Sending Mail to Deployed Troops
Read USPS Press Release - OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM MAILING TIPS
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MOTOMAIL Family and friends of deployed Marines in Iraq can NOW send a letter to be downloaded, printed, and ready for delivery, usually |
View MOTOMAIL Brochure |
| THE SERVICE IS FREE, PRIVATE and SECURE | ||
Notice: According to Marine Corps Postal Officials it is taking 7 to 10 days for mail to be delivered to deployed Marines.
Letters and packages must be sent to a specific service member. The United States Postal Service will not accept items addressed to "Any Service Member" or other umbrella addresses.
The government is not accepting mail from the general public to service members for two reasons: logistics and security. The military postal system does not have the capacity to screen for safety and process the tons of mail normally generated by Any Service Member mail. To add to the difficulty, bona fide mail from family and friends may be delayed by the volume of mail.
Individuals, schools, and service organizations interested in sending letters supporting deployed service members should use Operation Dear Abby as an alternate means of sending messages of support.
For a list of other ways to Support Our Troops click here.
What can be mailed to deployed Marines?
The following items are PROHIBITED:
Illegal substances
Alcoholic beverages
Explosives, including fireworks.
Offensive or obscene materials, including photos, drawings or any other material which may have the potential to offend members of the opposite sex, members of another race, background, nationality or ethnicity; anything which would make uncomfortable, someone who is deeply religious, conservative or modest
The following is a list of highly desirable items for deployed Marines. It is recommend that you keep the boxes small, about the size of shoe box or a Postal Service Express mailing box for easy transportation.
| Books Cameras (disposable) Camper style foods Candy Cards Chapstick Dental floss Facial tissues Fast food Hot Sauce packets Flashlights Girl Scout cookies Gum Magazines Moist Wipes Music CDs Nerf toys (small footballs, etc.) Odor Eaters (for boots) Pencils Pens |
Personal message Phone cards Playing cards Postage Powdered drink mix (non-alcoholic) Razors Sardine Sheets of stationery Snacks* (cookies, granola bars) Tea bags Toiletries (travel sizes) Toothbrushes Toothpaste Travel games Travel mugs Tuna snack kits Valentines |
How to Send Care Packages:
Keep the packages small (no bigger than a shoe box). Larger packages take longer to be delivered and are more cumbersome for your Marine to haul around. Smaller, more frequent packages are likely your better option. The U.S. Postal Service offers FREE boxes for Priority Mail. You can also order free boxes from the USPS online store (for use with Priority Mail shipping ONLY). The Recommended size is the #4 or #7 box.
Packaging Tips:
Use plastic bags with zip-style closures for everything. They keep out sand, they keep out rain. Resourceful Marines are re-using them for all sorts of things. Quart size are great to keep their wallets and personal photos with them, in one of their many pockets, and they stay dry. If you're shipping a liquid (shampoo, eye drops), or items that are likely to melt or drip (Chapstick, deodorants, chocolate) be sure to pop it into a tightly sealed plastic bag first. That will help keep the rest of the items from getting gooey or ruined, just in case.