The Post Office offers FREE shipping supplies. This comes handy when one is trying to send care packages to a deployed soldier. It costs enough to fill the box with items, so it is nice that the Post Office offers this wonderful deal.

I ordered 11″ x 8″ x 5.5″ flat rate box set. I think I ordered the 10-box set, though the Post Office also allows one to order a 25-box set. I remember thinking that the deal was too good to be true; when I first started sending Nick care packages, I went to Wal Mart to purchase boxes. This seemed like a silly idea to me, so I turned to the Post Office. “FREE boxes?” I thought. I was so excited to receive my FREE boxes in the mail. I couldn’t believe that the Post Office offered this service.

I was also able to order FREE customs invoices. This was cool, too, because these invoices are required to send a care package. The Post Office handlers require people to fill out the invoice because it contains contact information for the sender and receiver, as well as information about the contents of the box. If the box gets damaged or is unable to send, the sender may request a returning fee to replace the material worth of the box’s content.

I was very happy to receive these items in the mail. They were free. They were in my mail box. There were ample shipping supplies right at my fingertips. All I had to do was order online.

I still have boxes and invoices left. I plan to use these for my current pen pal in Iraq. Once again, if I run out, all I have to do is order more!

Here is the original post:

“I signed up to be a pen pal for a soldier overseas with a volunteer organization, but I’m having a hard time keeping up with my correspondence. This isn’t someone I know, so I can’t write about familiar subjects (because I don’t know what they are!), and they don’t regularly write to me (which is part of the deal, so I understand that). I’ve been writing about my life, but it feels so awful – “Hi I’m having a great comfortable spoiled life here with my friends and family! Hope life alone in a war zone isn’t too awful!” What sort of things can I talk to this person about that will provide the most comfort and support? I am a woman, and so is my soldier.”

Here are some of the responses:

• Talk about regular everyday stuff…when I was in the Navy, we loved getting junky letters full of newsy stuffs, pictures of the kids, ANYONES kids…you just want to know that there’s a ‘normal’ someplace out there waiting for you to come back to it. Tell him or her about the latest movies, send some crappy celebretard magazines…anything that gives you a little escape from the now. Posted by legotech at 10:20 PM on November 19, 2007

• Tell him or her how thinking of her sacrifices – what she’s given up to be in the armed services – has made you remember how much you have to be thankful for in your everyday life. Tell her what those things are. Posted by ikkyu2 at 10:40 PM on November 19, 2007

• I am writing emails to a teenage boy soldier and having similar problems. I just send him emails occasionally letting him know that I am thinking of him and asking if there is anything he’d like from the States. Posted by thebrokenmuse at 10:41 PM on November 19, 2007

• I agree with legotech, and disagree with ikkyu2. The only thing I really felt when somebody said “Thanks for your service”, or something like that was somewhere between guilt and resentment. Write letters about things you think are interesting. Write anything that will remind your penpal that there is definitely a ‘real world’ to return to. Ask your penpal if there is a “character” in their unit. Posted by ArgentCorvid at 11:17 PM on November 19, 2007

For more information, see this page. Crowdsourcing is a blessing.

This is the issue that I am running into, to some extent. I am, of course, keeping up with my letters, but I must admit that I am struggling to some degree. I’m not really sure what my pen pal wants to read and know about me. I’m not sure if  my letters have been interesting, entertaining, impacting, or just plain boring.

I understand that my pen pal is very busy, and of course this task is not a selfish one. I am writing letters for his benefit, not necessarily for me to gain a new friend. I just hope that I am making a difference to him. I don’t know.

I suppose the most important thing to remember is that if I stop writing, no matter what the reason, it would appear as though I stopped caring or lost hope. This cannot, and will not, happen.

I intend to keep up my responsibility as a pen pal. However, I think it is important to show the realistic side of what I am doing. Far too often people say that they support the troops but really do nothing with their support. I don’t think they support the troops entirely; I think they support the troops when they want – when it is convenient for them. This is pretty selfish.

Being a pen pal to a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan is not as glamorous as it may seem. There are some cases where both pen pals communicate and become close friends. I’ve heard stories about pen pals meeting once the soldier comes back to the U.S. It doesn’t always happen that way, though. No matter what, a letter from a person in the U.S. does show support to a soldier overseas. I think writing a letter effectively embodies the phrase “supporting the troops.” It is a legitimate action that someone is taking to back up their words and feelings toward the matter.

