Progressive Wednesday

Truly Supporting Our Troops: Ship

Ship:

When we’re thousands of miles away from our soldiers, it’s hard to know how to truly support them. Saying we support them and openly declaring so are important first steps. The organization Any Soldier helps us take it a step further (in a “Left. Left. Left, right, left.” sort of way).

Any Soldier is the product of Marty and Sue Horn. In 2003, the couple said goodbye to their son, Brian Horn, an Army Infantry Soldier, who ended up parachuting into Northern Iraq shortly thereafter. Inspired by the needs and requests of both their son and the fellow soldiers in his unit, the Horns started a means for other folks to send care packages to our military men and women (before you get any bright ideas, these care packages cannot contain porn, even your favorite porn).

According to their website, their organization helps almost 100,000 soldiers in all the branches of the military. The soldiers send in emails with brief messages and lists of items they and their fellow men and women would like — everything from Cheetos to deodorant, razors to soup, sunscreen to boxers (because going alfresco or “commando” in the desert just doesn’t cut it people).

Here’s how it works. There’s a list of soldiers and their requests, and you click a link to request that soldiers complete address. Then you ship away. They’ve got extensive shipping suggestions, and all the necessary miscellaneous information, like how to fill out a customs form and whether or not you should insure the package. There’s also a link to Treat Any Soldier, also run by Any Soldier, through which you can order prepackaged care packages to send to the troops. There’s also advice on sending calling cards, health and hygiene items, and tactical items (which our fighting women and men, unfortunately, need more of).