Thank You Letters to Soldiers {30 Days of Thanks}

Day 11 Gratitude Card Idea: Military

Last week I was having coffee with my good friend, Susan. We were talking about my 30 Days of Thanks Challenge and she said she would try to send thank you cards this month. From there she told me the story of Uncle Jim. This is the perfect day to share Uncle Jim’s story because it is Veteran’s Day

Uncle Jim started sending care packages to soldiers in Afghanistan a few years ago. Others saw what he was doing and started chipping in for the care packages. Uncle Jim and his friends were sending “unexpected” packages of thanks to our soldiers.

A few weeks ago, Uncle Jim received an unexpected letter. . . from a colonel in Afghanistan. This colonel took the time to write a thank you for all the packages Uncle Jim had sent to the soldiers. He went on to say how the soldiers’ face changes when he receives a care package. Uncle Jim was making a huge impact with his unexpected cards & gifts.

Can you believe it?

A colonel in the military took the time to send a civilian a thank you card. If a colonel in Afghanistan can send a thank you card to a civilian and Uncle Jim can send thank you packages to soldiers he doesn’t even know, why can’t you & I send thank you letters to soldiers TODAY.

Thanksgiving Activities for Kids

1. AnySoldier.com

Here’s what I found on the Any Soldier website. Please send a thank you card to a soldier today. That’s what I’m doing…even though I’m on a trip.

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There is not one thing on this site, or anywhere, that requires you to send stuff. Letters are THE MOST requested thing by these Soldiers. So, all you need do is send a normal letter in a normal envelope with a normal stamp.

Good ideas: If you want, put your email address in your letter, many Soldiers can and prefer to reply that way. What to write? Too easy: like you are talking to a friend, because that is what that Soldier is going to be real quick. It is also VERY helpful if you leave your full return address as part of your letter, envelopes tend to get trashed quickly.

If your letter is for a Soldier other then the contact you address it to, PLEASE start your letter “Dear Soldier” not “Dear SGT Smith” as on the address. The contact passes the mail out to folks around him or her and when that service member opens the letter it will feel better without the contact’s name on it.

taken from: http://anysoldier.com/howtosend.cfm

2. Adopt A Soldier Website

Why adopt? Read this…

I want to start out by telling you what a great feeling it is to open a letter from someone you have never met before and feel so loved by a complete stranger…Thank you for all that you do. Alpha troop 6/17 CAV sends their most heartfelt appreciation to all. – Tracy

You can read the guidelines for adopting a soldier here:

http://soldiersangels.org/adopt-a-soldier.html

Basically, you agree to sending a card/letter each week and a package each month.

How to Write a Thank You Letter to Soldiers

If you want an easy way to send letters to soldier … use this resource: Send Out Cards

Use my ‘How to Write a Thank You Letter’ free printable to get started with any of these thank you notes. Just fill in your name & email below to receive the outline. Print out one for each thank you card your child needs to write.