Letters to Heroes
Posted on October 29, 2009 - 20:13 PM |
I. Letters to Currently Deployed Service Members
II. Letters to Veterans of Previous Conflicts
III. Responses from Veterans
I. LETTERS TO CURRENTLY DEPLOYED SERVICE MEMBERS
Our troops tell us the most cherished items in the packages are the personal letters of appreciation from Americans. We welcome as many letters as you can provide. We accept letters year-round.
It will only take 5 minutes out of your day to write a letter, but it will bring joy to our troops that will last a lifetime.
WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT
Keep your message upbeat and positive Be thankful ~~ share a little bit of yourself Ask questions; however, do not discuss death or killing Avoid politics completely and religious in excess It's all about appreciation and respect Ask yourself: "Will this letter bring a smile to someone's face?"
MORE HELPFUL INFORMATION
Sample salutations: Dear Hero, Dear Brave One Include your own mail or email so recipients can choose to reply No stamps or envelopes are needed Hand Written letters or cards are most appreciated No glitter please All letters will be screened - please do not seal envelopes. Send multiple letters together in one large mailing envelope or box.
If you do not receive a reply from a Service Member, do not be discouraged. Remember: Our troops are busy!
WHERE TO SEND
Operation Gratitude
16444 Refugio Road
Encino, CA 91436
II. LETTERS TO VETERANS OF PREVIOUS CONFLICTS
America owes our Military Veterans an eternal debt of gratitude. Now is your chance to thank those courageous Veterans who served our nation in past military conflicts. Here is what you can do:
A. Send us the name and Address of a Veteran
If you know a Veteran who would like to receive a Letter of Gratitude, please provide the Veteran\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s name, regular mailing address (we want them to receive the letter in their physical mailbox at home), and specify in which war(s) they served to. Email the information to Penny Alfonso at: OpGratVolunteer@yahoo.com
B. Write a Letter of Gratitude to a Veteran
It\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s long overdue, but never too late. Write a Letter of Gratitude to a Veteran thanking them for all they did for our country.
Instructions:
1. Please make sure your letters will fit in a standard size envelope
2. Include your own name and address in the body of the letter
3. Do not write about politics, religion, death or killing
4. Please do not use glitter
5. This is strictly a letter-writing effort to thank Veterans; please do not send any care package items for Veterans
6. All letters will be screened
7. Send multiple letters together in one large mailing envelope or box
Please send as many letters (or copies with original signature) as you would like by regular mail only to:
Thank a Veteran
c/o Penny Alfonso
1970 Rangeview Drive
Glendale, CA 91201
Thank you for your kind support of all our men and women of the U.S. Military --past and present!
III. LETTERS FROM VETERANS
We received the following letters from Vietnam Veterans in response to receiving Operation Gratitude Letters of Thanks:
Thank you for your letters to a Vietnam Veteran and for sending the letters and cards from (and he lists the names signed on the other letters I included)... I wondered what prompted the mailing but traced it to my son, who served in the Army in the early 1990\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s. Although that was at the time of the First Gulf War, he spent his time in Germany and not in Iraq. I was a Navy pilot during the Vietnam War, and my greatest achievement was surviving. I lost many friends and acquaintances. I am now 67 years young. Life is good here in Virginia. Again, I thank you for your letters and for the work and sentiments of Operation Gratitude.
Sincerely, H.L.
When I opened your envelope today and read your letter and the 3 others you have sent me, I was profoundly moved. Through the years since I returned home, I have had people, from time to time, thank me for my service. But this is the first time I have received letters sent from the heart by people who have no idea who I am. Only the fact that I served. With each one I read, I could feel the emotions welling up inside and when I finished the last one, I was filled to bursting with pride, love for my country, and love for my people. Please accept my thanks for your thoughtfulness and caring. I have never thought letters like this could have such an effect. You have given me a gift I will carry in my heart always. Sincerely, RM2 P.R. USCG
I went to the mailbox at my normal time of day to get me and my sons mail, usually browsing through it to see what is there, and I stumbled on a letter addressed to me. I could not fathom who would send me mail because I do not get anything besides reminder letters for my doctor appointments. As I began to read the letter it wasn\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t too far into it that I began to cry. I felt like an angel had delivered the mail that day. I do not know how you ever found out I was a Vietnam Veteran. I would like to express my deepest and heart warming thanks for the joy that you brought into my life that day. I can not find the words to express just how much your letter did mean to me, but if the word Thank You were to go a million miles, it would go those million miles to you. It takes a lot to touch a person\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s heart in a way that they are most grateful, but you have done that for me. I appreciate all of the time and effort you put into your letter. You are more than welcome to keep in touch, and I will pray to God that he recognize the wonderful person you are, and give you life\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s joys. Best Wishes, Thank You, B.B.
P.S. I am enclosing my division patch that I served with in Vietnam, the Big Red One - First Infantry Division, and our regimental patch, The Blue Spaders.
I received your letter today. I was somewhat confused because I did not recognize your name or the organization. When I showed it to my wife, she told me that she had submitted my name to your organization. You will never fully know how much your letter means to me. As I read it, I teared up because I can tell that you are speaking from your heart. It is because of Americans like you that veterans are proud of their service to our country and that is why our current warriors are proud to serve this great nation and its people. I recently attended my first military reunion for the units that I served with in Viet Nam, the 1st Infantry Division and the 1st BN 26th Inf. Regiment. One of the men that I met made a comment that really hit home. He said, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"Finally today it is okay to be a Viet Nam Vet.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" It is truly sad that it took 40 years. Because of you, it is more than just okay to be a Viet Nam Vet. You touched my heart. Thank you. Respectfully, T.W.
Viet Nam May, 1968-July, 1969
P.S. I am enclosing the names and addresses of two Viet Nam Vets who would be grateful to receive a letter such as the one you sent me.
