Sam Johnson encourages Texans
to send "Holiday Mail for Heroes" by Dec. 10th
Washington,
Nov 10 -
Today U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (3rd Dist.-Texas) encouraged Texans to send “Holiday Mail for Heroes” by the December 10th deadline. Created by the Red Cross, Holiday Mail for Heroes allows people to mail Christmas cards and personal greetings to soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines overseas and at home as well as veterans and family members of deployed active-duty military members. The Red Cross will work with Pitney Bowes to screen all mail for security purposes and then deliver the greetings to over 300 locations worldwide.
“With Americans in combat since October 2001, we have a young generation of warriors who have been in the field for almost ten years. It’s imperative that Americans continue to honor, remember and recognize their sacrifice. The Holiday Mail for Heroes is a terrific way to do that,” said Johnson, a 29-year Air Force veteran and former Prisoner of War in Vietnam for nearly seven years.
People may send cards to Holiday Mail for Heroes, P.O. Box 5456, Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456. Greetings must have adequate postage. Cards received after December 10th will be returned.
In December 2007, Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. approached the Red Cross to distribute thousands of holiday cards coming to the facility for wounded troops. The Red Cross reached out to Pitney Bowes to turn the project into a larger opportunity that could reach members of the military at other facilities. Now in its third year, the Holiday Mail for Heroes program provides Americans with the opportunity to extend holiday greetings and thanks to service members, veterans and their families worldwide.
The Red Cross asks that people follow several guidelines while preparing holiday greetings:
Do: sign all cards; entitle cards “Dear Service Member, Family or Veteran;” limit cards to 15 per person or 50 for school class or business group; and bundle groups of cards in single, large envelopes. Do not: send letters; include personal information such as home or email addresses to request contact or reciprocity; use glitter as excessive amounts can aggravate health issues of wounded recipients; or include inserts of any kind as they must be removed in the screening process. Learn more at http://www.redcross.org/holidaymail.
# # #
