(Originally published on Punkpost.com by Amanda Philipps)
Military life, man. It ain’t easy. Our brave sailors, soldiers, marines, airmen, coasties, etc., live a life that not many people envy: moving around without warning, being deployed for months at a time, working in dangerous circumstances, and essentially being on-call at all times, to name a few. Most of us know or are related to a service member, and oftentimes, we don’t really know what to say besides, well, “thank you for your service.” There are so many other things we could say.
As a wife of a Navy sailor, I’ve experienced the highs and lows of that #MilitaryLife. My husband and I have been through boot camp (well, he did. I was just at home writing a letter every 5 seconds), went through two moves that took us farther and farther away from our families, and experienced a long deployment. I’ve learned a lot during the past few years and am excited to share all of the best ways to send love to all of our military friends and family.
Here’s a few examples of when to send military mail.
Cure Those Boot Camp Blues
Boot camp. Oh goodness gracious, boot camp. It’s where all of our brave military men and women start their journeys in the U.S. military. They’re away from all friends, family, technology and communication with the outside world for at least seven weeks. That’s HARD. Sending a card while they’re away at boot camp is GOLD to the recruits. Send them a joke. An inspiring quote. A personal anecdote about overcoming challenges. Even a news update. They’ll appreciate it all (and likely even share that joy with others). Missed the mark on boot camp? Send them a congratulations after they graduate! It’s a HUGE accomplishment.
Send Some Deployment Delight
Okay, deployments suck. Three months, seven months, 12 months … they all suck. For everyone: the family, the friends, and most especially, the service member. Move aside, care packages: a heart-felt, encouraging note in a card can really do wonders for the mental health of the service members we hold near and dear to our hearts. Not really comfortable sending a card to a ship? Try sending a card to a service member before deployment wishing them bon voyage or after deployment wishing them a welcome home. I promise, it is SO appreciated.
And let’s not forget about the spouses and children of the deployed service member. A card to let them know you’re thinking of them can help brighten their day.
Promotion, Please!
Depending on the job, it can be SUPER difficult to achieve a higher rank in the military. It requires a lot of dedication to studying, long testing cycles and impeccable evaluations (to name a few things). Being promoted or advanced to a higher rank is not something that should be taken lightly and deserves to be celebrated. A congratulatory note certainly makes a difference and shows that friends and family back home are proud — no matter how far away.
Well Wishes for a PCS
A PCS, or a Permanent Change of Station, is when a service member (and his or her dependents) has military orders to move to a new duty station. Often times, this happens every 3–5 years. It can be stressful, incredibly time consuming, and, frankly, straight-up sad to leave a place that’s become home for a few years. A card welcoming a military family to their new home could very well be the first thing to make it onto their new fridge … never mind the awesome surprise they’ll get receiving snail mail at their new address!
And Fittingly Last, But Not Least: Retirement
What an accomplishment. Enduring all the military has to offer: the boot camps, deployments, moving all over, advancements and promotions, and much more. Now, it’s all DONE. It’s time to celebrate! But first, a card honoring and commemorating the service member for all his or her hard work. You know, to add to their Punkpost card collection.
Send a Punkpost Card to a Service Member
Pick any Punkpost card to start sending your military service member a handwritten card from Punkpost. Then, just type your message and tell us where to send it. We will take card of the rest.
Check out these card collections:
- Patriotic Card Collection
- Birthday Card Collection
- Friendship Card Collection
- Congratulations Card Collection
- Encouragement Card Collection
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