My penmanship stinks because of some medical issues (neck and elbow troubles), and I get writer's cramp after only a short paragraph.  I explain that to my soldiers up front and apologize for the typed letters, but I try to make what I say interesting and I ALWAYS include photos, which I print directly into the letters.  Many of my contacts say they don't mind at all and prefer typing themselves.  I hear back from most I send to and build friendships with many, so I think the key is in making any letter - typed or handwritten - personal rather than general, heartfelt and entertaining.  I keep the letters filed on my computer so I can keep track of what I wrote last.  They might enjoy that story about the dog's tangle with a skunk once, but it who wants to hear it twice...!

I have corresponded with several chaplain assistants, and I know from them that the folks who minister to their comrades carry a heavy emotional load.  The assistants fill in when the chaplains are out of pocket or swamped, and they can be overwhelmed, as well.  These are great, selfless folks and I am glad to be in a position to be a sounding board for them when they run out of steam and need someone to help share their burdens. 

Hello,

OK, I totally understand about everyone being under severe stress and perhaps not in the best of spirits at times.  And it is understandable when people request that certain things not be sent anymore.  Some things are really of no use in a given situation.  There are many requests for things not to be sent anymore that are still gracious and usually include a line something like "we appreciate what you've done, but we no longer need..."  However, the negative chaplain in question was almost cruel to supporters who had sent things that weren't to his liking.  Among things he listed that weren't wanted were: "cheapo, no-name brand, low-quality products" (his description, not mine), off brands chips, cheap candy, anything that was "cheap dollar store quality", magazines & books (they can buy the ones they like at the PX, so don't waste your postage on generic ones), Girl Scout cookies (they seem to end up with the flavors that aren't very popular), boxed greeting cards--only send QUALITY Hallmark-style cards, and for any groups sending cards or letters, the generic notes Dear Soldier weren't being read--it would be better to make a banner and have everyone sign it.  He requested team jerseys for a softball team he was putting together and said if any company wanted to sponsor them and put their company logo on it, feel free.  But perhaps the upper right corner; nothing too gaudy.

As I said, everyone is entitled to an off-day, especially these guys.  Maybe I was raised different, but I always try to be appreciative of gifts, even if they are cheapo, no-name brand, low quality items.  I do think that there is a way of requesting that certain things be discontinued tactfully and without insulting anyone's efforts or hurting anyone's feelings, and thankfully most of the contacts seem to possess that tact.

Take care,

Maggie 

We write 2 letters a week since September 2006. And commit to 2 Care Packages a month. I always try to get a third in there though ;)

We have a cover letter (who we are, where we live, how we found AnySoldier.com, when, etc.with a family picture) and then I hand write a page or two trying to be as personal as I can according to their post.  We look up where they are, as best as we can, and look up pictures via Google Images.  This way the boys and I feel like we can get to know the Troop(s) a little bit.

Then the boys (5 and 3) each add a drawing or a coloring page. 

Then I add a postcard from where we live, the picture in my avatar, a picture of my boys in camo. In yellow it says "The Hannegan Family in Dana Point, CA PROUDLY support their TROOPS!" and a picture of my boys sleeping in their beds, written on it "We can sleep safe and sound, thank you Mason & Roarke"

I fold all of that into a card that has a picture of a drawing Mason made of our family, dog and all ;) Inside the card it says "Dear Lord Jesus and Mary, Mother of God, Hold all these brave souls in the palm of your hand, comfort their families. Send Angels of protection, love and comfort to all the service men and women still at war, bring them home safely and comfort their families. We ask all our prayers in Jesus' name. Amen".

I put all of that in a very colorfull envelope, hand write on the front and let the boys decorate the back of the envelope, either by coloring, or stickers.

In the letter I always write, let me know specifically what you need, and we'll be right on it!

I would say we hear from 50-80% of our letters, (I'm so jinxing myself now huh!) primarily via e-mail, mostly no more than 1 e-mail.  We have active (weekly) contact with about 5 Troops.  We have seen 2 through their entire deployment.  That's a heart breaker, saying Goodbye to them, but that just means we're able to turn around and dedicate ourselves to another Troop somewhere.  

Man, Maggie, that chaplain must have REALLY been having an off day.  I never read that particular post, but I did read one once that was slamming folks for sending sample size toiletries.  (The sailor said they threw them all away.)  I agree 100% that there are tactful ways to let supporters know not to send something that is unusable in their particular situation or that is available in surplus amounts, and we all appreciate being informed of that so we can redirect the supplies.  I also agree with the sentiment that folks shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.  Obviously, this fellow could use some lessons in accepting gifts graciously.  It's a shame he couldn't see past the "cheapness" to what Marty tells us is what really mattered - the fact someone took the time to send something.  He might have thought the senders were just being cheap, but - speaking as an avid bargain shopper - I would guess most folks who send bargains send them for the same reasons I do.  We have limited funds and want to send stuff desperately and we send what we are able to afford.  I do gravitate toward contacts who state they aren't picky and are glad to get anything at all.  I hope the people who sent things to this contact didn't let his hurtful comments discourage them from sending to someone else. 

