The war in Iraq has been officially declared over, which is great news. But America still has lots of soldiers abroad in Afghanistan and other countries all over the world. Chances are you have a friend or family member who is overseas serving in the military. Ever wonder what you can do for that military member and their family? Here are a few tips.

1. Send care packages to deployed soldiers. Baked goods that remind soldiers of home are a great idea, but simple, useful things like soap and razors are also handy.

2. Offer to babysit or help around the house. Families who have a parent or sibling overseas might need help with household tasks that their deployed family member would usually take care of.

3. Write lots of letters. The US military recommends writing short, frequent letters to keep your friend or family member in the loop. New letters will give them something to look forward to.

4. Use technology to your advantage. Many soldiers have access to email and skype now, so set aside time for a skype call or send off a quick email.

5. Buy them sex toys. RealTouch, a sex toy company, wants to donate toys to military families to help them keep their sex lives active while loved ones are abroad.

Not gonna lie – I’m not a fan of war movies.  Granted, depending on my mood, I might be persuaded to sit down and watch a couple bloody hours of awesomeness.  Most often, a boy toy convinces me to watch one and I do all I can to spend the entire time making-out with him rather than actually watching to movie.

Now that I’ve laid that down, in honor of Memorial Day I’d like to give special attention to those movies that actually made me stop the tongue dance and watch the action (on the screen…not under the blanket).  Here’s my (very uninformed) list of the 10 greatest war movies:

The Patriot: Lots of blood and guts, but the costumes make this movie a hit for me.  Plus, Heath Ledger is pretty awesome as an innocent boy who just wants to fight for the country he thought we should have.  Thanks, fictional homie.

Schindler’s List: This is  a must see on any movie list and should probably be your first reference for war movies.  Aside from the incredible performances and intricate plot, I’m lovin’ the black and white effect in this one.  And Liam Neeson?  Very yummy in his day.

The Big Red One: I saw this one while going through a Star Wars phase (…which may or may not still be going on), since it stars a young Mark Hamill [Luke Skywalker]  as a member of a famous heroic band of men.  It’s gritty, bloody, and emotionally satisfying.

Gone With the Wind: I’m gonna include this one because it shows the other side of the war – the home front.  It’s a masterpiece, from the incredible acting to the sweeping score.  I very much enjoy the costumes in this one as well (there might be a trend here…).

Tropic Thunder: So maybe this movie isn’t actually about a war, so much as a movie about a bunch of guys trying to make a movie about a war.  At any rate, there were guns and blood, so it counts.  Plus, it was funny and if you can make a war movie funny then you’ve got some talent, my friend. Read More »

I’ll be the first to admit that I did some messed up shit to my frenemies during my younger years. One time in middle school, my friends and I poured Snapple and mashed strawberries in a girl’s backpack because we were fighting for absolutely no reason.

Seeing as our military isn’t in middle school (though they are in a similar predicament: fighting for absolutely no reason), I’d expect a little more tact from them. But apparently the U.S. military has come down with the mean girls-syndrome that I suffered circa the strawberry incident.

No, they didn’t mash strawberries in the backpacks of Iraqi extremists. But they did do some very Regina George-esque plotting to create a gay bomb to use against enemy soldiers. A gay bomb. Seriously.

A watchdog organization that tracks military spending exposed the U.S. military’s plan to build a bomb that could turn opposing soldiers gay—consequently shifting their focus from fighting to sex, CBS reported.

The watchdog group found that “the Ohio Air Force lab proposed that a bomb be developed that contained a chemical that would cause enemy soldiers to become gay, and to have their units break down because all their soldiers became irresistibly attractive to one another.” Read More »