Air Force Section
The Qatar Package™
Starbucks gift card, hotel toiletries, complimentary robe.
The Qatar Package™ is a curated welcome kit designed for the Air Force professional deploying to the Al Udeid Air Base area of operations — a location that has, over the years, developed a reputation among joint-force personnel as 'the deployment where you come back looking rested.' The kit includes a generic café-style gift card in olive-drab with gold foil lettering ('The Al Udeid Experience: Earned'), a pair of soft hotel slippers, a pre-folded white robe with a discreet Air Force insignia embroidered at the chest, a travel toiletry set in a zip-closure pouch, and one small potted succulent with care instructions in military format.
The succulent care card reads, in part: 'Water once every 7–10 days. Sunlight: direct or indirect. Notes: Low maintenance. Thrives in controlled environments. Does not require field conditions.' We felt this was accurate on several levels. The robe, slippers, and toiletry set were selected to complement the existing Al Udeid lodging experience. The succulent is your responsibility.
The Army's Qatar deployment experience has historically been a shipping container in Kuwait, and we want to acknowledge that they served in those conditions with distinction and without a robe. This kit is not for them. It is for the airmen who landed at Al Udeid, checked into their lodging, and thought: yes, this is appropriate.
“The Army's Qatar was a shipping container in Kuwait with a 100-watt bulb and a prayer — and they held the line, which we acknowledge while wearing our robe.”
— SQUARED AWAY EDITORIAL BOARD
| Contents | Café gift card, hotel slippers, white robe, toiletry set, potted succulent |
| Gift Card Value | Olive-drab styled, 500-point café equivalent (non-redeemable at actual Starbucks) |
| Lodging Partner | Compatible with all Al Udeid-standard lodging facilities |
| Plant Included | Yes — 1 small potted succulent, duty-roster care card included |
| Weight | 4.1 lbs (succulent included; succulent adds 0.6 lbs) |
| Certifications | MIL-STD-STARBUCKS compliant. CENTCOM lodging-rated. |
- Succulent is not deployable to austere combat zones. It will not survive. Please rehome it before any subsequent rotation.
- Robe is not authorized for the chow hall, the gym, or the shuttle bus. You know this. We're saying it anyway.
After-Action Reports
Got to Al Udeid, unpacked the Qatar Package, put on the robe, and did not feel one ounce of guilt. The succulent is still alive. It is my longest-running deployment relationship.
The gift card worked at the café. The robe is excellent. I lost the slippers on day three. The succulent required more water than I expected and I still feel bad about it.
Bought these for every airman in my flight before deployment. The succulent care cards generated more discussion than any pre-deployment brief I have ever given. Five stars.
