Support Our Troops Through These Organizations

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2004 – One often-repeated question
from forward-deployed
troops today is some form of: "Does America support what
we're doing over
here?"

Judging by the number of Web sites devoted to that support,
the answer is a
resounding, "Yes!"

But as times have changed, so have the ways to support the
troops. Just because
the old way – no more "Any Servicemember" mail - doesn't
work anymore, that
doesn't mean that troops can't receive mail and care
packages from patriotic
souls. It simply means finding an organization to help you
get that morale-
boosting mail to the troops.

Dozens of independent organizations are ready and willing
to help those who
want to support the troops. They generally fall into two
basic categories. The
first is the organizations that collect cash or goods to
create care packages
to be sent to troops who wish to receive them.

One such organization is Freedom Calls Foundation, which
uses state-of-the-art
communications technology to keep servicemembers connected
with their families.
Because of Freedom Calls' efforts, servicemembers have
"been there" for
milestone events such as weddings (sometimes their own),
births and
graduations.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars offers a program called
"Operation Uplink" that
connects servicemembers with family and friends. The
program, begun in 1996,
provides pre-paid phone cards to active-duty servicemembers
and hospitalized
veterans.

Again, Operation Uplink accepts cash donations that are
used to purchase the
pre-paid phone cards. Donations can be made online, via
phone or through the
mail.

Another supporter of deployed U.S. troops, the United
Service Organizations,
has a program called "Operation USO Care Package." The
program lets well-
wishers sponsor a care package for a monetary donation. USO
makes the donation
part easy too. All it takes is a mouse click, a phone call
or a stamp to mail a
check.

The second-type organization pairs supporters with
servicemembers who have
given permission to release their contact information to an
individual. Most of
the sites offering servicemember "adoptions" require a
minimum commitment of
one piece of mail a month.

AdoptaPlatoon, not only provides the means to "adopt" an
individual
servicemember, but an entire platoon. The requirements for
each adoption are a
little different. Supporters can also ask to be matched
with a servicemember as
a pen pal.

Operation Military Pride is another group that focuses on
care packages.
However, to obtain mailing information for a servicemember,
supporters are
required to sign up through the site. Like many
organizations, Operation
Military Pride has several different campaigns in the works
to support deployed
troops.

There also are a smaller number of Web sites dedicated to
allowing a supporter
to send an electronic greeting to servicemembers and some
that have compiled a
list of links to various support Websites.

Care packages are always nice, but letters are just as
good. And sites like
Operation Dear Abby and Letters From Home make that very
easy to do. Operation
Dear Abby provides the means to send an electronic greeting
to a servicemember
and Letters From Home works with the old-fashioned variety.

If the legitimacy of a site is a concern, check out the
list on the Defend
America Web site. While the Department of Defense does not
endorse
organizations, a DoD official said that the groups listed
on Defend America are
checked routinely to make sure they are doing what they say
they are.

It's also important to remember that some Web sites are
easier to use than
others. So don't get discouraged, the links are there. It
may just take a
little looking to find them.

These are just a small sampling of organizations that offer
Americans the means
to remember and appreciate our troops. There are many, many
groups offering
many, many ways to show deployed troops that yes, America
Supports You!