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Hi,
A friend of mine from work just told me how her son Matthew was in Iraqi and loved mail. She said he noticed that there are three men who have come everyday for the last year for mail call and never have received one thing. not a card, hello, letter, anything. Matthew was touch by the look of disappointment on their faces every mailcall. they somber back to their stations.
Stampers love to send cards so I was hoping we could surprise these men by everyone who possibly can sending them as many and as often a little note of encouragement. Maybe send Matthew one to say thankyou for his compassion. They are our US troops and they are lonely. I know that the love from this community can make a difference in their life.
I am sure they would appreciate any cards, letters, etc. received.
If you would like the address please PM me.
Thank you so much for posting this. I would hate to think there is a soldier out there risking his/her life for MY freedom without a piece of mail from a loved one, much less a stranger. Matthew sounds like an awesome man to have such compassion to notice. I hope these men are FLOODED with mail. I know I will be sending a card to each of them.
Oh my gosh...I'm going to get my daughters up ten minutes early today so they can each write a quick little note to these soldiers before they go to school - IN OUR FABULOUS, FREE COUNTRY!
Thanks for passing along this info to us. I know NO ONE serving over there at present, so I'd be delighted to "adopt" them - cards will be in the mail within a week (first I'll have to make some "male" cards...lol) Linda
__________________ Linda
”From the rising of the sun to its setting,the name of the Lord is to be praised!”
My son is also in Iraq, so this is really close to my heart. I will send each a card and a box of goodies. My son, Stephen said that things from home are a real moral booster. My wish is that these soldiers get flooded with mail, we can do it. I am so proud of the young men who are protecting our freedom that we so love.
My 35 year old son is on leave from Iraq, second tour and his 13th year in the Army. A friend of mine and I gave him about 50 cards to take back with him so his men would have cards to send. Jeff said there aren't cards to purchase, so we thought we would start sending them to him to share.
I will send these three men cards, as I know how important it is to receive amil.
Location: Panama (the country), used to be Florida, but I've got an APO military address so like USA shipping
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I'm making cards for them right now! Hmm...guy cards, that going to be a new challenge! I hope they get them quickly! Thanks for letting us know, I like to get mail lots too, so I'm sure they'll be really excited to know that someone out there is thinking of them.
__________________ Christy
Mom to Luke (11), Elizabeth (almost 10) and Andrew (7)
What else can we send besides cards? I know there are rules and no melty chocolate. I would like to send something besides sunscreen or things like that. Please let me know.
__________________
Mary Kay
"Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are. It solely relies on what you think." Buddha
I got in touch with Carol the founder of Angel Stampers For Soldiers and her web site in in my signature below. Here is her response:
Thanks Roxie,
I am sending these guys a box this weekend. That is so sad. I'm sure there are tons of people not getting mail but I don't have addresses for them. If you ever get messages like this please send them my way. I'll be glad to send a box to them. I might even kick in a few treats as well.
So why don't all you SCS readers bookmark or add to favorites, what ever your computer feature is and if you ever run across such a story again you'll know at least one person you can contact to help these guys out. They so deserve our respect.
I'll get cards out to them personally also from the box that was headed to ASFS anyway. Thanks for posting this Jennifer.
The people that work in my office all got together and sent about 10 care packages to soldiers. We used the flat rate boxes at USPS. There are plenty more stories like this one at www.anysoldier.com. I can not believe some of the things they don't have! Clean socks and underwear, razors, sunscreen, etc. Anyway, I will be sending something to these brave guys soon!
I sent 3 cards yesterday - had never mailed overseas before - post office said because they have a zip code, it's like mailing w/i the US - it just cost me .37c! I was pleased! Now, the tricky one was sending a trade package to Canada - ugggh! Please keep us posted if anyone else needs some cheer!
__________________
*Shari*
�Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.� ― W.B. Yeats
�I think you learn more if you're laughing at the same time.� ― Mary Ann Shaffer
Hi all consider this an almost public announcement from a postal employee-
don't know if ya'll know it or not but there are new boxes to send loved ones packages. And they work the same way as the priority envelope. You know all you can fit in it for one low fee. So anyway instead of sending boxes and having them weighd and way overpaying (yikes I know how hard working we are at the post office so don't take that the wrong way) but these boxes are one low fee and you don't pay extra to buy the box.. Just a thought on keeping expenses down. You can send these one rate boxes anywhere.
What else can we send besides cards? I know there are rules and no melty chocolate. I would like to send something besides sunscreen or things like that. Please let me know.
My husband just returned from a one-year tour in Iraq, and while I can't tell you what each individual soldier might need, I can say that a lot of what they need is based on their location. My dh was blessed to be stationed at a camp that had a PX and small commissary, so they could purchase basic items if they ran out. They rarely ran out, however, because there are so many great people in our country who kept them flooded with care packages. He brought home a box full of chapstick, sunscreen, baby wipes, lotion, and several other odds and ends that never got used up while they were there! (We're going to send all that out to other soldiers who are over there right now)
Anyway - it is the time of year when it is starting to get hot again over there, so if you want to send food items (which most soldiers LOVE) things that don't melt are good. Too many soldiers got packages containing PUDDLES of chocolate. ;) Hard candy is extremely good to send, as they can also share this with the children they meet on their patrols. (The train of thought being ... do what we can to win the hearts of the children today, for they will be the leaders tomorrow....) Gum is also good. Beef jerky was a favorite in my dh's unit too.
