How to Mail a Box to a Soldier in Iraq
Care packages from family and friends are valuable to soldiers who may be missing some of their favorite things in far-away Iraq. However, there are soldiers who receive little or no mail who value such packages even more. If you wish your package to arrive in time for a special event, it is best to send it at least 2 weeks before the date, due to the amount of time it takes for mail to arrive in Iraq.
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Instructions
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Select a box large enough to hold the items you wish to send. The United States Postal Service (USPS) provides free Priority Mail flat rate boxes in three sizes. The USPS charges a flat rate for each size regardless of the weight of the contents. You can order the boxes online, free or pick them up at your local post office.
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Select the items you wish to send. Be aware that there are some items you cannot send due to religious restrictions set by the host country. For instance, you cannot send pictures, literature or movies depicting half-naked or nude people, pork or items made from pork or a large quantity of religious items meant to convert people to other religions. There may be restrictions set by the soldier's military base also. Do not send food items that will perish quickly.
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Place the items in the box. Pack the items tightly so they do not shift around in transit. Fill up spaces with bubble wrap, foam or newspapers.
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Make a list of all the items you have placed in the box, write the soldier's name on the list and put the list inside the box. In case the box opens, the contents fall out and the mailing label is missing, people in charge of mailing will know who the package is meant for and can use the list to find and replace the items. Seal the box.
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Prepare a mailing label. The address must contain the soldier's name, the name of his army unit, the APO, the ZIP code and the country (United States). The post office and APOs no longer accept mail addressed to "Any Soldier." You must address the package to a specific soldier. If you do not have a particular soldier in mind, you can visit AnySoldier.com for names of volunteer officers who will accept packages and distribute to soldiers in need.
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Prepare customs form PS Form 2976-A. List the items contained in the box on this form. You must be specific. For instance, instead of writing "Clothes" or "Food," write "4 men's T-shirts and "1 packet of cookies." The form only allows four items, but according to information from AnySoldier.com, you can fill out additional forms. Cross out the bar code on the additional forms, attach them to the back of the first form and place all the forms in Customs Form Envelope 2976-E. This envelope is available from the USPS via online order or at a local branch.
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Take the package to a post office and pay the postage fee. The postage fee will be the same amount you would pay if you were mailing the package to an address within the United States. The post office will mail the box to the soldier's APO, which will in turn mail the package to the soldier in Iraq.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit a soldier on exercise image by Pavel Bernshtam from Fotolia.com
