[Sparky1776]

Good for the soldiers they deserve the fruits of this bountiful country just as any of us, too bad the postal system is “stressed”.

[P3_Acoustic]

I thought it was gonna be an article about Teddy’s beloved Boston district. Drats!

[Danette]

I don’t find this to be true at all.

We’ve shipped military care packages in a medium box. Cost is almost $100.

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

Internet shopping became important both because it improves morale, and also saves lives. Little luxuries mean a lot, and just about anything is available via the Internet. This includes things like Netflix (the low cost two discs a month deal works well with troops overseas). But troops also buy military equipment (and some weapons, like knives) as well. Special clothing and equipment (tools, flashlights, goggles, etc.) are the most common items ordered. When one trooper finds a new item that works real well, the word gets around very quickly. The troops have a network of message boards, social sites (MyPage, FaceBook) and email lists (listservs) that keep everyone informed. Some companies have found themselves quickly sold out of an item, days after a soldier or marine found that, "hey, this works." A lot of those popular gadgets are lifesavers, all because the Internet and the military postal system gets the stuff to the troops quickly and cheaply.

Even more important: My boy's mother can find out by Instant Messenger that he's alive and unharmed while he's serving in Afghanistan. It's rough over there.

Much better than the snail mail or the MARS system (if you could get to it) that we had to rely upon in my day.

[Old Sarge]

Hey, Folks, all you Troop Support Guys & Dolls might be interested in reading this one!

[Sarajevo]

One of the unexpected military impacts of the Internet is the stress Internet shopping has placed on the military mail system.

The period of the largest stress occurs in November/December every year.

The personnel at the JMMT on Victory Base have their hands full. In 2006, we had upwards of 4 mail aircraft per day come in. 4 aircraft may not sound like much, but each aircraft needs to be downloaded, the mail needs to be sorted and prepared for shipment to the many APO's in theatre.

The outgoing mail must be x-rayed for hazardous materials, sorted, palletized, and loaded on the aircraft so it can depart.

This may not sound like much to the uninitiated, but it is very labor intensive. Very little of the process is mechanized.

[LonePalm]

The local office of our major defense contractor company just shipped 300 cans of glow-in-the-dark silly string to the troops in Iraq. They spray it into rooms to find trip wires. The glow-in-the-dark part shows up on their night vision devices.

It was financed completely through employee donations.

Over the last three years, our office alone has contributed over $3,000 dollars just in postage to ship stuff to the troops.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)