When Dan F. heard from his daughter, a Marine aboard the USS Tripoli, that hygiene products were running low on the ship, the family sent a care package with shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste and tampons, filling every open space with candy and snacks.
They filled the second box with Emergen-C vitamin C packets – Dan's daughter said she was feeling a sore throat coming on – and clean socks.
The boxes were sent nearly a month ago, yet neither has reached its destination. Dan's daughter is among the tens of thousands of service members deployed to fight the war in Iran who face the same conundrum.
Dan asked to go by his first name only to protect his daughter from retaliation.
The military has indefinitely suspended mail delivery to military ZIP codes across the Middle East as of April. Mail already in transit to those areas sits in facilities, according to the Army.
