EllieTalbot
Fear the Spoon
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2003
- Posts
- 3,921
Hey everybody! 
In case any of you missed the thread that started this, I’m happy to announce a project has been initiated to send a letter, on behalf of the posters here, to soldiers in the Middle East. While we often vehemently disagree here about war-related issues, nearly all of us can look beyond our differences when it comes to supporting the troops.
Many soldiers, marines, airmen and sailors in Iraq and Afghanistan get packages and letters of support from their families, friends, church groups, etc. But there are plenty more who don’t hear their name at mail call very often, if at all. Those are the ones AnySoldier.us (link) aims to support. They have a list of some 672 military contacts currently. When you send a letter or care package to one of these contacts with the note that it's for "Any Soldier," they pass it along to someone who otherwise wouldn't get any mail.
While it’s wonderful to send a care package, AnySoldier insists that “A LETTER is THE BEST THING to send. A show of personal support is far better than spending a bunch of money that you don't have.”
I found the AnySoldier website several days ago, and posted a link to it in a thread here on the GB.
The Heretic suggested that we compose a non-political letter of support that we could all sign and then send as a group to soldiers via AnySoldier contacts, and quite a few posters have voiced support for it. It really is a great idea. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to get together and show a little support for the troops, and with the holidays coming up it’s also the perfect time to do it. **The deadline for holiday mail to get there in time is only 13 days away** Killswitch nominated Zipman to write the letter on our behalf, and Zippy’s done a wonderful job.
It's recapped here, but if you want to examine the original thread, here’s a link.
This thread is phase 2 of the project. In this thread we will do two things: First, the letter is posted here so signatures can be collected. Simply post in this thread that you would like to sign the letter, and your username will be added to the final draft. No real names are necessary, of course.
***A word on signatures: Please provide an alternative moniker if your Lit handle might be considered “obscene.” This isn’t because the soldiers are going to be offended if your username is Fuckstick21. They probably wouldn’t be. The reason why decency regulations MUST be adhered to is because these letters are being sent to Afghanistan and Iraq, where pornography and other “obscenities” are not just offensive to Islam, but illegal. Although our little literotica letter is going to the soldiers, it is still entering those countries, so let’s be respectful.
The second thing to accomplish in this thread is to start up the most crucial part of this endeavor: getting the letters mailed. I’ve thought through and had to discard a few plans, as well as consulted with an AnySoldier staffmember, and concluded that the best way to do this is simply continue as it started: a group effort!
If those of you who sign would agree to print out and mail the letter to one or two contacts from the AnySoldier “Where to Send” list, we could get quite a few out there. And if some of you mailed it to five, ten or even more contacts, it could really start to add up!
For the cost of a few stamps, a little bit of black ink from your printer and a half hour of your time, this supportive letter will find it’s way into the hands of soldiers who would really love to get some mail. Simply announce in this thread, in the same post that serves as your signature, how many AnySoldier contacts you’d be willing to send it to.
But this is not a contest of any kind. You can make all the difference by sending just one, so don’t worry about numbers. Even just by signing, you are showing support which is very appreciated.
This thread will be open for signatures until tomorrow evening (Wed. Nov. 9th) at 9 pm eastern, at which time the third and last thread for this project will be posted. In that third thread, the final draft of the letter will be put up with all the signatures included, along with some instructions and guidelines for those who’ve volunteered to mail copies of it.
To those who are volunteering to help with the mail-out: Please wait until the third thread is put up before picking out which contacts you’re going to mail the letter to. We’ll need that third thread to coordinate, and ensure we’re not distributing the letter unevenly, i.e. so we don’t wind up with lots of us sending it to the same contact. Also, the contact list on AnySoldier is dynamic and can change rapidly. Contact(s) you choose now may not still be listed there by tomorrow evening.
Some of you may want to do even more… send a care package, perhaps?
It would be an individual effort on your part (the letter is the only thing being sent on behalf of all of us), but it’s easy to do, and not expensive. Burn some CDs or DVDs (neither industry heard me say that, btw ). Or the next time you’re at the store, throw some baby wipes, foot powder, a phone card, a can of almonds and maybe even some candy into your cart. Ta-dah! All the makings of a fine care package. The AnySoldier website has great suggestions about what to send- there are tons of options. Just make sure you read the guidelines and restrictions carefully. Several posters have already started putting packages together.
There’s also another invaluable opportunity involved in giving packages of goodies to our soldiers over there: a chance to give to Iraqis and Afghans as well, especially the kids. If you include a note in your care package asking the soldier to distribute some candy, other food, or even a few toys you’ve put in, you can be sure it’ll be done. One of the recommended toys is Beanie Babies. They’re durable and lightweight, and kids really like them.
And some of you have already been providing additional links that are of interest.
The Heretic recommends the rechargeable flashlights here and here, which would make great additions to a package. (**note: most of the units could use converters for use with electrical appliances- see the AnySoldier What to Send page for details)
Tmleadr03 likes these kind, especially with the additional red lens, and used them when he was over there.
Another poster pm’d me with this worthwhile link, a site which is geared towards helping specialized soldiers who could use some things.
