Address each letter "Dear Hero" or "Dear Defender of Freedom" or such, avoiding titles that would limit who we can send the letter to (for instance, if it says Dear Marine, we cannot send it to an Airman, or if it says Dear Soldier, we cannot send it to a Marine...it would be an insult).

Thank him for his service to our great country and tell him why you are thanking him. For instance, one gentleman wrote that the selflessness of our men and women in Uniform inspired him to become a better husband and father. A schoolchild wrote that she admired the bravery of the soldiers and wanted to join the Service when she grew up. A mother wrote a note of thanks for helping her to sleep better at night because she knew her children were safe in America, and America is safe because of our Heroes willing to defend it.

The troops love seeing who wrote the letter, so feel free to include a family snapshot or photo with your letter.  Note we are NOT looking for pin-up type photos here, just family snapshots of Life In America. They get very lonely to see fellow Americans who are not in uniform!

Pictures drawn by children are also very popular to include. It's a poignant reminder of who they are fighting to protect.

Obviously, please refrain from negative thoughts or comments about the war such as, "I hope you don't get hurt." And also please refrain from any political statements. We have soldiers who are Democrats, we have soldiers who are Republicans, we have soldiers who are Independents, we have soldiers who are Libertarians. We do not want to insult any one of them, the idea is to SUPPORT them, so we as Packages From Home volunteers check our political hats at the door, so to speak.

Sign your letter or card and include your return addressor if a school or group the school or group leaders address. That way any response can be shared with the group. It is not guaranteed that the soldier will be able to write back to you, but I know for a fact that they do try.

If you want to make it easier for the soldier to respond to your letter, attach to your letter a self addressed return envelope with a blank piece of paper inside it.  You don't have to stamp the envelope, just put your name and address on it so the soldier doesn't have to copy the info. They can mail letters for free from a combat zone. The blank paper helps because they do not always have access to a stationery store, to put it mildly.

Do not seal your letters.  They must be open for inspection. If you or your group is writing more than one letter, put all the letters into a larger envelope and mail them to:
 
Packages From Home
Attention: Letter Project
1201 S 7th Ave, Suite 50
Phoenix AZ 85007

When we receive the letters, they will each be inspected/approved and then included in boxes we send to the troops. Each letter will go in a separate box, along with food snacks, games or toiletry items.