Thank a veteran

Veterans Day is fast approaching, and the American Red Cross reminds everyone to show your appreciation for what veterans have done for this country and for you. This link offers some suggestions of ways to thank a veteran. The first suggestion on the list is to sign a card that will go to an active duty service member or veteran as part of the Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign.

Visitors to the Red Cross tent at Wilson's Whirligig Festival this weekend (Nov. 5-6) will have the opportunity to sign a holiday card that will be distributed to a service member, wounded service member, veterans hospital patient or veteran. Other card-signing events are planned throughout the region until Dec. 9. Individuals can send cards directly to the Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign by sending a signed cards (no gifts, money or other inserts are allowed) to Holiday Mail for Heroes, P.O. Box 5456, Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456. Cards will be screened for biohazards in accordance with Pentagon regulations and distributed to recipients at home and abroad.

Holiday Mail campaign begins Monday

The Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign begins Monday, Oct. 3, when the Red Cross will announce the post office box for sending holiday cards to service members, military hospital patients and veterans. The Holiday Mail campaign is now in its fifth year and has distributed about 3 million holiday cards.

Anyone can participate in this event by simply signing a card and sending it to the post office box before Dec. 9. All cards will be scanned for biohazard and explosives, in accordance with Department of Defense policy, and then sent to Red Cross chapters for distribution. Cards should be addressed to "any service member."

Please follow these guidelines if you send a card:
1. Do not include personal information, such as address, telephone number or email address.
2. Do not put money or any other gift in the envelope; these cannot be forwarded to service members.
3. Do not include any inserts or glitter in the cards (glitter can cause problems in hospitals).
4. Do not send letters with your cards. A simple greeting and expression of gratitude and encouragement is sufficient.

Cards sent to the HMFH post office box are sent to Red Cross chapters, after security scanning, for distribution at military posts, hospitals, Reserve or National Guard centers, Veterans Administration hospitals or clinics, and veterans' organizations. The cards provide a morale boost for active duty military personnel as well as for veterans and families of service members.

The post office address for Holiday Mail will be heavily publicized during the first week of October, so watch for announcements.