This
frequently asked questions, or FAQ, page tries to answer some of the questions
that supporters often have about what they can do. They are listed in no
particular order. If you have any suggestions or additions to the answers below,
please email us and we'll get them added.
Index of Questions
> How can I support a deployed soldier?
> How do I find a soldier pen pal?
> How do I get an "any soldier" address?
> How can I send cards to wounded soldiers?
> How can I help families of wounded soldiers?
> Can I leave "any soldier" messages online?
> How can I show support on my website?
> How can I show support at home?
How can I support a deployed soldier?
There are many ways to support our troops overseas.
First is, of course, letting them know that you care and that you stand
behind them by sending care packages, letters, books, or even just online
messages.
Because the US armed forces have discontinued their "any soldier" mailing
program due to safety concerns, you can no longer send letters or packages
addressed to "any soldier" and a generic military address like you used to be
able to. However, you are still able to send packages and letters to units that
provide an address "care of" an individual in that unit and that individual will
make sure the packages and letters get to all the soldiers. You can locate such
addresses in our supporters section, or in one of the many websites listed in
our links.
Another great way to support the troops is by donating to the organizations that
work with the troops and for the troops in supporting their missions as well as
their families. Some of those great organizations are - the American Red Cross,
the USO, the Fisher House Foundation, the Wounded Warrior Project, and so on.
For links on how to support soldiers, try the supporters section.
How do I find a soldier pen pal?
There are some services online which offer soldiers an opportunity to place their military address so people may write to them or send them things. However, the best way you can go about finding a soldier pen pal - or any soldier to write to - is by asking your friends, family members, co-workers, or local community groups if any of them have a friend or family member in the service who may want to get some mail.
How do I get an "any soldier" address?
Officially, you can't. Or at least, you shouldn't.
The US military has discontinued the "any soldier" mailing program that used to be in place, because of concerns for soldiers' safety - the big Anthrax scare played a part in this. The armed services are also asking that, unless you know a soldier personally and are sending him or her mail as a friend, you please don't send bundles of letters of packages to deployed troops overseas.
This is not done to keep civilians from sending mail to the troops, but rather to ease the strain on an already taxed military mail system that often delays letters from family and loved ones.
If you have a soldier who asked for pen pals, it's a different situation - but please do not locate random soldiers' addresses and bombard them with mail. Send mail to soldiers whose units have signed up to receive mail instead. There are also plenty of other ways you can help out the deployed soldiers and their families back home - you can check out a few of them in the other sections of our website.
How can send a card or letter to a wounded soldier?
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, located in Germany, is usually the first
actual military hospital wounded soldiers are taken to after they've been
evacuated from the Middle East. Sometimes, they are further evacuated stateside
after a few weeks, and sometimes they return to duty.
To any injured service member
Care of: Landstuhl Red Cross
CMR 402 Box 2234
APO AE 09180
Brooke Army Medical Center, at Fort Sam Houston, TX, also allows people to
send cards, letters, and donations to injured service members that are treated
there.
Any injured service member
Care of: American Red Cross Office
3851 Roger Brooke Dr.
Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234
The National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD allows people to send cards or
letters to wounded Marines at the following address.
Any injured service member
Care of: RADM Jeffries, Commander
National Naval Medical Center
8901 Wisconsin Ave
Bethesda, MD 20889
You can also send cards and letters to injured service members at Walter Reed
Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. If you send anything, it must be
addressed to the American Red Cross offices or it will be returned and/or
destroyed!
Any injured service member
Care of: American Red Cross Office
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Av. NW
Washington, D.C. 20307
How can I help families of wounded
soldiers?
Most families of wounded soldiers want nothing more than to be with their loved one while he is in hospital. You can help them get there by donating your frequent flier miles to Operation Hero Miles at www.heromiles.org, a great program that has recently been extended to family members. The program provides them with free, or discounted airline tickets to fly to the hospital their loved one is at.
You can also help by donating money to the Fisher House Foundation, found online at www.fisherhouse.org, which provides a low-cost place for the families to stay while their soldier is hospitalized.
Where can I leave an online "any soldier" message?
Because the military has discontinued its "any soldier" mailing program due to the security risks, they have come up with a number of websites where you can leave messages to deployed troops to let them know you're thinking about them and are supporting them. Try any of these "any soldier" program links -
Operation Dear Abby at www.operationdearabby.org
To Our Soldiers at www.army.mil/tooursoldiers/
I Support Our Troops at http://www.isupportourtroops.us
How can I show support on my website?
If you'd like to let everyone know that you support our troops deployed overseas, you can join our Yellow Ribbon Project. You can download the yellow ribbon graphic in our downloads section and place it on your website.
You can also link back to us to spread the word about our site, so that other people can find us to get more information on how to support the troops. We have link banners available for you to download and use on your page in our "about us" section.
How can I show support at home?
If you'd like your neighbors and passers-by to know that you support our troops deployed overseas, you should hang a yellow ribbon from your mail box, your front door, or a tree in your front year. You can also use "Support our Troops" banners or stickers on your door or your vehicle. Ideally you should do more than just show your support, of course, by actually doing something to support the troops!
If you have a family member in the service, you can place a blue star banner in your front window where people can see it. The tradition of placing blue star banners goes back to World War II.