The Drill on Mailing Packages to Mideast : Mail service: The best gifts for troops include board games, hard candies and audio tapes, officials say. Avoid sending liquor, pork and some magazines.

Forget the pork, the Playboys and the liquor-filled candy, too.

For thousands of Americans interested in sending materials to U.S. military personnel overseas, the Postal Service has some timely suggestions, not the least of which is to hurry up that holiday mail.

If you want to send cards, letters or packages to U.S. military personnel taking part in Operation Desert Shield, be advised that Saudi Arabia’s postal rules prohibit “any matter containing religious material contrary to Islamic faith or depicting nude or semi-nude persons, pornography or sexual items or non-authorized political materials.”

The Saudis also forbid “pork or pork byproducts,” said David Mazer, communications manager for the Los Angeles division of the U.S. Postal Service. All alcoholic items also are prohibited.

“But authorities there will allow people to send a Bible, a statue of Jesus or other religious items on an individual basis,” added Mazer. “You can send one Bible, but not 15,000 of them.”

The Saudis also have made an exception for individual Christmas cards to U.S. personnel, though they are “contrary to the Islamic faith,” Mazer said.

Saudi customs officials spot-check mail arriving for foreign troops, Mazer said. “Most mail passes freely, unless it’s questionable for some reason. Their officials inspect it in front of U.S. military postal personnel.”

Mazer had some other suggestions for people who want to send gifts and mail to the Persian Gulf: “We’re also advising people who call us not to send chocolates, because of the weather there. Temperatures exceed 100 degrees regularly. And although chocolate candy from See’s is delicious, it would be one big blob in a hurry. If you want to send candy, send hard candy.”

Audio cassettes and newspaper clippings from home are popular with troops overseas, Mazer said.

Because troops serving in the Persian Gulf have complained of boredom, gifts of games or playing cards might be ideal. “Trivial Pursuit or Scrabble or Monopoly, things like that would be OK,” Mazer said. “Nothing risque, though.”

Although it may seem early to be thinking of Christmas, postal officials remind that international holiday deadlines for mailing (see box) are near.

The volume of mail to the Persian Gulf has increased fivefold since the United States sent troops to Saudi Arabia, Mazer said. Meeting postal service deadlines for holiday packages is essential to get the mail there on time.

“More than 1 million pounds of mail (letters and packages) has already gone to the troops in the Persian Gulf,” he said. “And now it’s averaging 30,000 pounds per day since the Department of Defense lifted restrictions Sept. 7 on sending packages there.”

Parcel Post (fourth class) packages to Saudi Arabia should be mailed by Nov. 16 to ensure delivery before Christmas; Priority Mail (first class) letters, cards and packages should be mailed by Nov. 26. There is now no provision for Express Mail to the region, but postal authorities expect to have that service available before Christmas.

Usually, Parcel Post packages to Saudi Arabia take 10 to 12 days. It costs $2.35 for a two-pound package, $6.25 for five pounds and $11.18 for 10 pounds. Sending gifts Priority Mail normally takes five to 10 days, Mazer said. It costs $2.40 for two pounds, $6.37 for five pounds and $11.70 for 10 pounds.

If you’re sending overseas packages, you must fill out a customs declaration. You can get one--Form 2966-A--at the post office. It is also a good idea to insure overseas packages.

If you’re mailing letters or post cards to U.S. military personnel stationed anywhere overseas, you may use U.S. postage--25 cents for first-class letters, 15 cents for post cards--instead of purchasing overseas stamps.

U.S. armed forces serving in Operation Desert Shield may send mail home at no charge. “This authorization is limited to military personnel in the Persian Gulf area,” Mazer said. “It applies to letter mail, post cards and sound recordings.”

Many church and service groups, senior citizens clubs and schoolchildren nationwide have organized letter-writing campaigns for troops in Saudi Arabia.

Syndicated columnist Abigail Van Buren recently launched her fifth “Operation Dear Abby” campaign to send letters and packages to U.S. personnel overseas. This effort is directed to those participating in Operation Desert Shield.

“So many people think this is for women looking for romance. It’s not,” Van Buren said. “That does happen, but this is not an attempt to get people together. It’s to stay in touch with service people who are far away from home, particularly around the holidays.

“We have a lot of schoolchildren, people in nursing and retirement homes who write. It’s especially good for the kids. It gives them a patriotic sense and sharpens their skills in letter writing.”

Van Buren said she encourages those who participate in Operation Dear Abby/Desert Shield, if possible, to send a photograph with their letter “so the person will know what you look like.”

TIPS FOR MAILING PACKAGES

* Place gifts or items in sturdy cartons and pack securely. Do not use brown wrapping paper or tie packages with string. Both can jam automatic postal machines. Use heavy-duty, pressure-sensitive tape, not Scotch or masking tape.

* Include a slip of paper in the box with your name and the recipient’s name and address in case the container is damaged en route.

* Use one side only when addressing packages. Print your name and address legibly in the left-hand corner. In the lower-right part of the package, print the service member’s name, address, rank, serial number, military organization or unit and the APO/FPO address. “It’s very important to have the correct unit, if you know what it is,” said David Mazer of the Los Angeles Division of the U.S. Postal Service.

* The Post Office numbers for the seven Army units in Saudi Arabia are:

--101st Airborne Division: APO 09309.

--82nd Airborne Division and the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade: APO 09656.

--24th Infantry Division and the 197th Infantry Brigade: APO 09315.

--1st Corps Support Command from Ft. Bragg: APO 09657.

--3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment: APO 09209.

* If you are sending letters or packages to military personnel you don’t know, but wish to correspond with, the addresses are:

--For Army, Air Force or Marine personnel stationed on land: Any Serviceperson, Operation Desert Shield/APO New York, N.Y. 09848-0006.

--For the Navy and Marines stationed on ships: Any Serviceperson, Operation Desert Shield/FPO New York, N.Y. 09866-0006.

Source: U.S. Postal Service

OVERSEAS HOLIDAY AIR MAIL DEADLINES

Letters, Cards Parcel Priority Destination Post Packages Africa Nov. 20 Dec. 1 Australia Nov. 16 Dec. 1 Caribbean Dec. 7 Dec. 7 Europe Dec. 1 Dec. 1 Far East Dec. 1 Dec. 1 Greenland Dec. 1 Dec. 1 Saudi Arabia / Mideast nations Nov. 16 Nov. 26 Southeast Asia Nov. 16 Nov. 19 Central, South America Dec. 1 Dec. 6

Source: U.S. Postal Service