Many of us are consumed with the events in the Middle East, and much information is circulating about what we can do for our U.S. troops and those of other countries in the coalition forces.

In addition to the personal response of Pray For Them!, we have accumulated a number of resources that we suggest. These range from personal use items that are easily thought of to other ideas that are often overlooked.

What about sending "care packages" to the troops overseas to show your support for them? The Defense Department is urging you not to do so, unless you are a family member or loved one of a service member. Officials say, while the intentions are good, the end result may not be so good. There are alternatives that are both safer and perhaps more meaningful to the recipients.

Below is a summary of what various military and USO web sites suggest:

I. According to www.defendamerica.mil/support_troops, please do not flood the military mail system with letters, cards, and gifts. Due to security concerns and transportation constraints, the Department cannot accept items to be mailed to "any Servicemember." Some people have tried to avoid this prohibition by sending large numbers of packages to an individual servicemember's address, which however well intentioned, clogs the mail and causes unneccessary delays.

Below are Web sites for several organizations that are sponsoring programs for members of the Armed Forces overseas. While it would be inappropriate for the Department of Defense to endorse any specifically, servicemembers do value and appreciate such expressions of support.

A welcome expression of thought would be to donate a calling card to help keep servicemembers in touch with their families at Operation Uplink at operationuplink.org.

Send a greeting via e-mail through Operation Dear Abby at anyservicemember.navy.mil or OperationDearAbby.net.

Sign a virtual thank you card at the Defend America Web site at defendamerica.mil.

Make a donation to one of the military relief societies:

Army Emergency Relief at www.aerhq.org.

Navy/Marine Relief Society at www.nmcrs.org.

Air Force Aid Society at www.afas.org.

Coast Guard Mutual Assistance at www.cgmahq.org.

Donate to"Operation USO Care Package" at www.usometrodc.org.

Support the American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services at redcross.org/services/afes.

Volunteer at a VA Hospital to honor veterans who bore the lamp of freedom in past conflicts.

Support families whose loved ones are being treated at military and VA hospitals through a donation to the Fisher House at fisherhouse.org.

Reach out to military families in your community, especially those with a loved one overseas.

II. The next source for information is the "Operation USO Care Package" web site at www.usocares.org. "Operation USO Care Package," enables individuals to write a personal message and financially support care packages that will be delivered to service members participating in Operation Enduring Freedom. The program is designed for both individuals and corporations.

The care packages contain an assortment of items the military have specifically requested, such as prepaid international calling cards, disposable cameras, toiletries, and sunscreen. They also include greetings from the American public, transcribed onto official "Operation USO Care Package" post cards by volunteers and USO staff members.

AT&T is providing a complimentary toll free number for individuals to call for further information (1-866-USO-GIVE) and has donated thousands of 100-minute prepaid international phone cards to be included in the packages.

The USO suggests the following items needed by our troops. However, due to security precautions, only items sent in bulk from the manufacturer may be included in "Operation USO Care Packages". Nevertheless, perhaps you have personal contacts who can start a grass roots effort to provide the following items:

Travel Size Personal Items

> Disposable Razors
> Toothbrushes
> Toothpaste
> Tissues
> Shampoo/Conditioner
> Shower Gel
> Sunscreen
> Baby Wipes
> Hand Lotion
> Lip Balm
> Cotton Swabs
> Sewing Kits

Miscellaneous items

> Playing Cards and Board Games
> Compact Discs
> Current Movies on DVD
> Crossword Puzzle Books
> Disposable Cameras
> Pre-paid Global Calling Cards
> Stationery and Journals
> Sunglasses
> Small Footballs, Softballs
> CD/DVD Cases with Zipper
> Individually Wrapped Snack Items
> Shoe Polish Kits

III. Finally, here is a list of Frequently Asked Questions from the Army's web site at army.mil/operations/iraq/faq:

Frequently Asked Questions

1. I haven’t heard from my son/daughter/husband/wife/etc. in awhile and am concerned -- how do I get in contact with them?

Answer: It is highly unlikely that you will be able to contact your Soldier directly while military operations are ongoing. However, rest assured that once things have quieted down, and if the mission allows it and facilities are available, Soldiers will be given the opportunity to contact their loved ones.

2. I have a family emergency and need to get in contact with my son/daughter/husband/wife/etc -- how do I get in contact with them?

Answer: The Rear Detachment is the single best official connection to your Soldier's unit while it is deployed. If you don’t know how to contact your Soldier’s Rear Detachment, you can contact the American Red Cross at redcross.org.

3. I have some family-related issues (non-emergency) I don’t know how to handle, so where can I go for help?

Answer: Go to the Army Family Liaison Office web site at aflo.org or to the Army Community Service web site at goacs.org and you should be able to find the information/contacts you need.

