ga_junkie:):

....... Letters and care packages are precious and I thank you on behalf of my soldiers for brightening their day."........"In doing so you are an important part of our team,and are helping to improve the world thousands of miles away. Thank you for your effort and support"........"..."Thank you, thank you thank you for your support and prayers and thank you for thinking about us and making a difference in our lives."...

WOW....what a wonderful message he sent to you (and all of us ......like you said).......never really thought of it in the way that we are part of the TEAM also........bought tears to my eyes too........thanks for sharing.

Hope all is well with you and your family....miss seeing your comments   :)

 I am BRAND new to AnySoldier, and I had the coolest (or so I think!) first-contact experience.

 After sending out my first couple of boxes (I only took two to the Post Office the first time, to make sure I got the procedure right!) I waited a week or so the send the rest (had to get paid first.)

And on Memorial Day, I got an email from someone who had received one of my boxes.  I cannot even express how much it MADE my Memorial Day. 

I must confess, I squealed. 

 *grins*

My boyfriend was so happy for me too - he's a former Marine, and I told him all about my little project here and he thought it was a great idea.  And I read him the email ~ with particular emphasis on how the Marine contact had said he was glad to see I was from MA, as he is a Mass boy too, and a big Boston sports fan.  WOO!  Go Sox!  You see, my boyfriend is from NYC.  Boo, hiss!  =) 

Anyway... It was really awesome.  And it was so perfect to wake up to my first contact email on Memorial Day, of all days.  Amazing, amazing, amazing!

 Hill,

Every FREE MAIL or e-mail you recieve from one of your contacts will result in the same euphoria you felt at the first one. I had a FREE MAIL yesterday, and another one today, and it never fails to bring a big smile to my face. You're hooked now, admit it...another Support Junkie is born!! Welcome to the "club!"

E-mail for me today!!!!

 Got some Free Mail this week! First one! So pleased that they made the time to write!

I feel your excitement!!!!      Free Mail and emails from our contacts....is just about the best feeling.   I put my postcard and letters from them on the fridge

Keep up the good support........Love peace and blessings....Anne Marie

maybe we should start a thread....Free Mail is better than:

I won't touch that one, but it is addictive!  I used to get up at 5am and check my email before I could even shower!!!  And then you have to respond and then run like crazy to get to work on time!!! And when those contacts return to their loved ones, well, I have to go through withdrawals.  I keep trying to remind myself they are where they should be, but I can't help but miss them. 

Oh Sherry-

I'm with you. My hubby cannot understand it. And because the contact is 7 hours ahead of me when I am checking my email sometimes she will IM me. Those are the days I am really late for work.

And every email or free mail makes me want to send more!!

I just got this email...

:)

.

Hillary-

       My name is Staff Sergeant Carter. I am 34 years old.  I am from
Okmulgee, Oklahoma.  It is a really small town in northeastern Oklahoma.
I have been in the Marine Corps for 16 years and am going to retire from
it.  This is my second tour in this country, but I have also been to
many more countries as well.  I always tell people thank you for your
support, but this time I thought it would be nice to actually send a
letter, or in this case you did leave an email address, to show my
appreciation for your support. I was getting some items out of a box and
found your letter. I wanted to write you a letter, but paper is in rare
supply.  I do, however, have a connection to the internet a couple times
a week.  That's why I wanted to write and say thank you.  It is
Americans, like yourself, who are the reason we serve this country.
       We are currently in Iraq and it is really hot!!  Today, by the
way, we hit 121 degrees!  This is not the first tour for many of us, so
we definitely enjoy the letters and support that our fellow countrymen,
and women, give us.  We are eternally grateful for such love and support
from those with whom we cannot see, but know that they are there. Again
thank you and I hope your move goes very well and that you find success
in Cincinnati.


VERY RESPECTFULLY,

SSgt Carter

Of course, now I'd LOVE to send some stationary since he said paper is in short supply... The trouble is - I have NO idea which contact that was!

Ha!

SSgt Carter is not the contact...  He's a Marine who found my letter in a box of stuff I sent, and he wrote to me... But I can't figure out WHICH contact he is connected to!

I've emailed him back, but I'm ITCHING to know!!! 

MY EMPTY FRB'S ARE STARING AT ME!  Lol. :D

I had that happen once and the contact e-mailed me back but never telling me who the AS contact was so I never did find out.  It was very disappointing for me but I figure I won't worry about it.  I just keep sending because I know, at least, that something I sent made a difference (of course by now I've heard from several contacts).

It's been a couple of weeks since I got any FREE mail, but I've received e-mails today from two different contacts.  One of them said he hoped replying to letters via e-mail didn't "offend" me. I made sure to let him know that's why I included my e-mail address, in case it was simpler and quicker for him to reply that way. I don't know about y'all, but in some ways I prefer e-mail...it's so "instant!" When that message hits your inbox, it lets you know that at that moment, your Warrior is alive and well. That's just me, though...

I got an email today from a new contact in Afghan!  The package arrived pretty quickly and I was so happy to hear from him!

Monday was my lucky day I received both snail mail and an email from "my warriors." 

The snail mail was a card from a soldier that received one of my female care packages.  She and I have been exchanging letters for several months now.  The email I received was not from an AS contact, but from our AS chat buddy, Brandon.  It was GREAT to hear from both warriors.  What a great day

I just received a box from my contact containing a flag that was flown during resupply of COP .......   (I opened it in the post office lobby...I was so excited!...and showed it to the postmaster, who has a relative in the military.)  Also included were pictures of my contact (with a note from him), a picture of the COP, and a certificate saying that "This American flag was flown for...(my name)   This Flag was flown during a combat mission in Afghanistan on a ..... in support of "Operation Enduring Freedom IX".  This flag was flown in remembrance of those who have given their lives in the fight for freedom and for those lost during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.  Flown in the face of the enemy, "Old Glory" bears witness to the capture, detention, and elimination of terrorist forces threatening the freedom of the United States of America and the World."    It was signed by the crew.

It is emotionally touching to know that my packages may have gone to help some of those brave soldiers at COP's over there.   ....Yes, I shed a tear when I got out to the car....As always, I will be supporting my contact until the end of his deployment.  I am still amazed that I am in contact with such wonderful individuals!