Hi All,  Although I am not as "vocal" as past on these forums I am still supporting and sending packages when I can.  I seem to be coming into a problem though...  I know  troops shift and come and go, but I seem to send support and packages and  then check back here and see "No Contact, removed to Old Contacts" that type of thing.  And yes, before I send a package out I check on here.  Since we don't hear often from the troops, how do I know  my efforts (and $$) are not going astray?   I put Any Chaplain on the packages......

 Any one else running into this ??

 Thanks Amy

I have run into that quite a bit in the past but I take it in stride. Just get another contact from overlooked list . I have had them drop and then reappear months later. Sometimes they just can't update or don't think to since they have already written or emailed the person who sent the package. I still am sending to a contact that was dropped .I made sure thru email that the address is still valid. But this is the only time I have done this. Usually I just pick another group. Some group representatives drop out because they are getting steady support and don't want to take away from others . Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Amy, just look at the photo posted by Brandon Bettis will renew that feeling of needing to help these wonderful heroes.

BTW miss your posts

Diane

Hi Amy,

You have to send the stuff on faith!  We will never know what has happened to probably thousands of packages.

I think that I figured one thing out, and that is not to be too specific on what is in the package.  I have found that when I started being more general in the description, that I heard from more contacts that they had received the packages.  The packages pass through many hands before they get to our contacts and sorry to say that some stuff is just too tempting.  Then you have the people who can't read directions and the redirect instructions are not followed.  There are just too many variables to say what happens to all the packages and after all they are going to a war zone.  There have been loads dropped from the sky that go over a cliff, loads that are destroyed by enemy fire, transports that are blown up.   I just pray that the stray packages find a good home and that our troops are enjoying the contents. 

I know it is frustrating, but at least you have a chance of knowing that your package was received.  If you send through other organizations, you have no idea who they are going to, so you will never hear from the recipient in a million years because he only knows it was sent by a large group.

Hang in there, we all have felt the way that you do at one time or another.

Hi Amy,

I just read this post from  PFC Peter C. Dover, Army, Afghanistan

...."Please mark packages as socks, and underwear so they are not tampered with while on the way here. People in certain areas where the mail stops at have been known to cut open packages, and steal from them".

...PV2

Peter C. Dover
over
- U. S. Army -
Afghanistan

Hi Amy,

I had sent a package to a family friend in Iraq.  I hadn't heard from him, so I tracked it and found out it was at Camp Lejeune, NC.  I guess I missed the cutoff date and instead of it going to Iraq, it went straight to where he is based.  The package got there a week before he got home!

Another mystery solved!

VickiV - A package I sent, also got redirected to the home base when they happily got to come home earlier than I thought. Happened some time back.  Forgot all about it till i read your post. At the time, when I read the tracking info, I thought the USPS had gone screwy till I found out they had come home.  So unbeknownst to me they were already home by the time my package got to their APO:). As you said - 'Mystery solved!'