CAROL STREAM, IL — While the first signs of autumn are just beginning to appear, it’s not too early to start thinking about holiday cards, letters and packages destined for service members and their families stationed in faraway lands. The first deadline for the 2010 holiday season is just around the corner.
Friday, November 12, is the deadline for sending holiday packages to troops stationed overseas using Parcel Post to all Air/Army Post Office (APO) or Fleet Post Office (FPO) ZIP Codes.
“The U.S. Postal Service is encouraging the use of these early deadlines to make sure that packages reach their destinations in time for the holidays,” said Tim Ratliff, spokesperson for the Postal Service in Northern Illinois.
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. All military mail, regardless of destination, is sent by domestic mail rate. International rates do not apply to military mail delivery.
The large Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box (12” x 12” x 5 ½”) offers a $2 discount to APO/FPO destinations and ships for just $12.50. Customers can access shipping information by adding Delivery Confirmation, which is available for almost all military destinations outside the United States. Delivery Confirmation provides customers with the date, ZIP Code of delivery, and time the package was delivered. This information can be accessed online at www.usps.com.
The Postal Service’s popular Military Care Kits also help military families and friends keep free shipping supplies within reach. Each kit contains six Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes (two large and four medium-sized boxes), six customs forms and envelopes, six Priority address labels and one role of military tape. The kit may be ordered by calling the USPS Expedited Package Supply Center at 1-800-610-8734. All packages and mail must be addressed to individual service members, as required by U.S. Department of Defense regulations.
“There may be no bigger morale booster than mail for our soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and Coast Guardsmen during the holidays.” said Ratliff. “Packages and letters bring them closer to family and to the comforts of home.”
Even creating customized postage and holiday cards can be as easy as baking and shipping the holiday cookies that those service members enjoy.
“With a little creativity, customers can always create their own personal touches and keepsakes,” Ratliff added. “It’s all available at www.usps.com.”
The complete list of military mailing deadlines is as follows:
| Military Mail Addressed To | Express Mail® Military Service (EMMS)1/ | First-Class Mail® Letters and Cards | Priority Mail® | Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL) 2/ | Space Available Mail (SAM)3/ | Parcel Post® |
| APO/FPO AE ZIPs 090-092 | Dec-18 | Dec-10 | Dec-10 | Dec-3 | Nov-26 | Nov-12 |
| APO/FPO AE ZIP 093 | N/A | Dec-4 | Dec-4 | Dec-1 | Nov-20 | Nov-12 |
| APO/FPO AE ZIPs 094-098 | Dec-18 | Dec-10 | Dec-10 | Dec-3 | Nov-26 | Nov-12 |
| APO/FPO AA ZIP 340 | Dec-18 | Dec-10 | Dec-10 | Dec-3 | Nov-26 | Nov-12 |
| APO/FPO AP ZIPs 962-966 | Dec-18 | Dec-10 | Dec-10 | Dec-3 | Nov-26 | Nov-12 |
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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.
