What’s the experience with sending letters without packages?  I’m new here, and have already gotten carried away ... you know, doing “just one more” box to send out after reaching what I thought was my practical limit ... and then doing it again.  I’ve been including a letter that starts with thanking whoever gets the package for doing what they are doing.  I say I’m necessarily expecting a reply (other than the return of the enclosed postcard if possible to let me know the box arrived), but I offer to correspond if anyone would like to, and kind of start introducing myself.  (I actually have to work not to ramble on too long, since once I get started I find a stream-of-consciousness thing easy to do.)

If a letter on its own would be a positive thing for the person receiving it, I’d like to continue my support with letters until I can afford to send more boxes.  But if a letter is more than a brief thank you, it turns into the offer of correspondence (either directly or implied, because why else would anyone be interested in random thoughts and stuff about my everyday life?).  I have to wonder realistically how many soldiers really want to write letters.  I mean, I actually like to write letters, but it doesn’t seem that all that many people do.

Anyway, I’m curious to know other peoples thoughts, both on how letters alone are received, and how much to write (that is, a brief positive note or a longer letter that is more like the beginning of a conversation).

I also am new to this.  I have seen contacts ask for letters or boxes, and some ask for just letters (if they are on the move or living in very tight quarters).  I think one main thing these soldiers get from the letters is the brief "mental vacation" they get while reading it.  I always add stuff about the kids, dogs, local interest, or such just to give them some interesting bulk to read.  I've also seen a contact ask for letters with pictures of family to hand out to his single Marines.   The way he put it..."I guess  we all just want to imagine we are someone's knight-in-shining-armor".  So I always try to make it feel like a letter from HOME.

Blessings,

Sara B. 

You might try doing a search for "letters" here in this forum (not in the contact requests).  There has already been a good it of discussion about this on some other thread.

Short answer, I think we would recommend sending letters to those who express an interest in receiving letters, especially if you are not sure if they are really wanted.  (OK, now you can search for "letters" in the contact requests, LOL.)

There is a difference between wanting to receive letters and wanting to write them. I would agree that more soldiers probably think they want to write (you might try searching the requests for "pen pal" also) than will actually do so, in part because they work long hours and have limited free time.  And stationery, pens, etc, are scarce over there.

If you like to write, write.  Anything from a short note to up to two pages seems fine to me.  If you are hoping for a conversation, you may be disappointed, but that doesn't mean they didn't appreciate and enjoy reading your letter.

I write many, many letters. They are always well received and appreciated by our troops. I always send my support and a little info about me. Just act as if you are writing to a friend. 

I send letters all the time.  I only send boxes once a month.  My guys seem to like the letters too.  I carry a note book with me everywhere.  I just write down what I am doing, only I try to make it funny.  Sometimes I will be writing something and something else will pop into my head,  I write that too.  I have let a few friends read the letters I send before I send them.  If they make my friends laugh, even my guy friends, I know my Marines will think they are funny too.  I would like to get a response, but I don't always.  I have yet to have one tell me that my letters suck.  Until they do, I will keep writing. (Suck: pardon my speach, I have teenagers and I work at a school)

In my experiece, all the troops love to receive and read letters.  Although a letter in no way guarantees a response, I find that many soldiers do reply with either a letter or an email.  The troops love to know that America cares and hasn't forgotten them, and letters are the perfect way to encourage and thank the troops without spending a fortune.  My letters are usually about a page long and they tell a little about me, and how much I appreciate the work the troops are doing.  I often will enclose a picture of me or my family so they can put a face to my name.  One special thing that I do, is I enclose a little oragami animal in almost all of my letters.  I started doing this when a soldier whom I had written to sent me a reply with an oragami crane in it.  That crane touched my heart and is a real treasure to me, and my contacts seem to love the oragami I send them.  I guess it's just a little something tangible that adds a special touch to my letter.  Happy Letter Writing!

When I decide to slow down for awhile and just send letters, I do a search for "Red Sox" because I'm a big fan and love keeping up with the team. If I find someone who also loves the Red Sox, I'll write them a long newsy letter about how individual players are doing, silly things the broadcasters talked about - descriptions of really big wins and other inane stuff. It feeds my Red Sox addiction, my Anysoldier addiction and might just make the day of someone thousands of miles from Fenway Park. Anyway, perhaps you have a passion that you share with a soldier - check out the database search thingy. And like others have mentioned here, searching for something innocuous as :  'just a letter' will turn up several entries.

