SPC Vineyard, thanks so much for your service! We appreciate you so very much. Hope you get some time to visit around on the Forum, we love to get input from our deployed heroes, so if you see a topic you can help inform us about, jump on in!

 (You did great at posting for not knowing what to do, yay!)

BY THE WAY, Y'ALL...

 Anysoldier.com had a birthday this week... 5 years -- yes FIVE !

Hope everyone made a donation to the site as a birthday gift!

Happy Birthday Any Soldier~~~

Candy 

 Hey Nolan

You know we will always be here for you Nolan at AS to support you and all our great military for serving!!Thank you for giving us this opportunity!!I hope you enjoy your leave and know we are here!!

Take care and have a safe Labor Day weekend!!

Candy 

Spc - we are thinking of you and all your fellow soldiers!!!!!  Thanks for all you do.  I have a unit I send packages to in Kosovo as well.  Bless you!

Welcome to the forum and we Thank You for serving our country!!!....

Hi Candy,

Thanks for the birthday salute.  I hope all Forum users... and all anysoldier -- anysailor -- anymarie-- anyairman.com junkies all salute this website and all it has done in the five years since its inception.

The Horn family and all its volunteers have done a FANTASTIC job supporting the troops who are supporint our freedom!

Again, I hope everyone gives a birthday gift by donating!!!

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE!
And neither is this websites operation!

 HI!

 Just signed up for this forum today! I picked "my" soldier  a few days ago and have some stuff ready to ship. Was fun buying things and thinking of reactions.

  I live in Central Massachusetts. I read an article in the local paper about a lady who was named Grand Marshall for a parade, basically for her efforts in sending packages and being a part of Any Soldier. Thru that article I searched the web and entered into this world. After I finished crying I read through the names and picked my guys. <S>

  I had made an attempt to  join a similar organization a few years ago. I found it was almost a pick a date type of thing. I am so not interested in that approach. My husband and I have been married almost 25 years.  I am content and just want to help  if I can. Hopefully I am in the right place.

  Is there a section here where soldiers post emails? Would love to read some more stories and get to know this group a bit better.

 Thanks for approving me,

 Smiles Amy

 Welcome AmyG of Massachusetts!!We are so thrilled to have you and that you joined the right group here!

You will soon realize how addicting this sight can be from the forums to the card swaps to special prohects and etc. Just look through and get involves what best works for you. Again welcome and will look forward to getting to know you.

I am Candy and I live in St. Louis, Mo

Happy Labor Day weekend!!

Candy 

I will be donating some birthday money this week after pay day for all the great and hard work Any Soldier does. thank you~

Let's all continue to support all our Men and Women serving our country!!

Take care and God Bless, 

Candy 

Welcome AmyG!

I found out about AnySoldier in a newspaper article here in Tampa, FL about 2 months ago. I still don't know all the secrets of using this web site but I read the new listings everyday and wish I could help all of them. I chose a bunch of groups and now my daughter's old bedroom looks like a little Walmart!!

Anyway, you are going to love it here - sometimes you laugh and sometimes you cry but you'll always be glad you found AnySoldier.

Jean

Now, go to the main forum page and on the right, under Active click on "overlooked contacts- 2008 edition" - choose "newest to oldest" and read Angela Lockaby's post about her husband and the troops - it's touching and inspiring and so are she and her spouse!

Hello Any,

Welcome to Any Soldier... you will quickly realize this is THE place to be to support our troops.

Marty Horn and family have done the US a tremendous service by starting this effort. (Salutations and Congratulations to Marty and family!)

Amy, you said you went to the site and selected your troops.

I've often wondered how folks make their selections.  ????  Just being nosey really...

I took a week reading and reading many many listings and of course wanted to help them all. LOL.
I finally made a list of criteria so I could sort out who I might want to select... Being from Maryland, I did focus on some selections from my own state.  But I also looked at how many times someones name had been requested, espeically if they had posted more than once.  I decided if the name had been selected less than 10 times that person needed some support. I also looked at "no cooking facilities" -- meaning, to me, they had to raid a footlocker for a snack or even a meal if they missed the mess service.  After much dithering to and fro, I finally selected 10 names, wrote them all a letter and asked for a specific list of likes and dislikes. 

Since that time, many of my contacts have notified me of who was replacing them -- thus replacing them on my list.  A few times I've sent boxes that happened to be delivered to a chaplain when someone came home unexpectedly... and thus that name got replaced with the new contact.

IT HAS BEEN WONDERFUL!

Whenever I've sent a box "Attn Any Female" -- I've been blessed with responses.  I've added those names to my contact list and then continued to send to the original contact without necessarily speciffying "female" on the box label.

My brother is a 20 yr Navy retiree... so I also insure that my list always have some Sailors on it. LOL... I think Americans tend to forget that all the service branches are represented over there.

By the way, I also noted on several occasions that names starting with T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z often had low request numbers.  I think many surfers picked their contacts before they get that far down the alphabet.  I hope everyone will take that into consideration when they pick their next contact!

Ok.  I'll close for now...  HAPPY SUPPORTING!

Anna

 In response to "how" we pick make our selections.....I too always send at least letters to all Nebraskans signed up. And my boxes usually go to them also. To do that I look at the ones in Afghanistan and if they are on a post or just in the rocks and mountains and need things badly. I also check for those wanting motorcycles magazines from anywhere since we always have plenty of them to send.I can pack more mags in the flat rate boxes. They tell me in the post office I certainly get my money's worth.  This past week I received 3 letters and one e-mail response. If my letters make them as happy as theirs make me, I will continue to send at least 40 a month. That is the least I can do.  Thanks for all that every one else does also. Love and Blessings...Kay in Nebr.

 Hi everyone.  Just wanted to get on here and let you all know I think this sites is awesome and great.  The support and best wishes you all send help us all more than I can express.

Hey MPVinnie--welcome!

Thank you for all you do--we think YOU are awesome and great!!