Supporting Servicemembers

Below are Web sites for several organizations that are sponsoring programs for members of the Armed Forces overseas.  The support and generosity of the American people has touched the lives of many service members, over 300,000 of whom are deployed overseas.  While it would be inappropriate for the Departments of Defense to endorse any specifically, service members do value and appreciate such expressions of support:

Operation Uplink:  Donate a calling card to help keep service members in touch with their families at http://www.operationuplink.org/ 

Defend America: Sign a virtual thank you card at http://www.defendamerica.mil/nmam.html

Military Relief Societies:  Make donations to:

• 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://cgmahq.org/

Operation USO Care Package:  Donate at https://www.uso.org/donate/custom.aspx?id=565

American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services at http://www.redcross.org/services/afes/0,1082,0_476_,00.html

Volunteer at the VA Hospital to honor veterans who bore the lamp of freedom in past conflicts. Call the St. Cloud VA Voluntary Service office at (320) 255-6365

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.

Other ways to help or communicate with service members:

United Service Organization helps the morale of service members overseas and at home http://www.uso.org/

Toys4Military Kids.  The MN Association of the United States Army runs a drive to provide toys to the kids of deployed service members - http://www.vessey5401.org/article/217/toys4Military-Kids

America Supports You is a Department of Defense program that provides opportunities for citizens to show their support for the US Armed Forces.  The program was launched in 2004 in an effort to highlight citizen support for our military men and women and communicate that support to the members of our Armed Forces at home and abroad.

Homepage- http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/americasupportsyou/index.aspx

 Help- http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/americasupportsyou/help.html