are suspicious, the lower ranking soldiers will follow suit. Because ultimately, at the end of the day even if you have the soldiers_T favor and approval, they will not give you any of their time if their NCOs won_Tt either. So humble yourself to win their trust and favor. Bring cigarettes (esp American Marlboro Reds, Lucky Strikes, or Newports) or sodas or red bull energy shots to hand out to the soldiers and you will make friends quickly. -Socks and Underwear and Hygeine: Socks are important, especially if you are not going to be at a big FOB (Forward Opporating Base) with washing facilities / running water. I had some _oSmart Wool__ socks that I loved and that kept my feet warm and dry. And I bought some ExOfficio underwear, that basically was made of a mesh, synthetic material, which was great. I could wash them with bottled water and soap, and in the arid, desert temperatures they would dry outside in about 15 minutes_Much better than cotton undies. ~ Babywipes are a MUST over there (to avoid itching in places you don_Tt really want to itch), but instead of packing 100s of these, you can always buy them at the PX once you are there. Even some small COPs have babywipes for sale at the local Afghan shops (but don_Tt count on this). When you run out, the soldiers should have some that they might share with you. When I was at a remote COP , the soldiers got