In 1999, Congress designated May as Military Appreciation Month. May is full of days commemorating and celebrating the achievements of the United States military, most notably Memorial Day. The goal of National Military Appreciation Month is to gather Americans around their military family to honor, remember, and appreciate the men and women who have served and are currently serving. Showing deployed military that they are not forgotten can be hard to do, especially when it’s across several continents. Technological advances have improved communication and the ability to feel closer to someone far away through texting and video chat. Unfortunately, phone and video calls can’t quite bring the feeling of home to our deployed military men and women – our moms and dads, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters. The power of a care package full of things from home that may not be readily available where your loved one is deployed can never be fully explained or understood. While there are many rules and regulations for shipping items to deployed military, sending a care package helps loved ones stay connected to their families at home. Here are some ideas for things you can include in a care package to show how much you care, love, and miss that certain military member:
- Favorite candy or dessert – Bake up some of their favorite cookies or brownies. Or, if they love a certain type of candy, send a few of those – it may have been a long time since they’ve had one!
- Digital picture frame – This is a great way to send lots of pictures from home of family and friends. Be sure to send extra batteries!
- Favorite movie – Down time while deployed can be a lonely time. Including a copy of their favorite movie allows for a good escape from solitude and boredom.
- Sports team memorabilia – Missing an entire season of the hometown team’s games is tough, but a shirt, sticker, hat, or another small souvenir can make it a bit easier.
- Favorite piece of clothing – Sending their favorite old t-shirt or pair of jeans is a great way to send a little piece of home to your loved one.
- Music – The days of mixtapes may be long gone, but playlists on CDs or iPods can help recall special memories.
- Old pictures – Sure, digital pictures are great, but sending some printed pictures from memorable vacations or holidays, or childhood photographs offer a great trip down memory lane.
Although shipping costs to APO and FPO zip codes are usually the same as domestic rates, customs forms are required, so a Pak Mail expert will help ease the process. Here’s a tip to avoid delivery delays – don’t seal your care package before you take it to your local Pak Mail to ship. Pak Mail experts will review and explain all the different restrictions for sending your package so that you can feel confident that every item you’ve hand-picked to include will make it to the beloved military serviceman or servicewoman. To learn more about Military Appreciation Month, visit www.nmam.org.