I don’t know if my letters are interesting, but I certainly like to think they are making an impact to my soldier. I’m sure he expects them now. I’m sure he doesn’t even care what I write in the letters, so long as he knows someone has taken the time to think about him and write to him. Sure, it’s pretty tough writing an entertaining letter every week to someone I don’t know…but I certainly wouldn’t want to be in his shoes!

When someone is far away, such as in this case, social networking profiles are the closest we get to understanding who the person is. I learned a lot about my soldier just from perusing his profile.

Of course I still plan on sending snail-mail letters. Ida Haag, the executive director of AdoptaPlatoon, once told me that the soldiers enjoy hearing their names called at mail time (I interviewed her by e-mail during my sophomore year in college because I was writing an article on what it means to support the troops and various ways volunteers may do so). It’s more personal and special to receive a snail-mail letter, especially during this age of technology.

I’m just happy to know that he has received my letters! Success!

In my first letter, I wrote a few paragraphs about me and my intentions. I explained that I found my soldier’s contact information from AaP and that I plan on writing him a letter every week. I told him about how I attend college in North Carolina and that I am a female. I briefly listed some of my hobbies and favorite movies. Lastly, I wrote a few sentences about how I became interested in the military and supporting the troops.

I also attached a questionnaire that I found on the AaP Web site. The questionnaire basically asks my soldier for a little bit of information about him (birthday, favorite color, etc.) as well as items that he would like to receive. The purpose of the questionnaire is that the soldier is supposed to fill it out and return it to me so that I can better support him and send him items that he needs or wants. It is not required for the soldiers to respond to the pen pals, though. This is understandable…I’m sure he is a little busy!

Nick always told me not to decorate the envelope. When he was in basic training, Nick said that the drill sergeants would make fun of the soldiers if they received decorated envelopes. I believe Nick said that the sergeants would read the letters aloud too. It was always important just to leave the envelope as plain as possible. I still maintain that rule. You never know!

Perhaps a day after filling out the application, I received a phone call from a woman named Lynn. She was one of the AaP coordinators. She was calling to confirm my application and to make sure that I knew what was expected of me as a pen pal. She was very friendly and asked me to write down her phone number in case I had any questions. She then said that I would be receiving a detailed e-mail in the next few days with the same expectations that she had mentioned, as well as the contact information for my pen pal.

I received the e-mail a week later. It included the contact information, as well as some information about my pen pal. I was excited to see that he is the same age as me. It’s crazy to see how different someone’s life can be. That could be me!

The e-mail also listed some of the items that my soldier had requested. I really liked that the e-mail included all kinds of important information. This makes it easier when trying to write a letter to a stranger!

I’ve been asked not to release any information about my soldier, so I will definitely stay in line of that rule.

The e-mail listed items that are acceptable and those that are not acceptable. There was also a section outlining what I should do if I want to support an additional soldier.

Lastly, the coordinator asked me to reply to the e-mail, declaring whether or not I would like to accept my given pen pal. This was pretty interesting. I’m not really sure why anyone would be picky about his or her pen pal – it seems like that would defeat the purpose or make someone an insincere pen pal. I guess it was one of those “Last chance to bow out!” opportunities. It’s important that the coordinators hear back from their perspective pen pals because they want to know that each soldier is being adequately supported.

I was really impressed with how seriously the coordinators took their jobs. They made sure that all my questions were answered. They were very thorough, and I appreciate that.

The application also asks for contact information. Initially I thought this was so that the organization had real information about its volunteers. I wondered why the coordinators needed my phone number and best time to call. Were they going to call me? Was my soldier going to call me?

The last part of the application is choosing the type of volunteer support that one would like to offer.

Then it’s up to the AdoptaPlatoon coordinators to do the rest!

View the application here.

I have chosen to be a pen pal. Pen pals are expected to send weekly cards and letters. Because this is my first time “registering” as a volunteer with an official organization, I chose to take part in this option. Once I learn more about this option and feel as though I can handle more, I plan to become pen pals with more than one soldier. I can become pen pals with up to four soldiers.

Another volunteer option is to adopt a soldier. Like a pen pal, this option would expect a volunteer to send weekly cards and letters, as well as one care package per month. A pen pal may, of course, send care packages, but it is not expected.

Volunteers have the option of adopting a small platoon (up to 35 soldiers) or a large platoon (35 soldiers or more). I imagine church groups and other communities of people would choose this option.

This is one important message from the AdoptaPlatoon Web site: “As a platoon supporter, you are requested to send all care packages to your Platoon Point of Contact (POC).  You do not have to send individual packages for each person in the platoon as they all share whatever is sent.”

