How To
Do’s and Don’ts when Sending Heartwarming Letters to your Soldier
Apr
A number of us have that family member or special someone that is away serving our country.
As the ones back home with all the modern resources, it is up to us to show them we’re still in the bleachers rooting them on.
One of the most effective ways in doing so is to send meaningful letters that bring your servicer motivation and support.
I want to give you guys some tips or Do’s and Don'ts when writing your loved one in service and if you stick around I can show you a service called Text A Letter that will make sending heartwarming letters to your soldier more creative quick and easy!
Do’s:
Secure the address!
Getting the right address can be a tough one sometimes, whether it's a struggle to get the correct P.O. Box number or because for whatever reason the address hasn't been released yet.
An effective way I've found to secure the address is making sure they send you a letter with the address as soon as they get the chance to.
If you're able to get the address earlier with no problems then great job! Also remember that not many people have this address, to be honest its probably just you.
A way to help out is by asking your soldier for one of their social media logins like Facebook that has close friends and family, and this way you can post a status with the address for anyone else that may want to get in contact with them.
Daily Letters
First and foremost when your soldier is still at the boot camp phase it's good to write them every day! They are still at the “hurry up and wait” phase where basically getting yelled at all day and have a set of tasks that they finish as fast as they can, and after completion for the remainder of the day they have time to relax and look forward to hearing from you.
Do what you can on your end in terms of getting your letters out on time because there’s always a possibility of things happening with the postal service or whatever the case may be.
Even if they don’t get there on time; you’re dated letter will make it apparent that is was’t because of any reason on your end. They will truly appreciate daily letters at this time period and you should make sure to get them to write you back!
Send extra pieces of paper
From my experience sending your letter with extra pieces of paper has always been a plus because of security reasons and because the papers that they write you back with tend to be very small. Trust me when your soldier is opening their letter, unless if they manage to find some privacy, which there isn’t much of; there will be a bunch of unneeded nosey noses over your letter.
With the extra papers at least it will ward them off at first glance and if they decide to share they can. As soon as I used some extra pieces, the letter I got back was on the same papers because the papers they are given to write back on are very small.
Holiday Letters
Being away for the holidays is always a huge misfortune for soldiers. If you typically find your soldier away, missing some important family holidays and events; a heartwarming letter is the way to go. Nothing beats the feeling of receiving presents under the tree but a hardworking soldier will appreciate a heartwarming holiday letter while taking on those cold nights.
Keep them up to date with what is going on at home
Not being able to see the outside world for some time can truly be a bummer and kinda makes you feel alienated in a sense.
You can help out by keeping your soldier up to date with current events, their social circle and other things around the community you that they would typically be in touch with.
You’ll really be there outlet to the outside world and this will making you that much more important to them. I'm not saying turn into their own personal news and gossip source, but they'll greatly appreciate it and will be looking forward to hearing from you that much more.
Creativity and expression
What separates a great letter from the pack is the creativity. Really try to express yourself through your words, make sure to show them how you feel; it will help them feel connected with you which helps out with homesickness!
Add symbols like emojis and smilies, even stickers. Also keep it colorful and add some art if can. I'm not the best at drawing in the world but for art in my letters Text A Letter gets it done beautifully.
For a plethora of creativity starting with the ability to upload either a live photo or choose from an existing camera roll photo. Once uploaded into the app, talented artists will hand draw the photo, creating a masterpiece on your envelope or paper. (side note: If you know that excessively colorful envelopes can sometimes be confiscated by sergeants, make sure to place your art on the paper and not the envelope.)
If you are looking to send physical pictures, there’s no problem with that either but try to save the inappropriate or embarrassing ones that might be a little too much for later.
Soldiers tend to be around their mates when opening your heartwarming letters and the last thing you want is them getting ridiculed, or made fun of becoming the trending topic amongst the the platoon.
Whatever your sending should be motivational and keep your soldier focused and on task!
Inasmuch as its good to be optimistic; make sure to stay genuine and down to earth with them about what's going on with you in terms of your personal emotional state of being.
After all is said and done the two of you will connect in person again of course so don't just sugar coat everything and leave them confused and disoriented about the reality of your actual state of being.
What they’re experiencing is difficult and you should acknowledge that, the best letters to soldiers are genuine and will show that you understand their hardships but more importantly know they will overcome any obstacles in their way.
Dont's:
Put presents in you letters
The drill instructors are vigilant and observant, don’t try to send items in your letters like candy and other small nick nacks.
I’ll never forget hearing a story about parents that sent their son a supersized box of chocolates in the mail. Upon receiving the package the son’s drill sergeant forced him to eat the entire box in one sitting and then he threw up during a drill right after.
I've heard a number of stories similar as well like boxes of homemade cookies all getting thrown out etc... Don’t leave your soldier in sticky situations!
If you think it's really necessary to send an item with your mail, make sure it’s super slim so it won't be bulging out of the letter at all and will go unnoticed!
Bring negative things from home into the mix of things
Whether they’re on base or at bootcamp, life at home still has to keep moving, and accompanying it is both the good times and the bad times.
If there’s something negative that your servicer doesn’t necessarily need to know just yet, you should consider leaving them uninformed till they get back.
Protecting the country is a lot in itself and there nothing worse for a soldier than to having to hopelessly know about problems back at home when they can’t really do anything about it.
My soldier always gives me amazing feedback on the letters I send. I always choose elegantly crafted paper types with art that I know will get their emotions flowing and you can too:
I typically come up with a unique picture that only the two of know the background story to. It's always our little inside joke that we laugh about later!
I’m sure your soldier would love to see a hand drawn selfie of you snuggling with the family dog on their letter. The possibilities are really endless!
You can make your soldiers letter a personalized work of art with EXTREME convenience!
Make your heart warming letters to your soldier count in as many ways as you can think of!
Being a soldier is nowhere close to an easy job; all the responsibilities, the physical labors and abilities the job demands, and just the overall gritty nature needed to serve a country is something to be highly respected.
Whether its to a loved one, a friend, or maybe even to a random lucky servicer; keep spreading the love, encouragement and motivation with your heartwarming letters, they will always be greatly appreciated by your soldier.
Keep them up to date, connected and as creative as you can. You'd be surprised how much a letter can brighten up a soldiers day.
