thick of it.

This happened at every single duty station and I can tell you….it is SO APPRECIATED…I don’t think you can ever know how hard some days are out there, when a lot of times all you see is destruction and sadness.

Having said that, PLEASE, join in for a HUGE cause for JUST THAT….Valentines For Soldiers – January 16th, 6:00-9:00 PM

A friend of mine and highly notable food blogger, Nishta Mehra, began this as a smaller scaled project about 5 years ago and I can’t tell you how much it means to me personally, as I know how much it will mean to all the soldiers receiving these care packages.   The goodies are a huge treat, but the little hand made notes and valentines, I can assure you, will put more than one smile on someone’s face that day….

With a $10 donation, you can join in to craft Valentines, sample treats from a pay-what-you-can bake sale, enjoy locally-brewed beer, and take a Saint Arnold souvenir glass home!

If you’d like to participate - PLEASE check out this link for more information….you can stop by St. Arnold’s Brewery on Monday, January 16th to participate in the bake sale, making valentines, dropping off goodies/non-perishables….this is all for a GREAT cause.   All unused proceeds will also be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

p.s. One day, I’d like to explain how I smuggled 6 dozen, partial cooked Quarter Pounders & Big Macs into country in my luggage to share with my comrades…

Please Note: I joke about the other branches of service, but I would stand up for every single man and woman that I served alongside….period.