Countywide : Gifts to Gulf Should Be Mailed by Friday
Christmas packages being mailed first-class to military personnel in the Middle East should be postmarked no later than Friday to ensure delivery by Dec. 25, a U.S. Postal Service official said Wednesday.
“If people mail their packages next week, they probably will get there,” said Mary K. Frink, area director of marketing and communications. “But the closer you get to the holidays, the more risks you’re taking because of the increased volume.”
Frink said the Postal Service has been shipping about 1,000 packages daily from Ventura County to service people assigned to Operation Desert Shield. That volume is expected to at least double within the next week, she said.
A gift to an unspecified person will be forwarded by military postal service to land-based U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps members if addressed to: Any Service Member, Operation Desert Shield, APO, New York, NY 09848-0006.
For shipboard U.S. Navy and Marine personnel, packages can be addressed to: Any Service Member, Operations Desert Shield, FPO, New York, NY 09866-006.
Packages for a specific person should carry the name, rank, military affiliation and Army Post Office (APO) or Fleet Post Office (FPO) address. Packages also must display customs forms declaring their contents. The forms are available at post offices.
The deadline for pre-Christmas delivery of cards and letters is Nov. 26.
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