Don't send him anything while he's at basic. Everything he needs they will give him and anything else will get in the way or get him in trouble. Wait till he get's to his MOS training and send him something nice there. He'll have a room and some privacy to enjoy something to remind him of home.
A good friend of mine got married while I was off at Basic/AIT at Ft. Benning, GA. He and his wife sent me an R-rated postcard from their honeymoon in Hawaii. Pretty much a couple girls on the beach minus some swimsuit tops.
The drill sergents--even at that pretty serious basic training center--had a LOT of fun with that.
It ended up posted inside the DS office window where everybody could see it when they walked by.
A post card. On the back write that you can't believe how easy your buddy said it has been and that it is hard to fathom how incompetent his instructors are. Then sit back and wait for the story
When I was in MCRD San Diego, one of my uncle's (a former Marine) sent a letter and put on the envelope in big, bold letters "MAKE HIM EARN HIS MAIL". That "happened" to be the first piece of mail pulled. Fun times were had....at my expense
When I was in USMC boot camp in 93 one of the guys in the platoon got a "Playgirl" as a gag gift....after the DIs rode him pretty hard they told us "keep laughing, ya'll are the ones who have to sleep with him!"
Take that last soda, steal the TV remote control, or sit down in the front most padded recliner in front of the big screen TV (Sarge's spot)......wait and watch how much trouble you can get into - SON!
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