Military mailing dates, deadlines ensure timely delivery to troops

Halloween is barely past, but the deadline for sending holiday packages to troops stationed overseas is just around the corner, and the U.S. Postal Service is encouraging early deadlines to ensure packages reach their destination in time for the holidays.

Tuesday, Nov. 13, is the deadline for using Parcel Post to send items to all Air/Army Post Office (APO) or Fleet Post Office (FPO) ZIP codes.  According to Tulsa Postmaster Kathy Ervin-Johnson, “Mail is one of the greatest morale boosters we can give our soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and Coast Guardsmen during the holidays, and when they see packages or letters waiting for them, it brings them that much closer to family and the comforts of home.”  

Delivery can be confirmed by using Delivery Confirmation, available for almost all military destinations outside the United States.  Delivery Confirmation provides customers with the date, ZIP Code and time the package was delivered.  This information can be accessed online at http://www.usps.com/
 

The U.S. Postal Service has also introduced a Military Care Kit, or “Mili-kit” – each containing three flat rate boxes, two cube boxes, nine address labels, and 16 customs forms – to make it easier for military families and friends to send care packages to their loved ones stationed overseas.  Since the inception of the Military Care Kit, the U.S. Postal Service has shipped more than 150,000 kits.  This kit may be ordered by calling the USPS Expedited Package Supply Center at 1-800-610-8734.  There is no charge for the kit.

The Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes included in the kit can be shipped to any APO/FPO in the world, regardless of weight, for $8.95.

All packages and mail must be addressed to individual service members, as required by U.S. Department of Defense regulations.

The Postal Service places APO/FPO mail on special charter flights, commercial airlines and military service aircraft to reach armed services members overseas as quickly as possible.

The Postal Service’s Web site, http://www.usps.com/, provides the major dates recommended for mail to be delivered by Dec. 25, as well as a variety of links to mailing and shipping tools.