View source for Any Soldier Donations

The purpose of this project is to provide entertainment to military personnel on active duty. Volunteers, on an individual basis, will burn CDs of Librivox recordings and mail them to a contact they find through http://www.AnySoldier.com

'''Please Note: Due to the sensitive nature of the material on Any Soldier, do not take words verbatim from their site and post them here. Do not, under any circumstances, post soldier names and addresses here. Thank you. 

== What is Any Soldier? ==
Any Soldier was started by a soldier serving in Iraq with the help of his parents back in the US. He noticed that there were soldiers who received little or no mail from home. They started an effort to get more people involved in sending letters and care packages to soldiers in need of support. Since then, Any Soldier has grown to include all branches of the military.

== How Do I Begin? ==
Visit: [http://www.AnySoldier.com www.AnySoldier.com] and read their site carefully, browse their database, familiarize yourself with their procedures, and follow their rules. Once you understand how and why they do things, figure out what kind of audio books you want to burn and send.

== What Do I Send? ==
You are sending CDs that you’ve burned of Librivox recordings in the public domain. If you want to send additional items, you can see what the contacts are requesting and follow any rules, or restrictions involved. Don't worry if you can only burn one CD to send to one address. If a number of volunteers do that, then a number of soldiers will benefit. Please follow all postal and military regulations. Review How To Mail CDs below.

== How Do I Package A CD or CD Collection? ==
* Paper or Vinyl sleeves (holds one or two CDs)
* Jewel Case (varies)
* CD Binder (holds multiple CDs)
* CD Wallet (holds multiple CDs)

== How Do I Get A Contact Address? ==
* Go to: [http://www.AnySoldier.com www.AnySoldier.com]
* Review the site FAQs.
* Click on '''Where To Send'''. (Read this page carefully).
* You can search the contact database for: items requested, name, military branch, origin of unit, country of service, or retrieve a random contact. Make sure to select the button that indicates units that have female soldiers too, if you want.
* Select a contact name from the list, or search again, if no contacts appear.
* You will only be able to acquire a few addresses maximum per day.
* When you request an address, a form will ask you to fill in your name, address, and e-mail.
* The address of the contact will be e-mailed to you. This protects the information from being abused. If you’re not abusing it and do not send harmful material, then you are fine.
* When you get the e-mail, you will notice that you are not allowed to distribute it, or print it out. It may be tedious, but please open a word processing program and type it, or write it down carefully.

== How Do I Mail CDs? ==
* Verify all postal regulations before shipping.
* Write in marker on the CD: '''anysoldier.com'''
* Prepare your shipment for a brutal journey.
* Slip CDs into a paper or vinyl sleeve, or case, so they don’t get scratched.
* Choose a sturdy mailer or box.
* Make sure you’ve added protection for the CDs inside, so they won’t break (i.e., cardboard, bubble wrap).
* Carefully tape your package to secure it. (Use packing tape).
* Address your package to your contact.
* You '''MUST''' include the Attention line: Attn: Any Soldier
* If you want your donation to go to a female soldier specifically, write Attn: Any Female Soldier. However, you '''MUST''' also have the contact name, because postal regulations require it.
* You '''MUST''' include your name and address as the return address.
* You '''MUST''' complete a customs form. Unless otherwise instructed, use '''2976-A'''. You will fill in your name and address and the address of where you’re sending to. Also, you will list the items in your package and any monetary value. For these CDs, there would be no value. Put something like '''CD of public domain classic literature''', or, '''Free audio book in public domain''', or just '''CD'''. Under value put $0.
* You must write that this is a '''GIFT''', so that there are no duties to be paid.
* Sign your name.
* Present your package to the postal clerk. Ask him or her to verify that it’s all correct.

==Am I Shipping Directly to Iraq? ==

No. You are only shipping to New York (APE), or California (APO).

==What Does APO and APE Mean in the Address?==

APO signifies that the mailing will be shipped from the west coast (California) and APE from the east coast (New York).

==How Much Is the Postal Rate?==

Only domestic rates apply – not international.

==Insure or Register?==

Generally speaking, unless you’re sending an expensive item besides our public domain CDs, do not insure or register these mailings, because the soldiers have to take extra measures to obtain their mail.

==How Many Packages Can I Send to an Address? ==

Try to send one package per address in a given day. Spread them out, because they have limited facilities. You may want to select a few different addresses, if you can, and send one package to several different locations.

==Overnight or Express Mail? ==

You don’t need to overnight or express mail, because you’re only shipping to New York, or California. The time it takes to ship overseas is out of your control.

==USPS (United States Postal Service) Info ==

===Mailing Restrictions===

Our CDs are fine. Don’t throw in any pornography, pork, or firearms, etc. Review the restrictions before mailing. http://www.usps.com/supportingourtroops/mailingrestrictions.htm

===Specific Military Zip Restrictions ===

Each zip has its own protocol. Most are the same, but double-check to see if there are special restrictions. http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/2005/html/pb22149/apo8.html

===Support the Troops FAQ ===

http://www.usps.com/supportingourtroops/supportingfaqs.htm