For those who do not have the time or resources to be a full-time volunteer, there are holiday campaigns and collections throughout the year. This “one-time support” would consist of sending a themed package for whatever the campaign requests.

Some of the holiday campaigns are as follows:

• Operation Crayon™ … (Click here for info poster)

  …This campaign started in 1999 by AAP and the soldiers in Bosnia. They wanted to help the children in this war-torn area by giving them candy, toys, and clothing and letting them know they were there to help them. Operation Crayon is now helping the children in the Middle East. Schools, youth groups, scouts, etc., love to participate in this campaign because the children are the same ages and they can feel like they are really helping them! Check out the picture of the kids with the American flags on the Home page – they are part of Operation Crayon!

• To Afghanistan with Love… U.S. soldiers serving in Afghanistan have a difficult task and need to know we support them. By participating in this campaign, support is sent to chaplains and/or civilians supporting our troops in this area and items are distributed to the troops. Contact Arline at aapcampaign@adoptaplatoon.org for more info or to participate.

• To Iraq with Love… Most of our U.S. troops are in Iraq and many are in remote areas not getting support. We can’t let one soldier go by without knowing we haven’t forgotten them. By participating in this campaign, support is sent to chaplains and/or civilians in this area supporting them, and items are distributed to the troops. Contact Arline at aapcampaign@adoptaplatoon.org for more info or to participate.

• Operation Underwear… Sand wears out clothing quickly, so to keep our troops as comfortable as possible,, this campaign keeps their undergarments replenished. Contact Arline at aapcampaign@adoptaplatoon.org for more info or to participate.

Other support organizations have a clearly-defined method for supporting the troops. The AdoptaPlatoon organization has several defined methods for supporting the troops. I chose to volunteer with this organization because I like how it operates on choice and control; volunteers fill out an application choosing their preferred method of support, and then they are in control of how well they care out the expectations of their position. This kind of interaction is welcoming to a variety of people – those who have a high level of commitment and resources and those who simply have the passion to help out when they can.

Deciding on an organization to work with was an important task. I did not want to choose just any organization. I wanted to volunteer with an organization that I felt like had the same viewpoint on support as I do. Not to mention, I was looking for an organization that had opportunities open for all kinds of volunteers.

AdoptaPlatoon has just that.

AdoptaPlatoon provides a variety of active examples that illustrate how civilians can support personnel from all branches of the military. These examples include individual soldier adoption, pen-pal support, platoon support and one-time support. This organization welcomes any kind of support, so long as it is dynamic. I relish the opportunity to promote Adopt a Platoon because I believe this organization appeals to everyone. It offers a range of volunteer efforts so that anyone can help.

Because this is my first effort with the AdoptaPlatoon organization, I have chosen to be a pen pal. With this position, I am expected to send one snail mail letter a week to a soldier deployed overseas. I am really excited about this experience (Seriously? One letter per week? That’s nothing!)

It’s about AdoptaPlatoon.

When Nick came home from Iraq in November, I realized that he did not really need me anymore. Granted that we are not dating anymore, but he and I were still e-mailing quite often up until he came home. Even though Nick is now surrounded by support at home,  clearly he needed me while he was over there.

(What’s interesting is the fact that so many of Nick’s friends from school and church said they were going to keep in touch with him, and they did not. Now that he is home, everyone has gone back to normal…but I know Nick was very hurt and disappointed by their lack of communication with him when he really needed it.)

I decided that I wanted to continue supporting soldiers overseas. I knew I was capable of keeping in touch with someone over an extended period of time. Out of sight, out of mind? No sir! Through my experiences with Nick, I have learned, to some extent, what it is like to be fighting this war overseas. There are plenty of soldiers who are not receiving the support that they’d like. Even though I devoted much of my time to supporting Nick, it was not enough for him. He wanted more. I cannot judge or criticize his feelings because I do not know exactly how he was feeling while he was over there.

The point is, there must be many other soldiers who feel the same way, soldiers who have letters and e-mails coming in from their parents and grandparents…but what about all those friends from school and church who promised they would write and send care packages? A soldier thinks, “Have they forgotten about me?” “Do they have other things on their mind?” “Am I not that important?” These are not things that our soldiers should be thinking about or feeling.

I have the time, understanding, experience and passion to help these guys out. My contribution may not change any body’s life…but it might.

Most importantly, I have the time to sit down and write a one-page letter to someone who is sacrificing over a year of his or her life to be in a decrepit part of the world, defending him or herself and our country. Even trade-off?