And Corky St. Clair was interested in getting some of us together to donate to the AnySoldier site, which is a wonderful idea! It takes some doing to keep that site open and the contacts current. Here’s a link to donate to the AnySoldier site. Donate individually if so inclined, or if any of you are interested in organizing a fund that can donated on behalf of the GB, that would be really cool as well.
Okay, I think that just about covers everything. Well, almost…
I’m only going to make this very reasonable plea once: Please do NOT use this thread to go on a political rant, express opinions about the war, or sneer at this effort. This is a project intended to reach beyond differences and work for a goal that many of us see merit in. There’s a whole board at your disposal to vent or express contempt, so if you must, do it in another thread or create your own. That’s not asking much.
Thank you to everyone who has so far expressed enthusiasm for this project!
Without further ado, I now present Zippy’s excellent letter. He granted me editorial powers, but I tinkered very little. He did a great job.
Dear AnySoldier,
I hope this letter finds you doing as well as can be expected in a war zone. I am writing to you on behalf of a group of people who interact together on an internet bulletin board. The topics we discuss are quite varied and people from all over the world post on it. Our members are men and women, young and old, republicans and democrats, conservatives and liberals, whose backgrounds are as diverse as the opinions expressed on our board. To be honest, the only thing that I have ever seen us all agree on is our concern and support for you and your fellow troops deployed in the Middle East.
The vast majority of us have never served in the armed forces, and a lot of us don’t have any close friends or family who are serving there, although some do. Nevertheless, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are discussed daily on our board, and the number of posts voicing concern for soldiers like you is quite extraordinary. We really don’t know what sorts of dangers and discomforts you face, nor do we know the many hardships and sacrifices that you must endure on a daily basis. The one thing we do know is that we wanted to do something to show you that we think of you often.
One of the posters on our site found the AnySoldier website, and in it we saw an opportunity to let you know that we care about you, and respect you for the incredibly hard, and sometimes thankless, job you are doing. You likely have family who miss you and friends who would like nothing more than to spend time with you again, and even though we’re just faceless strangers, you are in our thoughts and prayers as well. There is nothing we would like more than to see you safely back here with us when your task, wherever it takes you, is over.
The site that we are from is called literotica.com and it has several different discussion boards. This letter is originating from our General Board, and many of us are signing our usernames. I mention this just in case you ever wanted to take a look and get an idea of who we are, and maybe even participate.
In closing, I just wanted to say on behalf of all of us, please stay safe, and know that when you return, you are coming back to a nation that honors your service, and deeply respects your dedication to our country.
Warmest regards,
In case any of you missed the thread that started this, I’m happy to announce a project has been initiated to send a letter, on behalf of the posters here, to soldiers in the Middle East. While we often vehemently disagree here about war-related issues, nearly all of us can look beyond our differences when it comes to supporting the troops. Many soldiers, marines, airmen and sailors in Iraq and Afghanistan get packages and letters of support from their families, friends, church groups, etc. But there are plenty more who don’t hear their name at mail call very often, if at all. Those are the ones AnySoldier.us (link) aims to support. They have a list of some 672 military contacts currently. When you send a letter or care package to one of these contacts with the note that it's for "Any Soldier," they pass it along to someone who otherwise wouldn't get any mail.
While it’s wonderful to send a care package, AnySoldier insists that “A LETTER is THE BEST THING to send. A show of personal support is far better than spending a bunch of money that you don't have.”
I found the AnySoldier website several days ago, and posted a link to it in a thread here on the GB.
The Heretic suggested that we compose a non-political letter of support that we could all sign and then send as a group to soldiers via AnySoldier contacts, and quite a few posters have voiced support for it. It really is a great idea. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to get together and show a little support for the troops, and with the holidays coming up it’s also the perfect time to do it. **The deadline for holiday mail to get there in time is only 13 days away** Killswitch nominated Zipman to write the letter on our behalf, and Zippy’s done a wonderful job.
It's recapped here, but if you want to examine the original thread, here’s a link.
This thread is phase 2 of the project. In this thread we will do two things: First, the letter is posted here so signatures can be collected. Simply post in this thread that you would like to sign the letter, and your username will be added to the final draft. No real names are necessary, of course.
***A word on signatures: Please provide an alternative moniker if your Lit handle might be considered “obscene.” This isn’t because the soldiers are going to be offended if your username is Fuckstick21. They probably wouldn’t be. The reason why decency regulations MUST be adhered to is because these letters are being sent to Afghanistan and Iraq, where pornography and other “obscenities” are not just offensive to Islam, but illegal. Although our little literotica letter is going to the soldiers, it is still entering those countries, so let’s be respectful.
The second thing to accomplish in this thread is to start up the most crucial part of this endeavor: getting the letters mailed. I’ve thought through and had to discard a few plans, as well as consulted with an AnySoldier staffmember, and concluded that the best way to do this is simply continue as it started: a group effort!
If those of you who sign would agree to print out and mail the letter to one or two contacts from the AnySoldier “Where to Send” list, we could get quite a few out there. And if some of you mailed it to five, ten or even more contacts, it could really start to add up!
