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Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that all product photographs, descriptions and specifications on this website are accurate. However, inadvertent errors may occur, and changes in design or materials, due to our continual effort to improve products, may result in some change in specifications before subsequent publications are issued.
Any Soldier® reserves the right to modify or change specifications without notice.

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SGT Chris Griffin
- U. S. Army -
Iraq
SGT Chris Griffin
(Address not available or expired.)
Make a donation, please. Click HERE AFTER you get an address.
(This address has been requested 0 times.) (NOTE **)
APO/FPO: APO AE (Note 1*)
Added here: 03 July 2004
End date: 15 Sep 2004 (Note 3*)
Contact for approx number of Males: 50, Females: 15 (Note 5*)
Unit is from: (Note 6*)

02 Oct 2004:
I’m still in Iraq! But not for much longer! Ha, ha, ha! I just wanted to send another huge “Thank you” to all of you that have been sending mail and packages to us here at Camp Caldwell. You have been a blessing and have brought much happiness to our otherwise dreary lives. Life is not great here, but it is tolerable, and things are getting better day by day. Not just for the soldiers, though, but for the millions of Iraqis that live across this country. It is truly awesome to see what this place has become just in the 7 months I’ve been here.

As many of you know, a few months ago, my platoon’s “mission” changed greatly. We left our jobs as convoy and security escorts to become instructors at an academy whose sole focus is to train the Iraqi National Guard (ING), Iraqi Police (IP), and the Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement (DBE). We teach them basic soldiering and police skills to help them stay alive on the job, and rebuild this country. They learn survivability, crime investigation, policing, tactical operations, and the basics of law and ethics, which they have never heard before. We’re teaching them how to treat all people with respect, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or religion. We’re teaching them how to think in a democratic way, where everyone is innocent until proven guilty and where everyone is treated equally and fairly. This is all very new for them, but the future of their nation depends on it. For us (the coalition soldiers) to go home, we must insure that Iraq become a safe and stable place. Slowly, it is happening, and it’s truly amazing to see. It's like that saying about teaching a man to fish. We're teaching these Iraqis how to keep security in their own country, not doing it for them. If you watch the news, you see it. Do not be discouraged when you hear of Iraqi soldiers and police getting attacked. That only means we’re winning. This country is winning. Iraqi citizens are tired of insurgents and terrorists in their towns and cities. The battle is being fought, and won, by the Iraqis, not just the U.S. soldiers. Insurgents know that. Their enemy isn’t American soldiers as much as it is the Iraqi military and police. A year and a half ago, we invaded this country, and now we’re fighting alongside them to rebuild the country and secure peace for everyone in it. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that we are part of this process. I recently had a former Iraqi student stop me to tell me that his entire platoon survived an attack, and killed the enemy, because of the training they received at our training center.

I’m sorry I haven’t been able to email and write back to each one of you. Many of you did not include your email addresses, and I do try to send emails, even if they are in mass, to all the addresses I have. If you still want pictures, let me know, and I will burn a CD for you. Just send me your mailing address in the email.   

Also, to those of you planning to send us any more mail, we have a cutoff date of November 21, 2004. That means it has to be postmarked by that day.

Thank you for everything you have done to help us. We literally couldn’t have done it without you.

Sincerely,

SGT Chris Griffin

04 Sep 2004
Hi,

Greetings from wonderful and beautiful Iraq. Okay, that was a lie. What I should have said was, "Hi. I'm in Iraq."
Well, I just wanted to send my seemingly routine update to all of those who have supplied email addresses over the last few months with the letters and care packages you have sent. You are all greatly appreciated. What I'm doing is putting the previous emails below this one, so if you are new on my "AnySoldier Email List" (i.e., the people who have sent my unit packages), you can catch up with what goes on over here.

As another month comes to end, we all come one step closer to coming home. As each Iraqi class graduates from our training center, we send 300 more well-trained law enforcement and military personnel back out to (hopefully) secure this seemingly lawless land from insurgents, criminals, and terrorists. It's actually quite rewarding. We're not here to kill anyone, but to better equip the Iraqis to build their nation in a safe environment.

Everyone keeps asking about stuff we need. I've refrained from giving any specifics since everything we get is pretty good, but, just to let you know, we can get snack food over here. Things like chips are easy to come by. Mainly, because the local Iraqis get them from Turkey or Iran and sell them to us. We like anykind of food you can microwave. It doesn't have to be Chef-boy-ar-dee, though. I mean, that's great, but we've got enough of that stuff to last months. If it's in a can, the pop-top kind are better. Can openers are rare.

Also, I have had several requests to send out a picture of myself, since there are those who are curious. I've attached 2 photos of myself, but, I'm telling you now, that when you see them, you'll understand why I don't like pictures of myself.

(Pictures were not attached -Marty)

Again, thanks for your continued support, encouragement, generosity, and prayers.

