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DON'T send a Christmas card to our soldiers.....

American Flag,military It's a nice idea, really. I was about to send one myself, until my husband, currently stationed aboard the USS John C. Stennis, stopped me.

"That's nice, honey, but it'll never reach anyone."

At first I didn't believe him, but then we watched the news last night. It was covered on at least ABC News and Fox News. The information has also appeared in the Associated Press and the New York Times.

Any mail not addressed to a specific soldier, whether they are currently stationed on a military base overseas, in the US or at a medical center, will not be delivered. According to officials at Walter Reed Medical Center, this has been a problem for years. The mail to "A Wounded Soldier" has either been returned to sender, or destroyed. mailing a letter, military, post,support,christmas card

The fear is that terrorists will send contaminated mail to our soldiers. An understandable fear, in my opinion.

Have we gone overboard in protecting ourselves? Is this a violation of rights? How are we going to support our troops with rules like this "protecting" them?

There are so many ways that you can choose to show your love and support for our servicemembers. The group Soldier's Angels allows citizens to adopt a soldier. Freedom Is Not Free is a unique charity directed by current and former members of the military, the "Purple Heart Board". Finally, Salute America's Heroes does some simple yet effective support gestures, such as selling armbands for our vets and heroes.

Please, don't be upset because your Christmas Cards may not get to the wounded soldier that you wanted to receive it. Be thrilled that the government is doing their best to protect our military, and find another way to show your gratitude. It's so easy, there are so many choices, and they really need our support!

Posted by Marlene Scheffer, Realtor to Kitsap County, WA on 12/12/2007 06:09 PM

Comments (8)

military, real estate, realty station, bremerton, kitsap

Post is included in group: Puget Sound - WA Real Estate

8 Comments on DON'T send a Christmas card to our soldiers.....

I never thought they would not deliver. What is this world coming to. Thanks for the info.

12/12/2007 06:15 PM

by Terry Westbrook ~ Realtor(R) Grand Rapids Mi Ada/Cascade Real Estate (Five Star Real Estate, LLC Grand Rapids , MI)

I saw this report last week. Pretty sad that they can't just distribute them around.

12/12/2007 06:33 PM

by Donna Harris, ASP (Re/Max HiNet)

Terry and Donna,

I think it's better safe than sorry. It is sad that they aren't able to distribute them, but as the wife of a service member, I can understand why. Our world hasn't been the same since 9-11. As a matter of fact, it seems the world is getting more and more dangerous as the years go by. I'm just glad we have another way to thank our soldiers.

12/12/2007 08:54 PM

by Marlene Scheffer, Realtor to Kitsap County, WA (Realty Station)

Wow - I never would have thought of that! Thanks for the info - I did not see it on the news....

12/12/2007 11:15 PM

by Courtney Cooper, Seattle Realtor/Broker- Seattle Real Estate, Seattle WA (Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services - Seattle Real Estate )

Marlene, I keep forgetting to tell people this when I see all the posts on sending gifts and cards and such. Thank you for the reminder.

12/13/2007 03:43 AM

by Kris Wales-Macomb County MI Real estate (RE/MAX Advantage 1, Inc.)

Courtney, I didn't think about it either, until my husband said something. And then, I didn't believe him, poor guy.

Kris, I know, the thought is right, it's the methodolgy that's not correct.

12/13/2007 04:32 PM

by Marlene Scheffer, Realtor to Kitsap County, WA (Realty Station)

Marlene, I had no idea. Is there some other way for people to "pick" a soldier through our local offices?

12/14/2007 10:38 AM

by HOPE Lending LLC

Marlene, thank you for posting this info and for the links. I had heard this before, makes a ton of sense, but it still makes me sad we live in a world like this.

12/16/2007 11:52 PM

by Anderson Homes Redesigned LLC, Staging Kitsap County, Roberta Anderson (Anderson Homes Redesigned LLC)

Melissa, if the websites in my post don't work for you, you might look at another option instead. There is a place called "Fisher House". It is kind of like the Ronald McDonald house for the military. Many of the soldiers who are hurt and whose families come out to help them, end up at Fisher House. I know there is a Fisher House down at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, as there are at many large military hospitals across the country. They are always looking for groups or families to bring in dinners for the people staying there. Several times while we were there, we had families of wounded soldiers staying in a room near ours. You might consider helping with something like that.

Another idea is to contact a military medical center directly, and bring unwrapped gifts to the chaplain there. They may be able to distribute them to soldiers at the facility. And please, let me know how it goes! Thanks for asking about other options, I see another blog post.....

12/17/2007 01:41 PM

by Marlene Scheffer, Realtor to Kitsap County, WA (Realty Station)

Hi, Marlene! This is a great post - something that not everyone knows! We do an annual care package drive for the troops and my Girl Scout troop sends cookies every year, but we always send them directly to a soldier (or a couple of soldiers).

People definitely want to help and support our troops - the more of us who help them to do that the right way and make sure the items get where they need to be, the more successful it will be!

~Maura Gebhardt

12/18/2007 03:11 PM

by The Gebhardt Group - North Metro Atlanta Real Estate (RE/MAX Greater Atlanta)

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