As the first snow blankets our mountains, Americans everywhere begin to think about the holidays. While most of us will spend this time at home surrounded by loved ones, thousands of U.S. military personnel are still deployed to foreign countries, remote sites, and ships and subs all over the world.
If you’d like to reach out this holiday season to express your thanks, there are several things you might like to know:
- There is no longer a national Holiday Mail for Heroes P.O. Box to which cards or letters may be sent. Instead, the program, sponsored by the American Red Cross, is being conducted on a community level. Check with your nearest Red Cross office to get more detailed information and to learn about this and other opportunities to get involved in the effort to thank our troops.
- You can email your thanks via email through Military.com – This program matches registered service members with civilians who may correspond with them via email. The program also operates support projects that include the option to send care packages overseas.
- Send care packages to random service members through AnySoldier.com – The service members involved in this effort are military volunteers stationed overseas. You send your support (letters and/or packages) addressed to them and when they see “Attn: Any Soldier” in the address, they put your letters and packages into the hands of military members of all branches who don’t get much or any mail. The site includes a section providing suggestions on what to include in your package.
- Full Circle Home gives deployed service members a chance to send a gift box to their wives back home. Gift boxes contain pampering items, such as lotions, bubble baths and spa socks, as well as a handwritten note from the sending serviceman.
