About Military Mail
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Sending mail to a service member can be really simple if you take a few key steps. While some people might try to send mail via UPS, the best way we at Megan Writes have found is to send military mail via the U.S. Postal Service. Shipping times have no deadline, but the service is usually faster than an alternative service.
To send military mail, it's best to use the address your servicemember gives you after BCT, or once they deploy or begin their tour. In order to comply with OPSEC, you also ought to address mail in the following manner:
SSGT John Doe
Unit 2050 Box 4190
APO AP 96278-2050
Do not:
-Put the location of your servicemember (like below)
SSGT John Doe
Unit 2050 Box 4190
APO AP 96278-2050
Baghdad, Iraq
-Address mail to a Service Member program. The U.S. Deptartment of Defense has canceled these programs.
-Send anything fragile, liquid or perishable (like with anything you would send domestic or international through the USPS)
-Confuse fast service with UPS with the reliability of USPS! I have had friends before send packages overseas via UPS to APO addresses, and after much confusion and lost packages, the package arrived many weeks after it should have!
Do:
-Put the unit and APO/FPO (Air/Army Post Office or Fleet Post Office) address
-Include a return address
-Use flat rate boxes from the USPS to pay the lowest cost. Any box, however, works to ship packages.
-Fill out the customs forms correctly for international shipping. Be thorough, but not too detailed (such as if you have a surprise - in that case, you could certainly be vague if you wanted your service member to have a surprise)! Include quantities if you know how much you have packed of an item!
To send military mail, it's best to use the address your servicemember gives you after BCT, or once they deploy or begin their tour. In order to comply with OPSEC, you also ought to address mail in the following manner:
SSGT John Doe
Unit 2050 Box 4190
APO AP 96278-2050
Do not:
-Put the location of your servicemember (like below)
SSGT John Doe
Unit 2050 Box 4190
APO AP 96278-2050
Baghdad, Iraq
-Address mail to a Service Member program. The U.S. Deptartment of Defense has canceled these programs.
-Send anything fragile, liquid or perishable (like with anything you would send domestic or international through the USPS)
-Confuse fast service with UPS with the reliability of USPS! I have had friends before send packages overseas via UPS to APO addresses, and after much confusion and lost packages, the package arrived many weeks after it should have!
Do:
-Put the unit and APO/FPO (Air/Army Post Office or Fleet Post Office) address
-Include a return address
-Use flat rate boxes from the USPS to pay the lowest cost. Any box, however, works to ship packages.
-Fill out the customs forms correctly for international shipping. Be thorough, but not too detailed (such as if you have a surprise - in that case, you could certainly be vague if you wanted your service member to have a surprise)! Include quantities if you know how much you have packed of an item!
More information can be found at the United States Postal Service web site.
Image URL: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/2481348414_e7406d58e8.jpg
Image URL: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/2481348414_e7406d58e8.jpg
