Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Maurice Smith | Pfc. Joshua Bailey, 394th A.G. Co., operates a forklift to pick up pallets of mail as...... read more read more
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by Spc. Mike Alberts
3rd BCT, 25th ID PAO
KIRKUK, Iraq -- They're more than just papers in an envelope or stuff in box to Soldiers at war. For Soldiers thousands of miles away from their loved ones mail is their "little piece of home" in an difficult environment.
Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team are settling into their homes away from home and now have the official "go" to begin receiving encouraging words and care packages here at Forward Operating Base Warrior, Kirkuk, Iraq.
Priority mail arrives from the United States within seven to 10 days, and mail sent by ground will take approximately two weeks to reach its intended recipient. Soldiers sending mail can expect priority mail to reach the United States within 10 to 14 days and 3 ½ weeks if sent by regular ground service, according to 1st Lt. Christina Altamirano, postal officer, 3rd Battalion, 394th Adjujant General Company. Altamirano is a reserve officer who brought 18 Soldiers with her to Kirkuk in Oct. 2005 to handle the postal needs in the surrounding area of operation.
"We receive mail her at FOB Warrior regularly about four times a week at different times during the day," said Altamirano. She explained that her unit provides all the postal services and support not only at FOB Warrior but also at outlying camps and other FOB's north of Baghdad.
"Our most important function is to get mail to the Soldier," she said. "Mail is a sensitive thing. It's difficult to express its importance. To receive a package from home, even if it only contains a snack that you can't get here, or that piece of mail that says 'hey, we miss you.' It's like receiving a little piece of home."
"Out here there's not a whole lot to look forward to," said Staff Sgt. Tim Reynolds, non-commissioned officer in charge, 877th A.G. Co. "Some of the outlying FOBs don't have nearly the same recreational services that we do here at FOB Warrior. So what you get from home, whether its food or entertainment, is very meaningful," said Reynolds.
In order to ensure that a Soldier actually gets the morale boost they need, Reynolds had some tips for family members sending mail. "If you send liquids be sure that they are well packaged. If they break in route liquids ruin not only what's in your Soldier's box but also those around it. Also, use sturdy and fully packed boxes to avoid things getting crushed. Using the correct address is important as well," he emphasized.
Each Battalion must have a designated mail clerk properly credentialed to pick up mail from the post office. In fact, each mail clerk must take the course here at FOB Warrior to pick mail up here. One of those clerks is Spc. John Souza.
Souza has been the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3IBCT mail clerk for 3 years. As a Soldier who has served in both Kosovo and Afghanistan prior to deploying here to Iraq, he truly appreciates the significance of his responsibility.
"Soldiers deserve to get mail. The families many times can't get a hold of their Soldiers directly by phone or computer. Getting mail is the only way they can send us messages and other things we need," he said.
Sgt. Peter Green, FIRES non-commissioned officer-in-charge, HHC, 3IBCT, is one of hundreds of Soldiers who has received that unexpected morale boost when he needed it most.
"When we were in Afghanistan, we lived on a really small FOB with a [tiny] Post Exchange," said Green. "I went months wearing the same [rotation] of socks and T-shirts. That stuff wears out," he continued. "My wife got wind that things were pretty rough and I remember getting a box unexpectedly. Inside it was full of socks and T-shirts that she sent. Even the most basic things that may not seem like a big deal back in garrison mean the world [to Soldiers at war]."
| Date Taken: | 09.07.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 09.07.2006 11:42 |
| Story ID: | 7667 |
| Location: | KIRKUK, IQ |
| Web Views: | 182 |
| Downloads: | 101 |
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