Wanting to write to active members posted out.

[yackyjackie]

Hi...have been thinking about doing this for a long time...now that holidays are over and I have a lot of spare time as I wait for a conclusion to a medical issue...I was wondering of how I would go about finding a place to write to men or women overseas in any defense dept that could use a pen pal, moral support etc....my family is very civic minded in our community but as of now I physically can not do volunteer work until medical issue is addressed and thought this would be a great way to give back...thanks for the help...Me

 

[George Wallace]

Hi...have been thinking about doing this for a long time...now that holidays are over and I have a lot of spare time as I wait for a conclusion to a medical issue...I was wondering of how I would go about finding a place to write to men or women overseas in any defense dept that could use a pen pal, moral support etc....my family is very civic minded in our community but as of now I physically can not do volunteer work until medical issue is addressed and thought this would be a great way to give back...thanks for the help...Me

Been asked before.  As the site SEARCH does not work too well, try Google using "army.ca" as part of your query.

 

[Kindness4smiles]

Hi, my name is Melina, and I was hoping to get some feedback from members. I have started a Facebook group (closed group) called Kindness for a smile...Just Because!  Our group consists of over 150 members, who want to make a difference in peoples lives. We do random acts of kindness within our community. I suggested to the group that if they were interested, I would try to get a current list of Canadian soldiers overseas. The intent of getting the names, was so that we could send letters or cards to soldiers who may need their spirits lifted, while away from home. My husband is an active member of The Canadian Armed Forces, and I had asked him if he could find this information out for me. Not knowing who he would need to talk to about this, he went to his Base Unit's CO, and came back with nothing. The CO said they don't know whether that would be available for the public to know, but he would look into it. Haven't heard anything in a month....so this is why I thought I would come to all of you. (Note: the Facebook group is a closed group, and so any information shared on there, is for members of the group only.)
That being said, I want to know if there are any members currently overseas who you think would like to receive correspondence from our group members. We want to avoid sending to "Any Canadian Armed Forces member" (like the DND site suggests), and have it more personable.

Can anybody help me get a list or at least a few names  they see fit, please?

This is strictly intended for our group members to give thanks and gratitude, and hopefully bring a smile to a soldiers face.  Acts of kindness to strangers, can make the world of a difference. 


Sincerely, Melina 

Please email me, if you have any suggestions, or contact info to share.

 

[dangerboy]

Nobody is going to tell you the names of personnel that are deployed overseas, that information is kept secret. For all we know you could be a terrorist looking for information (now you most likely are not, but the CF does not know) that is why they tell you to write "any CF member" then if the member decides to write back and tell you his name it is their choice. 

 

[Happy Guy]

Please look at the DND / CAF website: http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/about/faq.page?#q18

Question 17 - "How should I write to CAF members serving overseas?" answers your question.

Cheers

 

[McG]

Please look at the DND / CAF website: http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/about/faq.page?#q18

Question 17 - "How should I write to CAF members serving overseas?" answers your question.

Cheers

The address links in the answer to that FAQ are broken.  Try this: http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/write-to-the-troops/mailing-instructions.page#addresses

If you do send letters, keep in mind that that there are plenty of smaller missions out there that often get forgotten by the press and public.  Sending a letter to "Any Soldier in Afghanistan" means that the few Canadians all by themselves in the Congo are forgotten about.  It is better to just send to "Any deployed Canadian Soldier."
... and mail services for the Afghan mission have been shut-off for a month now, so the ~ 100+ pers there will not get a letter sent specifically to them regardless.

 

[ajp]

Withdrawn

 

[McG]

When I was on tour, the option to send mail to a random soldier was removed.

Sending to "Any Canadian Forces mamber" is allowed.  The instructions were linked in the posts before yours.

 

[Tibbson]

Hi, my name is Melina, and I was hoping to get some feedback from members. I have started a Facebook group (closed group) called Kindness for a smile...Just Because!  Our group consists of over 150 members, who want to make a difference in peoples lives. We do random acts of kindness within our community. I suggested to the group that if they were interested, I would try to get a current list of Canadian soldiers overseas. The intent of getting the names, was so that we could send letters or cards to soldiers who may need their spirits lifted, while away from home. My husband is an active member of The Canadian Armed Forces, and I had asked him if he could find this information out for me. Not knowing who he would need to talk to about this, he went to his Base Unit's CO, and came back with nothing. The CO said they don't know whether that would be available for the public to know, but he would look into it. Haven't heard anything in a month....so this is why I thought I would come to all of you. (Note: the Facebook group is a closed group, and so any information shared on there, is for members of the group only.)
That being said, I want to know if there are any members currently overseas who you think would like to receive correspondence from our group members. We want to avoid sending to "Any Canadian Armed Forces member" (like the DND site suggests), and have it more personable.

Can anybody help me get a list or at least a few names  they see fit, please?

This is strictly intended for our group members to give thanks and gratitude, and hopefully bring a smile to a soldiers face.  Acts of kindness to strangers, can make the world of a difference. 


Sincerely, Melina 

Please email me, if you have any suggestions, or contact info to share.

Its a nice sentiment but I must say that when I was in Bosnia in 2005 we received these types of letters sent to deployed soldiers and  when I was in Afghanistan in 2010 we were still receiving the SAME letters.  So many of them had been sent to troops in Bosnia that the CAF just sent them on to the troops in Afghanistan.  There I was sitting in a FOB when we got a whack of them sent out to us and in the middle of a sand storm I'm reading a very nice and thoughtful letter asking how life was in Bosnia. 

If you are looking for ways to help then check with your local Legion or Vets facility and see what they need.  They are often the ones who are forgotten, unless it's around Remembrance Day.

 

[Kindness4smiles]

Thank you for all your responses, and suggestions. I will definitely look into all options.