Vanity: How Can I support our Troops -- Directly?

PackerBoy | 3/1/03 | PackerBoy

[PackerBoy]

I have been thinking about this for a while, and I thought I would finally throw this out to my Freeper Friends in the hope that someone would have a suggestion.

I would like to provide some moral support for our troops in a direct way. I do not personally know anyone in the service who has been called to active duty over seas, but I would like to -- on a recurring basis -- send emails, letters and small packages of helpful items to about a half dozen servicemen or women.

In the best of all worlds, the recipients would be from my state (Ohio), but I am not totally inflexible in that regard.

Does anyone know of an organzation that might point me in the right direction?

Thanks for your help.

[Honcho Bongs]

You might try the USO. http://www.uso.org

I don't think they allow packages directly to servicemen and women anymore for security reasons.

[Utah Girl]

You also might want to contact Hillary's Lovely Legs (she is a FReeper.) She puts together packages for the servicemen and women.

[happydogdesign]

Check with your church, workplace, or neighbors, and see if someone has a spouse or family member deployed. Then help them out. A soldier in Afghanistan, or a radar tech in an AWACS or sailor dodging cables on a carrier flight deck would feel much better if they got a letter, phone call, or email that said, "Hey, son, the neighbors shoveled the snow out of driveway for us!" or "Your coworkers brought us this huge sack of groceries!" or "Some folks from church took the kids out for a movie and a pizza, so I got a chance to visit your mom in the nursing home." Or take up a collection for a family of an reservist who has been activated- a lot of those folks are taking a hard financial hit and few extra bucks would mean a lot.

[RightOnline]

I applaud your sentiment.........but in a longer-term view, the best thing you can do to help our servicemen and women is to get involved early in re-election efforts. Keep this administration in place for another four years. I'm perfectly serious, by the way........and God bless you for caring. Wish all Americans felt as you do.

[Freedom4US]

I enjoyed receiving letters (as in written, on paper w/ a stamp) from grade school children. They are great, misspelled block letters and all. One of my favorites went:

Dear Army guy,

Thank you for saving the county.

Ben

You're probably not a school teacher, but maybe you can help organize something like that. Unfortunately, current DOD regulations prohibit any letters not addressed to a specific soldier by name.

Another area you might think about is family support groups. Many soldiers are married, far more than in previous decades. Free car repairs or tune ups, say, for spouses of deployed soldiers? Stuff like that causes a big headache when daddy's away. Maybe you're not mechanically inclined but you get the idea.

[dalebert]

Go to Bagdad and kill Saddam. Thats the fastest way I know of to help the troops. Even better would be to get the UN to move to France.

[red-dawg]

I see that you are in Ohio. Go to Wright-Patterson air force base and ask them.

[MaeWest]

...contact Hillary's Lovely Legs (she is a FReeper)

I second this suggestion.

[TADSLOS]

Go find the nearest Active Component, Guard and /or Reserve unit nearest you that has or will be deploying. Each unit has a family support group who will welcome any help you can offer. That's the most direct method of support to the troops I know of beyond personally supporting a friend or relative that is deployed.

[Libertina]

Send cookies & letters THEY WANT MAIL! Our radio station KVI 570, has set up a project with the USO where WE buy Girl Scout Cookies, and THEY ship them to the servicemen and women. A WIN WIN WIN WIN sitution!

[not_apathetic_anymore]

I sent an email to "adopt a platoon" a couple of weeks ago. I just this afternoon got their 'we're checking you out" phone call. I'll be getting the name of a serviceman via email in a few days.

The deal is one letter a week and one care package a month from me. Small price to pay!

[BB2]

I've been trying to remember the name of the website mentioned today on Clear Channels "the Weekend" show, but can't. It sounded like just what you're looking for. It was a group that would give you the names and addresses for servicemen overseas, so you could send them letters directly to show your support.

If any of you happened to make a note of that website, I would also appreciate your posting it here. It was something like projectmilitarysupport.com, but that's NOT it. I was listening on my way home from work, and I couldn't write it down.

[getgoing]

Check out www.oidelivers.org/ - just got a call that our care packages are now in the pockets of 50 Marines in Kuwait. BIG SMILE IN DALLAS! Their process only takes a week for delivery, is secure and getting priority "pushing to the front". Organized by a Gulf War 1 vet, with a goal of 300,000 c-rats per month to all our deployed forces.

[Valin]

I'm glad you asked, try here
USO Canteen FReeper Style
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/search?s=USO+Canteen+FReeper+Style&m=all&o=time