How to Mail Soldiers in Iraq

Give back to our troops with encouraging mail from home.

With thousands of American soldiers overseas, our duty as Americans at home should be to show our care and appreciation for them. Care packages and letters give soldiers not only a piece of home, but the knowledge that someone back home cares for them and is thinking of them. Though international mail seems daunting at first, you'll find mailing a package to a soldier much easier than you thought.

Things You'll Need

• Shipping box measuring less than 84" long or 130" total (length plus width)
• Canned or packaged food
• Toiletries
• Assorted literature
• Music CDs
• Other personal items
• Plastic food storage bags with zipper closures
• Shipping peanuts/spare newspaper
• Customs forms
• Packaging tape
• Name and address for soldier

Instructions

Packing and Shipping a Care Package

1. Obtain a shipping box no longer than 84" in length or 130" in total (length plus width). The US Postal Service offers free flat rate shipping boxes, as well as customs forms, Priority Mail labels and tape when sending boxes to Iraq or Afghanistan.

2. Gather the items you wish to ship and ensure they can be sent safely. These items can include anything from packaged food to toiletries to favorite books or magazines or music. For an extensive list of recommended items, visit http://thefuntimesguide.com/2005/09/soldierpackages.php.

3. Put any item containing liquid in not one but two food storage bags with zipper closures, placing the first sealed bag upside-down inside the second bag, ensuring that any leakage will stay in the bags.

4. Pack the box with your items, filling in gaps with shipping peanuts or wadded newspaper.

5. Weigh the box so that it does not exceed 70 pounds. The average weight for a care package is between 10 and 20 pounds.

6. Fill out a customs form. For packages weighing less than 16 ounces, use customs form 2976; for heavier packages, use customs form 2976-E. Always check "gift" on form instead of merchandise to potentially avoid duty import taxes.

7. Tape the box with shipping tape and use a Priority Mail label to label the package with the proper address and name of soldier. Due to security concerns, most packages labeled "any soldier" will not get past security.

8. Take your package to the post office and mail it. If you want the package to be received by a particular date, be sure to allow sufficient time for delivery. Shipping may take 7 to 21 days for your package to arrive in the appropriate country.

Tips & Warnings

• For free flat rate shipping boxes by the USPS, call 1-800-610-8734.

• Do NOT send the following items: illegal copies of anything, anything home-cooked, any disposable item out of the original packaging, fresh food or live plants or animals, pornographic material, alcohol, firearms, hazardous material or bulk shipments of religious material contrary to Islam.

References

• Boots on Ground: Tips for Shipping Packages to Iraq or Afghanistan
• Fun Times Guide: Great Ideas for U.S. Soldiers Care Packages
• Any Soldier Inc: What Not to Send