I don’t know about you guys, but I always hated Sundays in Afghanistan. It promised only 14+ hours of work without even the hope of mail. Care packages were like a life raft during my deployment. Even if the ones that arrived weren’t addressed to me, seeing my fellow Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and even foreign military officers ripping into those boxes, a look of pure joy on their faces, raised my spirits.
As the holiday season descends on us, we should remember those of our brethren who are still afloat on oceans far from home and those for whom a holiday is just another day to go out on patrol. Care packages are a wonderful way to show these men and women downrange exactly how much we appreciate them and help them get through however many “days and a wake up” they have left. But, if you’re like me and you’ve been out for awhile, you might not know anyone who is currently deployed. Fear not! AnySoldier.com has the answer.
AnySoldier was started in 2003 by the parents of Brian Horn, an Army Sergeant who parachuted into Iraq in late March 2003. The first time Brian was able to call home, he asked his parents to send more care packages. They were surprised – they’d been sending him six a week! – but Brian told them it was for the other soldiers who weren’t receiving any mail. Thus AnySoldier was born. Originally only open to soldiers, AnySoldier now actually comes in any flavor you prefer (AnyMarine.com, AnyAirman.com, AnySailor.com, or AnyCoastGuard.com) and provides a venue for any overseas servicemembers (deployed or simply stationed OCONUS) to connect with those of us at home who feel an urge now and again to stuff boxes with Beef Jerky and CLIF bars. So far, over 2 million servicemembers have benefited from the AnySoldier program.
I happen to love care packages, sending and receiving, so I decided to try out the website for myself. I sent two care packages off to different units. They warn you on the site that you may not hear from the servicemembers who get your packages and, with no way to track packages once they leave the States, you may never even know if your package arrived. So I was not surprised when I didn’t hear anything from one unit. What I was surprised about was when I received an e-mail titled “Not Just Any Marines, Your Marines” from the POC for the second box I sent. I was delighted to see this Marine took the time to tell me just how much he and his fellow Marines appreciated the package I sent. We have been swapping e-mails for a few weeks now and I will be sending out another package to them shortly.
Here’s how the program works:
– A servicemember writes a short message on the website about individuals in their unit who aren’t getting any mail, or not nearly as much as others in their units, or those who are in very austere conditions and are lacking in necessities. This message will include details such as the name and rank of the POC, the country they are stationed in and how long they are expected to be there. It will generally include some details on what the unit members would like to see in their care packages. However, as this part is completed by the unit POC, it can vary in detail.
– The potential care package giver chooses the branch of service he/she would like to support, reads through the messages, and chooses the unit they want to sponsor. (The website can be a little confusing: after you click on the service, scroll down to the highlighted “where to send” in the first paragraph and that will take you to the list of requests.)
– Once you make your choice, click on the highlighted “HERE” under the POC’s name and register for the site (registration requires only name, address, and e-mail).
– Once they have confirmed that your e-mail is legit, you will receive an e-mail with the unit’s full address. (Note: To limit scam artists, you are limited to 2 addresses per day and a total of 10 addresses per household per month.)
– Take the address, buy whatever it is you are willing to send, and mail. Voila! It’s that simple.
If care packages aren’t your thing, you can donate to AnySoldier or, for all of you Cyber Monday shoppers out there, you can even use the “click through” provided here (http://anysoldier.com/OtherWaysToHelp.cfm#Amazon) to connect to such sites as Amazon.com and, when you order, the companies will donate to AnySoldier for you – you shop, they donate, servicemembers everywhere benefit. How awesome is that?
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