On Memorial Day this year, our family put together goody bags for soldiers overseas and sent them off to Operation Shoebox. The kids had a great time doing this and for Alex and I it was a hands on way to draw our kids into the meaning of the holiday. We hadn’t planned on doing any of this and I have to say it turned out to be one of the best holidays to date.
Among the many toiletries, stationary items and hard candy we packaged up, we also included a self-addressed postcard as Operation Shoebox had suggested.
We then mailed the box off and didn’t think much about it again.
A few weeks ago we got a lovely thank you letter from the non-profit acknowledging our gift. I shared the letter with the kids and we talked again about the soldiers that protect us. Leading up to the tenth anniversary of 9-11, this was timely and meaningful.
And then, two days ago we got a postcard.
At first I was totally confused when I saw my handwriting and it was addressed to Anna and Jack.
And then I read the message.
The kids and I were ecstatic to have heard back from a real life hero and now we have a new PenPal!
If you are interested, Commander Rich Jones’s address is
CPT Rich JonesBCo 204 BSB
2BCT, 41D
FOB Walton
APO AE 09367
How cool would it be if he got a bunch of mail?
Take a minute and drop him a line – tell a real hero hello!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh wow, that’s great.
Such a great and rewarding learning experience for the kids as well.
I got a little tear this morning, thanks.
Very cool. I think I am going to put this on our weekend to-do list. Also, I noticed the “stamp” as free mail. Is it free for soldiers to mail letters and cards to the states?
Yes – the soldiers don’t need stamps apparently so you just include the postcard without a stamp. Easy peasy!