The United States Postal Service expects to handle more than 20 million pounds of military mail this holiday season.
New Jersey postal officials are therefore encouraging the public to send packages and letters early to servicemen and servicewomen overseas, including Iraq and Afghanistan, to make sure that shipments reach their destination in time for the holidays, according to a United States Postal Service press release.
The U.S. Postal Service states in the release that one of the greatest morale boosters for the troops is to receive a letter or package from home, especially during the holidays.
To ensure delivery of holiday cards and packages by Dec. 25 to military APO/FPO addresses overseas, postal officials are reminding the public to mail as early as possible.
Military mail addressed to Express Mail Military Service (EMMS), First-Class Mail Letters/Cards, Priority Mail, Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL), Space Available Mail (SAM), and APO/FPO AE ZIP codes 090-098 should be postmarked no later than Dec. 18. Mail addressed to APO/FPO AA ZIP code 340 and APO/FPO AP ZIP codes 962-966 should also be postmarked no later than Dec. 18.
All packages and mail must be addressed to individual service members, as required by U.S. Department of Defense regulations.
The U.S. Postal Service also offers a Military Care Kit to make it easier for military families and friends to send care packages to their loved ones stationed overseas. Each kit contains two Priority Mail boxes, six Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes, eight Priority Mail labels, one roll of Priority Mail tape and eight customs forms with envelopes.
This free kit may be ordered by calling the USPS Expedited Package Supply Center at 1-800-610-8734.
For more detailed information on tracking and military mail, visit the military postal service’s Web site at http://hqdainet. army.mil/mpsa/.
An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation – approximately 146 million homes and businesses – six days a week. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The postal service has annual revenues of $73 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.