Military Support

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Comment by Carla Street on November 19, 2009 at 3:49pm

I just put a couple of good sites for writing troops in the discussion forum here. Go check them out!

Comment by Carla Street on November 9, 2009 at 2:37pm

My jerky drive and Veterans weekend here in N. Idaho went off GREAT this weekend. It was to me a big success! I'm really happy with it. We had one of our friends donate dehydrated apples too and that gave me the idea to ask for that next year too. We're looking for the best way to dehydrate tomatoes. Does anyone have an idea on how to do that and keep them red?

Comment by Carla Street on October 23, 2009 at 2:32pm

I double checked and Elle (admin) and she said since this wasn't to me, or donations, just sending cards it was okay to send "publically". Thanks Elle.

Just FYI if anyone is interested. I'll be sending this to my groups too, so you might get it twice! What's sad is that they have to screen them and people will actually send hate mail.
I like to send this because I've heard so many cards are sent to Walter Reed and they can't use them. I wish they could just "forward" them to the Red Cross program. Carla

Red Cross to Distribute Holiday Cards
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2009 - The American Red Cross again will sponsor a national "Holiday Mail for Heroes" campaign to receive and distribute holiday cards to servicemembers, veterans and their families in the United States and abroad.
The card campaign includes those working and receiving care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here.

A special P.O. Box address will be published the first week of November online at http://www.redcross.org/holidaymail.

In the meantime, people shouldn't send cards to Walter Reed unless they are addressed to a specific wounded warrior.

Due to security restrictions, Walter Reed cannot accept generic mail addressed to "A Recovering Soldier" or "Any Soldier." In past years, hundreds of cards were returned to senders because of generic addresses, many sent in response to misleading e-mails.

The American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes Inc. will partner for the third year to provide screening of all mail sent to the special P.O. Box address. Cards postmarked no later than Dec. 7 will reach servicemembers recovering at Walter Reed.

(From a Walter Reed Army Medical Center news release.)

Comment by Carla Street on October 21, 2009 at 2:47pm

Bringing the Holidays to Military Men and Women
Recommended Mailing Dates to APO/FPO Addresses
WASHINGTON - For military service members stationed around the globe, holiday gifts are a big morale boost. To help the families and friends of U.S. military personnel, the Postal Service offers a discount on its largest Priority Mail Flat Rate box.
The recommended mailing date for the most economical postage to overseas military installations, including Iraq and Afghanistan, is Nov. 13.
Mail sent to overseas military addresses is charged only domestic mail prices. The domestic mail price for the Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box is $13.95, but for packages to APO/FPO addresses overseas the price is reduced to $11.95. Additional discounts are available for customers printing their Priority Mail postage labels online at Click-N-Ship.
Flat-Rate boxes are free at any Post Office, or can be ordered online at shop.usps.com. Postage, labels and customs forms can be printed online any time using Click-N-Ship.
The Postal Service continues to show support to those serving in the armed forces by offering free Military Care Kits, designed specifically for military families sending packages overseas. The mailing kits can be ordered by phone by calling 1-800-610-8734 and asking for the Care Kit. Each kit includes two "America Supports You" large Priority Mail Flat-Rate boxes, four medium-sized Priority Mail Flat-Rate boxes, six Priority Mail labels, one roll of Priority Mail tape and six customs forms with envelopes.
For online ordering of the Large Priority Mail APO/FPO Flat Rate boxes featuring the "America Supports You" logo and APO/FPO addressing block, Click here. More information about mailing letters and packages to military destinations is available online at Supporting Our Troops.
"Mailing holiday gifts to service members early will help insure that a piece of home arrives in plenty of time to make the celebration complete," said Pranab Shah, vice president and managing director, Global Business.
To ensure delivery of holiday cards and packages by Dec. 25 to military APO/FPO addresses overseas, the Postal Service recommends that mail for service members be entered no later than the mailing dates listed below. Mail addressed to military post offices overseas is subject to certain conditions or restrictions regarding content, preparation and handling. APO/FPO addresses generally require customs forms. To see an online table of updated APO and FPO addresses and mailing restrictions by individual APO/FPO ZIP Codes, Click here, select "Pull-Out Information" and click on "Overseas Military/Diplomatic Mail."
MILITARY MAILING DEADLINES
Military Mail
Addressed To Express Mail® Military Service (EMMS)1/ First-Class Mail®
Letters and Cards Priority Mail® Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL) 2/ Space Available Mail (SAM)3/ Parcel Post®
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 090-092 Dec-18 Dec-11 Dec-11 Dec-4 Nov-28 Nov-13
APO/FPO AE ZIP 093 N/A Dec-4 Dec-4 Dec-1 Nov-21 Nov-13
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 094-098 Dec-18 Dec-11 Dec-11 Dec-4 Nov-28 Nov-13
APO/FPO AA ZIP 340 Dec-18 Dec-11 Dec-11 Dec-4 Nov-28 Nov-13
APO/FPO AP ZIPs 962-966 Dec-18 Dec-11 Dec-11 Dec-4 Nov-28 Nov-13
1/ EMMS: Express Mail Military Service is available to selected military post offices. Check with your local Post Office to determine if this service is available to your APO/FPO of address.
2/ PAL: PAL is a service that provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. It is available for Parcel Post
items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60 inches in length and girth combined. The applicable PAL fee must be
paid in addition to the regular surface rate of postage for each addressed piece sent by PAL service.
3/ SAM: SAM parcels are paid at the Parcel Post postage rate with maximum weight and size limits of 15 pounds
and
60 inches in length and girth combined. SAM parcels are first transported domestically by surface and then to
overseas destinations by air on a space-available basis.
The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
# # #
Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.
An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail.

