The Fort Report Column

Holiday Mail for Heroes

Thousands of American military service members will spend this holiday season in foreign countries, away from family and friends and the comfort and joy of their homes. By participating in the “Holiday Mail for Heroes” program, you can help bring the holidays a little closer to home for our military personnel.

A partnership of the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes Inc., the “Holiday Mail for Heroes” program hopes to gather more than one million holiday cards from people across America to deliver to U.S. military members. Last year, the Red Cross helped deliver more than 600,000 holiday cards to members recovering in military hospitals. This year the effort is expanded to all members of the armed services, veterans, and their families in the U.S. and throughout the world.

If you wish to participate in this special effort, you should use the program guidelines below (for more info, visit http://www.redcross.org/email/saf/index.asp).

Cards should be addressed and mailed to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
PO Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

To ensure your card will reach a service member, you should follow these guidelines:

All cards must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, December 10, 2008.
If sending more than one card, mail all the cards together in one large shipping envelope. Cards sent in this manner do not need individual envelopes or postage.
All cards should be signed.
Use generic salutations such as "Dear Service Member."
Do not include personal information, like email or home addresses.
Do not send letters.
Do not include inserts of any kind, including photos, glitter, confetti, gift cards or calling cards. Any items inserted into cards will be removed during the reviewing process.

Our soldiers and military personnel sacrifice greatly on our behalf. They protect our country and keep us safe. It is particularly important to remember their service this time of year, when separation from families and friends is especially difficult.

The "Holiday Mail for Heroes" program is a commendable effort, providing Americans the opportunity to encourage their military heroes with the hopeful messages of love and joy this holiday season. It may seem like a small gesture, but a greeting card in time for the holidays is a reminder to our soldiers of the great love and support they have from Americans back home. Thank you for your interest.

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