Addtionally, The U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center, in conjunction with the Army Family Liaison Office, has established a toll-free Family Assistance hotline (800) 833-6622. The Army Family Assistance Hotline is for use only by family members of Soldiers on active duty and those in the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve called to active duty. The mission of the hotline is to provide Army families caring support in the form of accurate information, useful resources, and helpful referrals related to family issues. The hotline will not be able to answer questions about casualties or Soldiers wounded or missing in action, or any operational matters. For more information on the Hotline read the Army Press Releases.

4. I want to enlist in the Army - who do I contact?

Answer: Go to www.goarmy.com. At this Army recruiting web site you can obtain your local recruiting station’s address and telephone number, send the recruiters an e-mail, or engage in an on-line chat with a recruiter.

5. I want to send a message of support to our troops. Where do I send it? Can I send goodies/books/etc?

Answer: DoD officials ask citizens not to flood the military mail system with letters, cards, and gifts . Due to security concerns and transportation constraints, the Defense Department can't accept items mailed to "Any Servicemember". However, there are numerous other ways in which you can show your support for our troops. The following are websites for several organizations sponsoring programs for members of the Armed Forces overseas. While it would be inappropriate for DoD to endorse any specifically, Service members do value and appreciate such expressions of support:

Donate a calling card to help keep service members in touch with their families at Operation Uplink at operationuplink.org.

Send a greeting via e-mail through anyservicemember.org or OperationDearAbby.net.

Sign a virtual thank you card at the Defense America web site at defendamerica.mil.

Make a donation to one of the military relief societies:

Army Emergency Relief at www.aerhq.org.

Navy/Marine Relief Society at www.nmcrs.org.

Air Force Aid Society at www.afas.org.

Coast Guard Mutual Assistance at www.cgmahq.org.

Donate to "Operation USO Care Package" at usometrodc.org.

Support the American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services at redcross.org/services/afes.

Volunteer at a VA Hospital va.gov/vetsday to honor veterans who bore the lamp of freedom in past conflicts.

Support families whose loved ones are being treated at military and VA hospitals through a donation to the Fisher House at fisherhouse.org.

U.S. troops deployed to the Persian Gulf region and other overseas locations can receive personal messages from family members, friends, neighbors, colleagues and supporters via the pages of "Stars and Stripes" as well. "Messages of Support" gives family and friends of deployed service members a chance to pass their greetings, words of encouragement and announcements free of charge. "Messages of Support" can be e-mailed to "Stars and Stripes" 24 hours a day at messages@estripes.com,, but they are limited to 50 words or less and will be printed on a first-come, first-run basis. "Stars and Stripes" reserves the right to screen and edit all messages and to omit any determined inappropriate.

Reach out to military families in your community, especially those with a loved one deployed.

6. I see above how I can support the troops. Is there anything I should not do?

Answer: Yes there are things you should not do. There are many well meaning Web sites, TV stations, and charity groups that are promoting donations to overseas Servicemembers. While well intentioned, you should not use them and you should discourage others from using them. These unsolicited letters of support or care packages to Servicemembers raise a force protection issue, since anonymous donors are different from legitimate family members and friends. DoD has cancelled mail programs which encouraged the American public in general to mail to Any Servicemember (versus a specific deployed person). These new programs attempt to do the same thing by gathering names of Servicemembers to send mail. While legitimate mail from family members and loved ones is always encouraged, these donor programs, which collect and pass out Servicemembers’ names and addresses, is discouraged.

7. Is there anything I should know about addressing mail to a Soldier?

Answer: To ensure that mail gets through from families and loved ones, the following information is given on addressing. Recommended address:
Soldier’s Name (note 1)
Organization to which assigned (note 2)
Unit # xxxx (note 3)
APO AE 09xxx-xxxx (notes 4 and note 5)

NOTES:
1) Use of rank is optional
2) Organization name should be included if you have it; however, it is not always used for certain types of forces.
3) Unit # is a four digit number assigned to some units, but not all. Where assigned, it should always be used. Soldiers will have notified friends and family if they have one assigned.
4) APOs served by New York have a 09 prefix (09xxx); APOs served by San Francisco have a 96 prefix (96xxx), and APOs served by Miami have a 34 prefix (34xxx).
5) The last four xxxx represent a ZIP 4 add-on to the normal five digit APO Zip Code, and have been assigned to some forces. Where assigned, correspondents should have been notified and the four digit add on should always be used to help in automatic sorting of mail.

If your question doesn’t fit into any of the above categories, go to dtic.mil/armylink/faq which contains a more extensive listing of Frequently Asked Questions.