Hope this helps!
Blessings,
__________________ ~Sheri
"I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to."
"When we forgive, we free ourselves from the bitter ties that bind us to the one who hurt us."
Is shipping the same? Do I only need a $.37 stamp or do I need to add more? I just want to make sure they get there.
If you are just sending a standard sized envelope, a 37 cent stamp is all you need. Anything oversized, or any packages will require not only extra postage, but customs forms as well.
FYI...soldiers who are in Iraq (and I believe those in Afghanistan as well) are able to send letters (NOT packages, just standard sized envelopes) home for free. My husband never had to pay for postage on the letters he sent home. They just write 'military free mail' on the envelope, and it is sent back to the USA free.
Mind you -- this benefit is only for the soldiers sending stuff here...not for US to send stuff there! ;)
HTH,
Blessings,
__________________ ~Sheri
"I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to."
"When we forgive, we free ourselves from the bitter ties that bind us to the one who hurt us."
[QUOTE=jennifernelson]Hi,
three men who have come everyday for the last year for mail call and never have received one thing. not a card, hello, letter, anything. Stampers love to send cards so I was hoping we could surprise these men by everyone who possibly can sending them as many and as often a little note of encouragement. >>>
Done! I've got four cards ready to go, that I'll be dropping off on my way to visit my husband this evening.
Two questions ... if they have been there for a year already, have they started getting ready to come home yet? Just want to make sure they receive the cards.
Also, is Matthew's address the same as theirs?
Thanks!
Blessings,
__________________ ~Sheri
"I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to."
"When we forgive, we free ourselves from the bitter ties that bind us to the one who hurt us."
What else can we send besides cards? I know there are rules and no melty chocolate. I would like to send something besides sunscreen or things like that. Please let me know.
I forgot to mention in my previous post that one of the absolute FAVORITE things that the soldiers working with my husband received...was CARDS!!!
I don't mean the cards we send with notes already in them, but the blank cards we send for THEM to send home to their loved ones.
Quick story: The last box of blank cards that was sent to my husband to distribute to the soldiers he worked with, before returning to the states, was sent by a loving and generous fellow-stamper. She had included some Christmas cards...but it was already past Christmas.
My husband received the box and the first cards he saw were the Christmas cards. His first thought, as he picked up one of the Christmas cards, was, "Well, I doubt anyone is going to grab these. Christmas has already passed."
Less than a few hours later, he saw his roommate writing in that very same Christmas card that he'd picked up earlier. As it turned out, his roommate had sent individual Christmas cards to all four of his children, and his wife. Unfortunately, the card for his son had gotten lost. The little boy was heartbroken at not having received a Christmas card from his daddy. This box couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Through the love and thoughtfulness of some STAMPERS this soldier was able to send a second (belated) Christmas card to his son to make up for the one that had been lost in the mail.
So...send them boxes of blank cards. Hallmark hasn't caught on to this need yet, so the soldiers dearly love having something they can send home to loved ones. They don't even have to be hand-stamped cards either (*gasp* yes, I did just say that! LOL) Just send them blank cards and envelopes!
That's it for now...
Blessings,
__________________ ~Sheri
"I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to."
"When we forgive, we free ourselves from the bitter ties that bind us to the one who hurt us."
***sheepish grins***
I was preoccupied when I read the first post (and admittedly, a little on the tired side). Of course Matthew's address is the same as the other three...
...says so, right there in your original post!!! LOL
Calling it a night - but got four cards mailed this afternoon! Thanks for letting us bring some encouragement to those soldiers!
Blessings,
__________________ ~Sheri
"I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to."
"When we forgive, we free ourselves from the bitter ties that bind us to the one who hurt us."
OK, now I'm going to get all those card fronts made with retiring sets and make them into cards to send over...
I just sent a box full of cards yesterday to a Marine from Camp Pendelton. He's also getting a box of Twinkies and some cereal bars with the cards. Some other things that make the trip well are nuts, jelly beans and dried fruit.
Will send cards to these wonderful men! My boys are 20 and 24 and are here...DS #1 went to a military college, so he does have friends over there too. My prayers and heart goes out to all those brave young men, women, and their families!
__________________ Lori Hanna
<--Wishing I was cruising (Caribbean Princess, May 2010)
One question. A lot of my cards have embellishments on them; like buttons, eyelets, ribbon with knots, that kind of thing. Are these OK to send? I was concerned about postage or special handling. Not on my end because I would use a box for all of them, but on their end when they go to send them out.
Hello. I am new to this website so I hope I am doing this right. I don't know how to PM you. I would love to send cards to these men. Could you please give me their names and addresses, including your sons? Thank you.
Carol email: [email protected]
Hi, This is exactly what I have been watching for...someone to send cards to cheer them up. Can't believe there are guys over there that don't receive any mail...its sad. So if you will send me the addresses, my stamping group will start sending cards, etc. to them (and Matthew as well). [email protected]
RAK request for lonely troops
Done Deal
Oops...*blush*