SGT Chris Griffin

06 Aug 2004
I just wanted to send you an update to let you know how wonderful things have been going with the AnySoldier project. We're getting a ton of letters a care packages and the soldiers in my unit are very, very happy and thankful for what everyone has done for us. It's awesome to see the support and generosity of people across the US that we have never met, but are willing to sacrifice their time and money to help us here in Iraq.

I've tried to contact as many people as I can, but have had a lot of returned emails, so if those who have supported us could send me an email, that would be great. I check it about once a week, so as long as they're patient, I would love to write them back directly.

Thanks,
SGT Chris Griffin

22 Jul 2004
Oh my gosh… I came back from the field to find 15 boxes waiting, full of all sort of good things. It was truly amazing. Not only that, but there was so much stuff that nearly everyone in my platoon got a box.

I can tell you that this tough-as-nails NCO (i.e., ME) came close to getting a little teary-eyed. Do me a favor and don’t tell anyone… ha, ah. In all my years of military service, I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.

To those of you who sent packages, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT. I will try to email everyone that supplied an email address and to those who asked for patches or letters or pictures, they’re on the way as I right this.

Your support and generosity is greatly appreciated by the men and women of the Headquarters Battery 1-113th Field Artillery Battalion.

God Bless,
Chris Griffin

04 Jul 2004
Hello,

Thanks for putting us on the list. It will be great for the soldiers to get stuff from home... the things that make them forget they're in the middle of Iraq, thousands of miles away from their loved ones. If you want to see exactly who you're sending stuff to, our Battery's website is www.HHBStrengthandHonor.com. I'm in 6th Platoon.

I've asked around and defined the list of needs a little more specifically. Anyway, here's a few specific items I've been asked to request:

-Mach 3 Shaving blades
-Slim Jims, Beef jerky
-Energy Bars (Clif Bars, PowerBars, Snickers Marathon Bars, etc)
-Myoplex Ready-to-Drink Protein Shakes
-sunglasses*
-Sporting Equipment (soccer balls, baseball gloves, etc.)
-Candy for the Iraqi Children (We're not supposed to give it out, but we do. Any kind will be fine.)
-Music CD's (No matter what kind of music it is, someone somewhere will listen to it)
-Laundry Detergent (The individually-wrapped, tablet kind)
-Fabric Softener Sheets (Not that we care about static cling, it just smells good)
-Tobacco Products (Can I say that?)
-Coolmax/Duofold/UnderArmour t-shirts and boxers (Army brown or khaki)
-White Athletic socks (You can't keep 'em white too long around here and you go trough 'em like tissue paper)
-Cereal Bars
-Coffee, Coffee Creamer, and Coffee Filters (Yes, even when it's 120 degrees at noon, we still like our morning coffee)
-Office Supplies (pens, paper, envelopes, file folders, etc)
-Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee in the single serving, microwave bowls
-Any food that can be Microwaved and does NOT need to be refrigerated

Here's something that's a little pricey:
-one of those small printers that can be easily carried around (Canon used to make one a few years back)

and FINALLY... ***Nearly anything from the AnySoldier.us "What to Send" page***

*Here's a note on the sunglasses: We're required to wear eye-protection when we go to the field. That makes sense, but Goggles get hot and fog up. It's nice to have sunglasses that protect your eyes too. There are glasses out there that are, as my friend said, "stylish yet functional." We can't look foolish, can we? Ha, ha. Places like Home Depot sell nice looking, wrap-style sunglassess/safety glasses for less than $10. I know Brigade Quartermasters has them for around $7. While really expensive, Oakleys are all impact resistant. We were issued those Wiley-X glasses, but they were a big let-down. We don't need the frames, but the replacement lenses for the SG-1 model would be nice.

Thanks again,
SGT Chris Griffin

03 Jul 2004
I'm with the 1-113th filed artillery, part of the 30th enhanced separate brigade from the north carolina national guard. The majority of us are stationed at FOB Caldwell, also known as KMTB (Kirkush Military Training Base). This is where all of the New Iraqi Army is trained. We also train the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps (ICDC). I'm not going to say that our living conditions are rough... they're not so bad anymore. We've got Connex housing, AC, Internet and phones. What we *don't* have is a PX. The stuff that most civilians take for granted... the bag of microwave popcorn or potato chips... is something we don't have. I'm on a fast moving team, so we get out a lot and have access to the other FOB's PXs. The majority of those stationed here do not. There are also a lot of soldiers that just don't get mail. I get plenty of mail and I feel terrible for the joes and janes that get nothing. Chef-boy-ar-dee and dinty moore are magic words around here. the DFAC gets old real quick. We would all like to get high-speed blackhawk tactical gear, but that's not what I'm looking to get for the soldiers here. I just want them to be able to get some of the little luxuries in the field that they deserve. Here's a brief list:
-canned food (pop-top kind, we've got no can openers)
-little debbie snack cakes
-microwave popcorn
-toiletries (men's and women's)
-baby wipes (non alcohol)
-pop tarts, nutri-grain bars
-citronella candles
-batteries
-DVD's
-video games
-AT&T Calling cards

Well, I'm sure you get a lot of requests and I know the conditions aren't as bad now as during the initial assault, but I'd sure like to see some of the men and women that don't get mail receive something. It could really make their week.

