18 March 2005

Dear friends of the 200th,

The soldiers are now in their final housing and should not have to move again until it is time to come home. Now that they are out of their duffle bags and into beds, they can begin to truly settle in.

Someone in their camp (but not in their unit) turned the moat green in celebratrion of St. Patrick's day on the 17th. It gave everyone a bit of a laugh.

As Spring Break will be approaching soon, those of you with little ones—or even not-so-little ones—may want to try to tackle a project for Mom or Dad. One simple and meaningful project is a “Hand Wreath.” Trace your child’s hand onto pieces of brightly colored construction paper. Cut out the hands, or let your child do it, arrange them in a circle with the fingers pointing out and glue together. You can add a picture of your child or a picture drawn by your child in the center, if you wish, or just leave it blank. This is a simple way to send a gift to your soldier that is meaningful as well. (For those without children: You’re never too old to pick up some paper and glue yourself. You may have fun and it is sure to put a smile on your soldier’s face to receive a wreath of your hands!)

For those of you who have children in child care, there is a new program to possibly help subsidize your child’s care cost while the child’s parent is deployed. You can get more information at 1-800-424-2246.

If anyone has any ideas or questions, please send us a note and we will be happy to help.

FRG 200th Engineer Battalion

March 2005

The soldiers are doing well and in good spirits. They are still in transitional housing—tents with a wooden floor—but hope to be in their final housing soon. They are still in the learning process, so please be patient if your soldier isn’t able to communicate as much as you would like.

There are a few new pictures on the website. The soldiers have not had much time to upload pictures, so as things settle down, we hope to have more. If your soldier has emailed pictures to you, please consider sending a copy to hhd200thenbn@hotmail.com so that we can put them on the website.

For those of you that have children, they should be beginning to settle into their new routines by now. If you are having any trouble, contact ArmyOneSource at http://www.armyonesource.com or call them at 1-800-464-8107. They are experts in this field and are happy to help. One idea, if your child is having trouble adjusting is to print a picture of Mom or Dad on transfer paper and iron it on to a white pillowcase. If you can’t do a photo, have your child paint a picture of Mom or Dad on a pillowcase. Put a pillow in it and when the child needs a hug from Mom or Dad, they can use the pillow. Also, you can make a special “treasure box.” You can use something as simple as a shoebox or as elaborate as a pasteboard box. Allow the child to decorate the box with paints, stickers, etc. and he or she can keep special things to show Mom or Dad when the unit returns. You can also send pictures that the child has painted, colored or drawn to Mom or Dad. Keep, or put up, lots of pictures of Mom or Dad so that your child sees the parent often.

For the spouse who has stayed behind:

Communication with your spouse is the only part of your relationship that really exists at the moment. This is not an easy time and with communications few and far between, we have to make the most of every word we write or say. Any helpful, or hurtful, word said is magnified tenfold. If you want to know more about making every word or action have a good strong impact, try reading the book “The Five Love Languages” by   Dr. Gary Chapman or visit http://www.fivelovelanguages.com. There is another book by the same author dealing with children called “The Five Love Languages of Children.” Information in this book could be helpful to the deployed parent in that they could make every word and every gesture toward their children more meaningful to the child. There is a difference in knowing you are loved and feeling you are loved. Check your local library and check with some local churches to see if there is copy you can borrow.

If you have any questions, please send us an email and we will try to direct you to the person or place that has the answer.

 200^th Engineer Battalion FRG

27 February 2005

The troops arrived at their new destination safely and are hard at work and very busy with the mission. Please do not be upset if your soldier does not contact you as often as they may have been when they were in Kuwait. They are settling into new routines and it will take some time for them to discover the best times to contact loved ones. Please also ask friends and family members to visit the website www.westal.net/frg200enbn and send a note of encouragement to the soldiers. If you know of anyone who would like to contribute a note but does not have internet access, please contact the webmaster and we can make arrangements.

Considering our relationship with our soldier is in the form of communication while they are away, letters and emails from us at home are very important.

Try to make copies of everything you send in the event of lost paper mail. It is also a good idea to number your letters in the order you write them (1, 2, 3, etc.) so that if they arrive out of order or if one goes missing, your soldier is not left confused. It is also easier to replace lost letters.

Letters can be mailed from home with standard postage. However, due to the uniformity and sizes that work together, the USPS suggests using Priority Mail envelopes and boxes. The envelopes, boxes and labels are FREE. You only pay the postage. Instead of using regular envelopes, it is suggested that you either “save up” your letters or get together with others and send one Priority Mail Flat Rate envelope. It is large and made of cardboard so it is less likely to become lost or damaged. It is only $3.85 regardless of weight—just a little more cost than 10 letters. Packages must be sent at the counter at the Post Office—including Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes and envelopes. You will have overseas forms to fill out, but your cost will be the same as domestic. We have posted the following link on the website to help you determine the most economical way to send your packages.

http://postcalc.usps.gov/mailpiecedimensions.asp

If you are sending media—tapes, CDs, DVDs, or books ONLY—you may save money by using your own packaging and sending it Media Rate. Ask your Postal Clerk for details.

By the way, mail from Iraq to the US is free, so stamps are not something with which you will need to provide your soldier.

Also, keep in mind that mail can take 2-3 weeks to arrive and may be exposed to extreme temperatures. So if you were planning on sending a chocolate bunny, you may want to think about jellybeans instead!

200^th Engineers Lead the Way and 200^th Families fill the fuel tank. HOOAH!

Send mail to HHD200thENBN@hotmail.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: June 04, 2005

Special thanks to Radio Shack of Demopolis, AL for providing this site.