For the cost of a few stamps, a little bit of black ink from your printer and a half hour of your time, this supportive letter will find it’s way into the hands of soldiers who would really love to get some mail. Simply announce in this thread, in the same post that serves as your signature, how many AnySoldier contacts you’d be willing to send it to.
But this is not a contest of any kind. You can make all the difference by sending just one, so don’t worry about numbers. Even just by signing, you are showing support which is very appreciated.
This thread will be open for signatures until tomorrow evening (Wed. Nov. 9th) at 9 pm eastern, at which time the third and last thread for this project will be posted. In that third thread, the final draft of the letter will be put up with all the signatures included, along with some instructions and guidelines for those who’ve volunteered to mail copies of it.
To those who are volunteering to help with the mail-out: Please wait until the third thread is put up before picking out which contacts you’re going to mail the letter to. We’ll need that third thread to coordinate, and ensure we’re not distributing the letter unevenly, i.e. so we don’t wind up with lots of us sending it to the same contact. Also, the contact list on AnySoldier is dynamic and can change rapidly. Contact(s) you choose now may not still be listed there by tomorrow evening.
Some of you may want to do even more… send a care package, perhaps?
It would be an individual effort on your part (the letter is the only thing being sent on behalf of all of us), but it’s easy to do, and not expensive. Burn some CDs or DVDs (neither industry heard me say that, btw ). Or the next time you’re at the store, throw some baby wipes, foot powder, a phone card, a can of almonds and maybe even some candy into your cart. Ta-dah! All the makings of a fine care package. The AnySoldier website has great suggestions about what to send- there are tons of options. Just make sure you read the guidelines and restrictions carefully. Several posters have already started putting packages together. There’s also another invaluable opportunity involved in giving packages of goodies to our soldiers over there: a chance to give to Iraqis and Afghans as well, especially the kids. If you include a note in your care package asking the soldier to distribute some candy, other food, or even a few toys you’ve put in, you can be sure it’ll be done. One of the recommended toys is Beanie Babies. They’re durable and lightweight, and kids really like them.
And some of you have already been providing additional links that are of interest.
The Heretic recommends the rechargeable flashlights here and here, which would make great additions to a package. (**note: most of the units could use converters for use with electrical appliances- see the AnySoldier What to Send page for details)
Tmleadr03 likes these kind, especially with the additional red lens, and used them when he was over there.
Another poster pm’d me with this worthwhile link, a site which is geared towards helping specialized soldiers who could use some things.
And Corky St. Clair was interested in getting some of us together to donate to the AnySoldier site, which is a wonderful idea! It takes some doing to keep that site open and the contacts current. Here’s a link to donate to the AnySoldier site. Donate individually if so inclined, or if any of you are interested in organizing a fund that can donated on behalf of the GB, that would be really cool as well.
Okay, I think that just about covers everything. Well, almost…
I’m only going to make this very reasonable plea once: Please do NOT use this thread to go on a political rant, express opinions about the war, or sneer at this effort. This is a project intended to reach beyond differences and work for a goal that many of us see merit in. There’s a whole board at your disposal to vent or express contempt, so if you must, do it in another thread or create your own. That’s not asking much.
Thank you to everyone who has so far expressed enthusiasm for this project!
Without further ado, I now present Zippy’s excellent letter. He granted me editorial powers, but I tinkered very little. He did a great job.
Dear AnySoldier,
I hope this letter finds you doing as well as can be expected in a war zone. I am writing to you on behalf of a group of people who interact together on an internet bulletin board. The topics we discuss are quite varied and people from all over the world post on it. Our members are men and women, young and old, republicans and democrats, conservatives and liberals, whose backgrounds are as diverse as the opinions expressed on our board. To be honest, the only thing that I have ever seen us all agree on is our concern and support for you and your fellow troops deployed in the Middle East.
The vast majority of us have never served in the armed forces, and a lot of us don’t have any close friends or family who are serving there, although some do. Nevertheless, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are discussed daily on our board, and the number of posts voicing concern for soldiers like you is quite extraordinary. We really don’t know what sorts of dangers and discomforts you face, nor do we know the many hardships and sacrifices that you must endure on a daily basis. The one thing we do know is that we wanted to do something to show you that we think of you often.
One of the posters on our site found the AnySoldier website, and in it we saw an opportunity to let you know that we care about you, and respect you for the incredibly hard, and sometimes thankless, job you are doing. You likely have family who miss you and friends who would like nothing more than to spend time with you again, and even though we’re just faceless strangers, you are in our thoughts and prayers as well. There is nothing we would like more than to see you safely back here with us when your task, wherever it takes you, is over.
The site that we are from is called literotica.com and it has several different discussion boards. This letter is originating from our General Board, and many of us are signing our usernames. I mention this just in case you ever wanted to take a look and get an idea of who we are, and maybe even participate.
In closing, I just wanted to say on behalf of all of us, please stay safe, and know that when you return, you are coming back to a nation that honors your service, and deeply respects your dedication to our country.
Warmest regards,
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