do you have a spare Christmas card?

[mimitabby]

i know, odd coming from me, but I thought this was a cool idea:


When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please
include the following:

A Recovering American soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

If you approve of the idea, please pass it on to your e-mail
list. These guys need all of the good cheers and will that we can
give them.

[Zen]

Anyone who has spent more than a day in the hospital knows how interminable the days can be.
These guys(a unisex term here) are there for a long time undergoing extremely painful recovery from wounds that run the gamut from burns, brain injury and loss of limb(s). It's difficult and expensive for their families to visit them though there is the Fisher House nearby but they can only take so many families at a time.
That's a great idea, Mimi.

[Tri Girl]

I'm not even doing the Christmas card exchange, but I'm doing to do this for sure. I've got a whole box from last year that need a good home. Do you think I could stuff a whole bunch of cards in a big manilla envelope and send them at once?

[Trek420]

That's a great idea, Mimi. And does not surprise me that such a considerate idea comes from you. You rock!

Knott reminds me to say, send non-denominational New Years cards, and Hannuckah cards. Some of those guys (in the non gender specific senbse of the word) are Jewish, Muslim, Wiccan, Hindu .... Rosicruchian ("would you like to meet my Mummy?" sorry to any Rosicrucians I may have offended).

[mimitabby]

Trek that's where I'm coming from, I'm not a Christmas person, not even christian by a long shot. But being all messed up and stuck in a hospital? That's tough.

[sundial]

This was a great idea....BUT....

http://www.snopes.com/politics/chris...ldiercards.asp

[PamNY]

This email is making the rounds, but I'm fairly sure the information isn't accurate. Here's what Snopes has to say:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/christmas/walterreed.asp

I send some packages through Anysoldier.com -- that's one resource for supporting deployed military (not wounded). In that case, I know for sure there has to be a specific name on a package or card. I have some other resources for military support but they aren't immediately at hand. I'll post them tomorrow.

Pam

[vinbek]

My Girl Scout troop sends cards and packages each year. One of our girl's dad is career military - 30 years so far.

Holiday mail program for service members under way
Body The American Red Cross is sponsoring a national "Holiday Mail for
Heroes" campaign to receive and distribute holiday cards to service members
and veterans both in the United States and abroad.

Holiday Mail for Heroes, which began Tuesday, Veterans Day, is a follow-up
to the 2007 effort that resulted in the collection and distribution of more
than 600,000 cards to hospitalized service members. This year's program will
expand its reach to not only wounded service members but also veterans and
their families. The goal is to collect and distribute 1 million pieces of
holiday mail.

"As we enter this holiday season-a time to celebrate with family and
friends-it's important to remember the thousands of men and women who serve
our nation in harm's way and those who are recovering in military and
veterans hospitals," said Army Col. Norvell V. Coots, commander, Walter Reed
Health Care System. "The Holiday Mail for Heroes program is a wonderful
outreach effort and a great way to acknowledge the sacrifices of our men and
women in uniform."

Holiday cards should be mailed to:
Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD. 20791-5456

All cards must be postmarked no later than Dec. 10. Cards should not be
mailed or delivered to Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

For more information, visit www.wramc.amedd.army.mil or
www.redcross.org/holidaymail for Holiday Mail for Heroes program
guidelines.Walter Reed is not accepting mail addressed to "A Recovering
American Soldier."


Linda Rasnake 202-280-9389
FRSA/WTB
WRAMC
6900 Georgia Avenue, N.W.
ABRAMS HALL ROOM 1020
Washington, DC 20307