I like your idea of writing about sports and your passons.
 

I write letters like they are my son or daughter. I am very descriptive so I tell them about a walk on the beach and relate  how it assaults my senses. I tell them about my daughter Abby 3. I told them about my son practicing to get his license then the next letter told them that he got it but failed parallel parking. Those stories got a lot of response.

Almost all of my soldiers/marines who write me regularly and I have about 10(out of about 25 contacts I send to),, miss the greenness of America and all of the colors. My next mission is to find large posters of forests and send it to them to hang on their walls. I sent colorful banners saying thank you. That was cheap. I used connected paper (3-4 sheets) and permanent markers and 20 minutes of my time saying thank you or get well (one contact had surgery). Some guys are more chatty than others but they all liked pictures of our family at Disneyland.

For Valentine's day, I took a picture of Abby in her pink snowsuit next to her snowman (her size) and put it on a holiday card. It was 40cents a card and 39 cents to mail it. For under a buck, each of my guys got a little present. Somewhere in Iraq there are pictures of a little blue eyed blond in her snowsuit. LOL

Sometimes I have go with my heart. What does your heart tell you? 

Take care,

momof6 

 

 

Momof6

I think you're so right about homey, newsy letters. Whenever I write a letter, I have this picture in my head of that MASH episode where Hawkeye's reading the Crabapple Cove weekly newspaper outloud in the Swamp. Everybody gets a kick out of the most innocuous, common stories of what's going on anytown USA.

I am getting a lot of great ideas still from all of this:)

This weekend hubby is taking the kids to VA and mommy gets some alone time.. I am going to take the camera and go take lots of pictures around NC (I have no idea of what) just random and somehow do something with it.. I haven't figured that out yet

Funny, in one of my packages, my letter was like 4 pages long I think!!! Why? well it dragged on for days and I admitted that to the recipient (I have no regular contacts) that now he has to listen to me about my Bush Gardens trip and how my 4 yr old rode the Big Bad Wolf 3 x and I dragged my 8 yr old on roller coasters, etc and the part of me meeting a soon to be boot camp Marine graduate..

One question I have and I am sorry to be so stupid - I was in the PO today sending out 3 packages (lol) and I heard this lady ask for international stamps for a letter.. so do you need different stamps to send regular letters? I know, stupid question, but all I've done is send packages..

thanks

You are absolutely not stupid!  I had the same questions.  The FAQ page, under "can I just send letters? How do I", says to just send normal letters in a normal envelope with a normal stamp.  Blessings!  -Sara

vtleogal:

One question I have and I am sorry to be so stupid - I was in the PO today sending out 3 packages (lol) and I heard this lady ask for international stamps for a letter.. so do you need different stamps to send regular letters? I know, stupid question, but all I've done is send packages..

 Nope.  "Normal" stamp.  Your mail is actually going to either New York or San Francisco (or at least that is what the address says) then on to the troops...

No...just use your regular stamps...whatever the postage cost is these days... There was a bill before Congress recently that would allow things sent to military personnel be sent free...just like their letters to us. I haven't heard anything on what happened with that. Probably time to check in with my Congresswoman again. She's a good, strong supporter of the military, by the way!!

AND KEEP WRITING THOSE LETTERS!! My son loves to receive letters there. The only thing that would go over even better would be, for those of you with children, to have your children write letters. Matthew says they all love to receive letters from children because those are just the most wonderlful, heartfelt, and honest. One note, don't edit those letters...send as written!!

I always include a letter and/or postcard in every box to give them some background on us and where we live. I just follow the suggestion to chat as if you are talking to a friend. The troops say that they enjoy a picture so they know who they are supporting.  I agree that many are so tired of everything sand colored that they want photos from the USA such as calendars, or postcards showing your state. They also like humor and Sunday comics.

A car air freshner is flat enough to fit into an envelope if you are sending a letter.  Every one can use an air freshner it seems.  Check your postage as a long letter plus air freshner may bump to the next level of postage.

P.S. a sign of an anysoldier addict is when you take your troop address book along on vacation and send postcards to the troops instead of your friends and family!

Thanks for the feedback about writing letters.  I’m feeling so motivated I already wrote a couple more today!