Comment by Carla Street on October 16, 2009 at 12:37pm

Afganistan_z_letadla1.ppsThis was sent by a friend of mine.. She's sending another son again this month over there for a year and they are already saying maybe more. Sigh. It just never stops. Remember, remember, remember, we can never do enough. Keep the support going friends! I'm including a power point viewer for those who can't upload power point. (thanks Donna P.)

I haven't ever seen pictures of what it looks like until this.

http://www.openoffice.org

Comment by Carla Street on October 14, 2009 at 2:49pm

Oh man. That's just sad and had to be so hard, yet heart warming too. Kudos to the USO!

Comment by Patty on October 14, 2009 at 8:30am

Carla,Thank You.I know,same here.I found out actually by a bad airport experience last December.Justin was coming home on leave for Christmas-base was on stand down,and he was flying in when we had a really bad snow storm-blizzard conditions.(New York) weather.lol He was 10 minutes from the airport and they had to turn the plane back to Chicago because they couldn't clear the snow fast enough off the runways for landings.I was in the airport about 14 hours waiting because they kept putting him on standby.I was pretty upset and crying and someone from the USO caught wind of what was going on and came and got me and gave me coffee and something to eat.they sat and talked with me and got me laughing,took my mind off my problem.They kinda yelled at some of the people at the airport too about a military person being put on standby while trying to make it home on leave.They stood by me through the whole thing tho.He was still stranded at the Chicago airport for 2 days tho as a result of the standby's.I finally had to call the airlines myself from home and told them what was going on and they pulled a few strings and got him on the next flight.I was kind of saddened by the way he was treated as a military person trying to make it home.He lost 2 days leave time because of the standbys.But that's how I found out about the USO in the airport.Great bunch of people.

Comment by Carla Street on October 13, 2009 at 1:23pm

Patty! Welcome to the group. I love the discussion about the USO. I didn't know until Julie went in that the USO was so active in airports and do such a great job. I always thought the just did entertainment. Very cool!

Comment by Patty on October 12, 2009 at 9:15am

Yea, I would think so too.Have to check into it.

Comment by Paula on October 11, 2009 at 9:22am

You do if it involves larger airports and bases but I would think it would be the same for every USO, but who knows.

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