Holiday Mail Call

A Sailor sorts Priority Mail Boxes aboard USS Boxer while underway in the Gulf of Aden. Photo: U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jessica Ann Hattell

During this holiday season, a great way to connect with our deployed Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen is to send them festive letters and packages for their enjoyment this time of year.

To send packages to friends and loved ones serving in the military and diplomatic posts abroad, the U.S. Postal Service offers a discounted price of $18.45 on its largest Priority Mail Flat Rate® Box. The price includes a $1.50 per box discount for mail sent to APO/FPO/DPO (Air/Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office/Diplomatic Post Office) destinations worldwide.

Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes are available at no cost at local Post Offices and can also be ordered via usps.com. Postage, labels and customs forms can also be printed online anytime using Click-N-Ship feature. All mailing products can be found at store.usps.com/store/home.

To ensure timely delivery of holiday wishes by December 25, the Postal Service recommends that cards and packages be sent to military APO/FPO/DPO addresses overseas no later than these mailing dates: 

Military Mail Addressed To and From	Priority Mail Express Military Service (PMEMS)1	First-Class Mail Letters and Cards	Priority Mail	Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL)2	Space Available Mail (SAM)3
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs 090-092	Dec. 18	Dec. 11	Dec. 11	Dec. 4	Nov. 27
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIP   093	N/A	Dec. 9	Dec. 9	Dec. 4	Nov. 27
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs 094-099	Dec. 18	Dec. 11	Dec. 11	Dec. 4	Nov. 27
APO/FPO/DPO AA ZIP   340	Dec. 18	Dec. 11	Dec. 11	Dec. 4	Nov. 27
APO/FPO/DPO AP ZIPs 962-966	Dec. 18	Dec. 11	Dec. 11	Dec. 4	Nov. 27

1 PMEMS is available to selected military/diplomatic Post Offices. Check with your local Post Office to determine if this service is available to an APO/FPO/DPO address.

2 PAL is a service that provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. PAL is available for Standard Post items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60 inches in length and girth combined. The applicable PAL fee must be paid in addition to the regular surface price for each addressed piece sent by PAL service.

3 SAM parcels are paid at Standard Post prices with maximum weight and size limits of 15 pounds and 60 inches in length and girth combined. SAM parcels are first transported domestically by surface and then to overseas destinations by air on a space-available basis.

Use the Military Care Kit to Send Presents and Care Packages

The Postal Service has created a free “Military Care Kit” based on the items most frequently requested by military families. The kit contains:

·    Two Priority Mail APO/FPO/DPO Flat Rate Boxes
·     Four Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Boxes
·     Priority Mail tape
·     Priority Mail address labels
·     Appropriate customs forms

To order the kit, call 800-610-8734. Guidelines for packing, addressing and shipping items to U.S. troops can be found at store.usps.com/store/product/shipping-supplies/military-care-kit-P_MILITARYKIT. To order Flat-Rate Boxes featuring the “America Supports You” logo, go to usps.com/freeboxes.

Addressing the Package

·    Write the service member’s full name
·    Include the unit and APO/FPO/DPO address with the 9-digit ZIP Code (if one is assigned). For example:

Army/Air Post Office (APO)
PFC JANE DOE
PSC 3 BOX 4120
APO AE 09021

Fleet Post Office (FPO)
SEAMAN JOSEPH SMITH
UNIT 100100 BOX 4120
FPO AP 96691

Diplomatic Post Office (DPO)
MELANIE ADAMS
UNIT 8400 BOX 0000
DPO AE 09498-0048

·   Do not write the country name where the service member is stationed in the address
·   Include a return address
·   Inside the box, include the service member’s name and address as well as the sender’s name and address on an index card in case the shipping label gets damaged in transit