The Most Popular Thing You Can Send the Troops - Baby Wipes

Bell South and ABCNews - The mail arrives as much as a month late and often battered and ripped from the arduous trip. But its condition, no matter how bad, makes little difference. Spc. David Bedore received a box that had been so mangled, it arrived in a plastic bag shredded to pieces. "You're happy. You're excited. It's real good to get a package, real good," he said, salvaging what he could.

Most of what family and friends send are items you would expect: food, books, cigarettes. Others are less obvious. Almost every box, for instance, includes baby wipes. Clearly not being used for their intended purpose, it turns out they are the best way to stay clean without the luxury of showers. Shouts of joy can be heard all around camp as soldiers pull out the light blue and pink bags. The same goes for packages of lip balm and foot powder, which are often more exciting than Tootsie Rolls and Cheetos.

You can send stuff to troops from their state side military addresses - the military is good at tracking down a soldier, it just may take awhile.