Thanks,
SGT Chris Griffin

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Why? Because this list changes all the time due to unit movements, soldier transfers, or even soldier casualties.
It is also illegal. ALL content on this site is copyright Any Soldier Inc.
DO NOT send any letter or package to a soldier's address unless you check this web site the same day you mail your packages.
Please do not burden the soldiers or the APO/FPO by sending things when the soldiers are gone. If a soldier is not listed here anymore then that soldier's address is expired. Check here often!

Note that some of the units do not have ranks shown on their addresses.
This is done at the unit's request, but ALL of our contacts ARE Servicemembers.

Be sure to change the "ATTN" line to "ATTN: Any Female Soldier if your package is for a female!

DO NOT use this program if you expect or require a reply!
DO NOT expect, or require, a reply from a Soldier!
A supporter said it perfectly, "I mean, these guys and gals have other things on their minds, y’know? Like...oh, STAYING ALIVE?"

(NOTE *): Effective 1 May 2006 this web site added a major layer of security to our contacts' information. This change is necessary to protect our troops and ensure that Any Soldier will continue to operate.
The ONLY changes are that the addresses of our contacts are now hidden and the number of addresses you can get are limited. You may obtain addresses simply by clicking on the link provided and correctly filling out the form, the address will then be emailed to you immediately.

(NOTE **): The number shown is how many times a form was submitted requesting this address. This does NOT necessarily mean that this contact will be helped by that many folks. Rule of thumb is that anything 5 requests or less may in fact be no support at all. No way to tell exactly unless the contact lets you know in his/her update how much support they are getting.

(Note 1.): Note that postage to APO AE and FPO AE (E = Europe) is only to NY where the connection to the APO/FPO (APO = Army Post Office)(FPO = Fleet Post Office) is, or to San Francisco for APO AP and FPO AP (P = Pacific), so you don't pay postage all the way to Iraq/Afghanistan. You might consider picking contacts closer to your mailing area to help cut the cost of mailing. If you live on the East Coast, pick "AE", West Coast, pick "AP", Midwest, well...uh, Thank You for your Support! ;)

New with us (December 2005) you might notice "APO AA" and "FPO AA". This is for units in the Caribbean/South America. Normally. However, due to the nature of some units they may be in Iraq but have an address showing "FPO AA". Mail addresses to "AA" goes out of Miami, Florida.

(Note 2.): Why are military addresses weird? There isn't a street address or city. What gives? Correct, just about everything about the military is weird to civilians. Military units are very mobile, they move around a lot, often they even become part of another unit. The APO (Army Post Office) and FPO (Fleet Post Office) assign APO and FPO numbers as needed, they are NOT static. An APO/FPO number may be for a large unit, or a location. An APO/FPO number for Baghdad today may be for Frankfurt tomorrow.

(Note 3.): The "Expect to not mail past" date is only an approximate and is one of the least reliable things on this web site. It is because of this that you must check often before you send anything to this unit. There are a few reasons this date is not reliable, to include: it IS the Military, we ARE dealing with the APO/FPO/DPO. The only thing that does not change in the military is that things will change. PLEASE NOTE that a Contact is dropped off our active list 30 days PRIOR to their date leaving to help avoid mail bouncing.

(Note 4.): (Removed for OPSEC reasons)

(Note 5.): The lines, "Contact with approx number of Soldiers:" and "Approx how may Female Soldiers:" have NOTHING to do with unit strength. They are approximately how many other Troops the Contacts believe they can get packages to. This helps you understand that you should not send 100 packages to someone who only deals with 10 Troops.
Don't forget that if your package is for a female Soldier, be sure to change "ATTN: Any Soldier®" to "ATTN: Any Female Soldier".

( Note 6.): This is simply where the unit this contact is from. This is NOT a true picture of the folks in the unit as most all units are made up of folks from all over the United States.) A "Composite Unit" is one made up of other units and is usually temporary for a particular mission.

( Note 7.): Updated APO/FPO/DPO mailing restrictions> courtesy of Oconus.com (gone now) (Note: About Restriction "U2": "U2 - Limited to First Class Letters", Box "R" is for retired personnel that live overseas and are still authorized an APO/FPO box. Their address will be something like Box 3345R. Doubt you will see anything like that in Afghanistan or Iraq or ...)(Please Note: Sometime in August 2013, Oconus.com changed the code on their page and our form doesn't work with them anymore, so a link to their page is the best we can do, sorry.)

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Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that all product photographs, descriptions and specifications on this website are accurate. However, inadvertent errors may occur, and changes in design or materials, due to our continual effort to improve products, may result in some change in specifications before subsequent publications are issued.
Any Soldier® reserves the right to modify or change specifications without notice.