You know, I figure if there is something our soldiers don't want, they will share it with the locals, if they are able.  Too bad this poor chaplain didn't find some joy in passing the "cheap" stuff on to some folks who would be tickled to have it.

Oh happy day!  We got a "free mail" yesterday.  When we check the mailbox, we always look to see if it says free mail on it before anything else. It was a 23-yr. old who was a new contact for us, who the Sgt. passed on a pkg. to.  I sat right down and wrote to him immediately while the thrill was still fresh.

One thing I intended to mention in most cases it seems that we usually get email replies on Sat. night or Sun., so we are quick to check the emails on the weekends for one of the contact's emails.  We have received 2 CDs with pictures, one after the contact got home, and another was sent when the contact was home on R&R, which was so impressive to me that he would spend part of his R&R burning CDs for his supporters.

Got to go work on Cool Ties now.

Gran

Hi Janet,

You understood my point exactly!!  Perhaps the next time you and I go shopping on Rodeo Drive we should ask for a list, eh?

Thankfully, most are a little more grateful and do pass things on that they can't use.  On  more local level, I remember giving my brother a watch for Christmas a few years back (a Seiko--not cheap, but not expensive either) and hearing him on the phone telling his girlfriend how he didn't like it.  So I took it back and gave it to my son, who wore it until he got himself another one.  Same type of thing; someone who didn't have a watch of any kind found a use for it.  Come to think of it I think that was the last time I got my brother anything that cost more than $20...hmmm.

Take care,

Maggie

Yippee - just got our second "free mail" reply of the week yesterday from a 1Lt of the contact and he was praising the AnySoldier program very highly and mentioning the patriotism of the people involved, but I will say again that it is not patiotism that prompts me to send mail/packages to these people but plain old simple Christian love for our fellowman, and I make sure that I send our love to them in each note that is written to them in case they can't use anything that is sent to them (even after going to great pains to make sure it is fitting for them).  This one even mentioned that he noticed the great care we took in selection of the items to go into the package which is the best compliment he could have given to us.

Gran

I am noticing a reduction in the email replies we are getting recently, so I am guessing that due to the surge of troops in the busy areas they are having harder time getting to a computer plus the fact that there have been a number of casualties which cause black-outs for a period of time, and they only have a limited choice of times to email.

Gran

I haven't gotten a soldier email since Tuesday. That is pretty unusual.

momof6

I have a couple of soldiers that write to me fairly often.  One of them produced a movie and slide show CD that I can play on my computer.  It's terrific.  Showing all his guys doing everyday things like foot patrol, water fights, reading, the very unusual set ups in some places for bathroom facilities, much of the country side.  It is really beautiful and I watch it often.  It was really a thoughtful gift and I prize it greatly.  In fact, that is how I found out where he was.  It was obviously Afghanistan.  It's so nice to get something like that.

Mary

Folks, EVERY entry on the Any Soldier site is entered by our Support Team.  Every effort is given to insure there are no security violations in the posts, and we don't edit what they say, but sometimes things just ain't right.

Every one of our contacts are people.  That means there will always be some that are not as good as the rest.

If you ever encounter a contact's update that does not fit in the high standards set by the previous nearly 30,000 contacts we have had, *please* email me.

We will always do our best to insure that the folks you support not only deserve your support, but earn your respect as we do their's.

The email system is working. I receive correspondence today. I sent out his letter on the 18th and he got it so mail is getting through pretty quick for most.

momof6 

Marty (and everyone) -- I recognized the posts people were talking about. I don't think there was anything inappropriate...just, as some have already pointed out, an absence of tact. Given the situation these folks are in, that is not an unforgiveable offense. I do think it is too bad if it results in others perhaps not getting the attention or correspondence that they would otherwise get. We're all human, and it's one thing to mail things with no expectation of a response, but a critical response is discouraging. Having said that, there are plenty of contacts to go around.

Even though I probably only hear back from 1 in 10, I have gotten more personal mail with that "free mail" notation on it in the past year than I did in the past ten years, unless you count Christmas cards! It is always the highlight of my day when I get a letter. There have been maybe half a dozen people that have written multiple times; other times I only hear from someone once. I used to put my e-mail address in every package and invite the recipient to use it or to give it to a friend; I got several replies that way, too.

Barbara

One thing that saddens me about putting our email address in my letters is that our cranky, old Windows 98 computer doesn't have any up-to-date software on it for reading many of the replies and videos we are sent, and I hate to bother other people to keep on re-formatting them so that I can enjoy them.  For example, just today we tried to receive an email (for 75 minutes), and it failed, and stopped up our email system, and found out that it was a 16.4 MB video from a contact who had sent messages in many forms that we couldn't read.  That's depressing.

Gran

Don't give up.  Remeber right now our soldiers are extremely busy, more so than ever before.  But I bet you will hear something soon.