Support our Troops
With the recent deployments of US Service Members, thousands of Americans are again asking what they can do to show their support for servicemembers, especially those serving overseas in this time of war. Below are Web sites for several organizations that are sponsoring programs for members of the Armed Forces overseas. While it would be inappropriate for the Department to endorse any specifically, servicemembers do value and appreciate such expressions of support.
Please do not flood the military mail system with letters, cards, and gifts. Due to security concerns and transportation constraints, the Department cannot accept items to be mailed to " Any Servicemember ." Some people have tried to avoid this prohibition by sending large numbers of packages to an individual servicemember's address, which however well intentioned, clogs the mail and causes unnecessary delays.
For the latest information about Deployed Marines try this link:
http://www.usmc-mccs.org/familysep/deployinfo.cfm.
Donate a calling card to help keep servicemembers in touch with their families at
Operation Uplink at http://www.operationuplink.org/.
Send a greeting via e-mail through Operation Dear Abby
at Operation Dear Abby
"America Supports You," is a nationwide program launched by the Department of Defense that, recognizes citizens' support for our military men and women and communicates that support to members of our Armed Forces at home and abroad.
Make a donation to one of the military relief societies:
- Army Emergency Relief at http://www.aerhq.org/
- Navy/Marine Relief Society at http://www.nmcrs.org/
- Air Force Aid Society at http://www.afas.org/
- Coast Guard Mutual Assistance at http://www.cgmahq.org/
Donate to "Operation USO Care Package" at http://www.usometrodc.org
Support the American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services at
http://www.redcross.org/ - click on "Military Members and Families"
Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund
http://www.semperfifund.org
Volunteer at a VA Hospital to honor veterans who bore the lamp of freedom in past conflicts.
Donate to"Operation USO Care Package" at http://www.usocares.org.
The Gift of Groceries program at http://www.commissaries.com/certificheck/ helps meet the family needs of our Guard and Reserve troops fighting the war on terrorism.
Reach out to military families in your community, especially those with a loved one overseas.
The support and generosity of the American people has touched the lives of many servicemembers, over 300,000 of whom are deployed overseas.
MOTOMAILFamily and friends of deployed Marines in Iraq can NOW send a letter to be downloaded, printed, and ready for delivery, usually
within 24 hours.
More information on sending mail can be found on our "Sending Mail to Troops" page.