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Get Military Addressing Tips
1/ Express Mail Military Service (EMMS) is available to selected military post offices. Check with your local Post Office to determine if this service is available to your APO/FPO of address.
2/ Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL) is a service that provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. It is available for Parcel Post items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60 inches in length and girth combined. The applicable PAL fee must be paid in addition to the regular surface rate of postage for each addressed piece sent by PAL service.
3/ Space Available Mail (SAM) parcels paid at Parcel Post rate with maximum weight and size limits of 15 pounds and 60 inches in length and girth combined. SAM parcels are first transported domestically by surface and then to overseas destinations by air as space is available.
Items for Soldier's Packages:
- Individual packets of hot chocolate, cider or hot soup mix…
- Candy (bite sized, individually wrapped, all kinds)
- AT&T Phone Cards
- Hand held games (battery games with batteries, please)
- Small puzzle books
- Small, signed Holiday cards from you and your families (include your name and address!)
-- Books (current titles are greatly appreciated)
- Magazines (cars, trucks, men's health, exercise, business, computing...)
- Microwave food items (popcorn, all-in-one pan microwave deserts, heat & eat soups, etc.)
- Cereal bars
- Granola Bars
- Home baked goods (pack brownies and cakes in bread slices or package in tins and wrap in plastic wrap
- Pre-paid gift cards or gift certificates from American Expess, Visa, Amazon.com, or from specific stores - Best Buy, Staples, Barnes & Noble, Circuit City, etc.) These soldiers have a range of things they need or want over the course of their deployments...
Christmas/Holiday decorations
Look around your homes and see your most cherished reminders of the holidays... and replicate those for our troops.
- Garland
- Shatterproof ornaments (Kohls, K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Target all sell these)
- Tinsel
- Lights (small wattage)
- Small artificial trees
Cold weather items
(it's cool there now -- Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Germany -- and getting colder).
- Stocking caps (black only)
- Long sleeve t-shirts -- (M, L or XL) but must be Army brown... Under Armour is preferred but also (less pricey) Dri-Release shirts (Soffee, Anvil, etc.) (but good luck finding them in brown).
- Gloves (tactical gloves are preferred... which you can also find online or at gun stores or military or police supply stores)
- Lightweight fleece blankets.
DVDs, Music CDs... new releases are greatly coveted... they pass them around and trade them so one DVD or one CD makes its way to a lot of soldiers...
Footballs, baseballs, baseball gloves, soccer balls, volleyballs...
Christmas/Holiday Cards that they can send to friends and families back home (they do not need postage!) and sending some All Occasion card boxes are much appreciated.
Be sure to include your handwritten greetings... especially handwritten cards and notes from children!!
Use FLAT RATE BOXES from the US Postal Service.
These cost $8.10 to mail no matter how heavy you make the boxes (don't use this if you're sending lightweight things -- if you use these Flat Rate boxes stuff 'em as heavy as you can and get your money's worth!!)!
Don't forget the Customs Forms (every package to Iraq or Afghanistan -- zip code 093xx) MUST have one... fill them out as best you can BEFORE you get to the P.O. but the postal clerk will attach it for you. These are multi-part (self-carbon) forms that are a pain in the butt -- but necessary. You do not have to fill in the weight... and in the lower right corner it asks for instructions on what to do if the package cannot be delivered as addressed... tell them to direct delivery to another... and fill in "First Sergeant" and then the rest of the unit address for your soldier or the name & address of another soldier if you have more than one you have adopted. Customs forms can be filled out online at:
Be aware that soldiers have a limit on the amount of "stuff" they can bring back so hold off sending priceless heirlooms and bulky items if your soldier is redeploying soon.
RESTRICTIONS ON CONTENTS:
If you are sending to Iraq or Afghanistan,
DO NOT SEND ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
obscene articles such as prints, paintings, cards, films, videotapes, etc.
pork or pork by-products
alcoholic beverages
any matter depicting nude or semi-nude persons, pornographic or sexual items
unauthorized political materials.
If contraband is found in a package, the entire contents may not be delivered!
Thanks to: Some Soldier's Mom a career soldier's wife and mom. God bless her and her family.
Thank you ! | 
