Photo By 2nd Lt. Cody Kellum | Darrell McKown, Area Support Group Poland Postmaster, and Spc. Joseph Alexander, 444th...... read more read more
Maintaining communication between friends and family members is paramount to the well-being of all people, but this is not always an easy, efficient task. Nearly every service member has, at some point, encountered difficulties with talking to their loved ones while deployed far away home. In order to more effectively facilitate this opportunity, the U.S. military provides overseas mailing services based upon the structure, regulations and logistics of the USPS (United States Postal Service).
Originating with the U.S. Army amid the onset of World War I in 1918, the modern day Military Post Office (MPO) is divided into two service specific categories: APO (Army/Air Force Post Office) and FPO (Fleet Post Office), which serves the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
Today’s military mailing operations accommodate U.S. service members across 60 countries, utilizing over 350+ combined APO and FPO locations, as well as over 1 million delivery locations across the globe.
In the coming months, one more APO location will soon be based in Poznan, Poland, to benefit the 1st Infantry Division Forward personnel stationed there.
Spc. Joseph Alexander, 316th Sustainment Brigade, 444th Adjutant General Corps, is one of the postal clerks assigned to 1ID (FWD).
“We’re excited about establishing the new APO here,” said Alexander. “It’s been a long process, but we know we’re in good hands. I’m looking forward to the efficiency an official APO location will bring to us here on post.”
Spc. Alexander works alongside his fellow unit member and postal clerk Spc. Kendric White in the retrieval, organization and distribution of all U.S. mail that is delivered to post in Poznan. They handle over 200 of combined letters and packages on each of the designated delivery days of Tuesday and Thursday.
All U.S. mail designated for service members in Poland first arrives in Germany. It is then transported to their designated delivery locations. The average time of arrival from the U.S. is approximately three weeks.
“Mail builds morale,” said White. “It’s always a joy to see soldier’s faces when they receive letters, packages and gifts from their friends and family members. I think the new APO location here will help to expedite the mailing process for all of us here.”
| Date Taken: | 04.02.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.06.2020 10:28 |
| Story ID: | 366421 |
| Location: | POZNAN, PL |
| Web Views: | 195 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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