I’m going to present this support organization to my parent’s church on Sunday. I’ve been getting emails from the soldiers I’ve written to. These guys are so so so sweet and they appreciate the support so much! A couple of them said getting a letter is kind of like Christmas, which is so sweet. I’m excited for this new venture and supporting our troops.

Lindsey

militarysupportsystem:

reblog for a follow :)

(via lindseymilligan)

I was so excited when I got 3 emails from some of the soldiers I sent letters to! It was amazing to hear that they are all doing well and they definitely appreciated the letters of encouragement! I’ll definitely be keeping in contact with them and praying for them!

SUPPORTING the THREE

I am the Infantry, follow me.

not a foot soldier, we’re much more you see.

We’ll take the fight to the enemy.

I am the Infantry, the first of the three.

I am the Cavalry, follow me.

A modern horse soldier in an APC.

Charging straight forward to the enemy.

I am the Cav, most daring of the three.

I am the Armor, follow me.

The arm of decision I’ll always be.

When the going gets rough, call on me.

I am the Armor, the best of the three.

Armor, Cav, and Infantry

rush headlong into the melee.

Braking the lines like an angry sea

deep into enemy territory.

Approaching a crossroads, what do we see?

The area secured by two lonely MPs

Directing us forward, how can this be?

How long have they been waiting for me?

What a crazy person an MP must be.

He has no firepower or armor like me.

And I thought everyone followed the three

Armor, Cav, and Infantry.

I am the MP, don’t follow me.

You don’t want to be where I will be.

Guarding the crossroads, waiting for the three.

Just my partner, an M16, a 240 and me.

With the objective taken, wait and see.

No one will remember the lonely MP

Who held this ground so they could run free,

                                                                                                                                                                                             But that’s my job, supporting the three.

We sent out our first 8 letters today! I’m excited about getting this started! Let me know if you want to participate and write a letter to a soldier!

We have recieved a few names of soldiers we are able to write to. We’ll be getting 3 new names every Friday. If you’re interested in writing a letter, please contact Lindsey on her page.

1. Depression and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (an anxiety disorder that follows experiencing a traumatic event) are the most common mental health problems faced by returning troops.
2. About 11-20%, or 11-20 out of 100, Iraq or Afghanistan Veterans experience Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
3. Less than half of soldiers with mental health problems seek treatment.
4. 30% of soldiers develop mental problems within three to four months of being home.
5. In the military, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 100 men experience Military Sexual Trauma (MST) following unwanted sexual experiences (such as sexual assault).
6. Because there are more men than women in the military, more than half of all Veterans experiencing MST are men.
7. An estimated 20% of returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans turn to heavy drinking or drugs once they return to the U.S.
8. Between 10 and 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Possible consequences of this internal injury include anger, suicidal thoughts, and changes in personality.
9. Veterans account for 20 percent, or 1 in 5, of all suicides in the U.S. every year.
10. Research concludes that PTSD can sometimes lead to violent and criminal behavior.
11. In 2010, 86 non-active-duty National Guard soldiers committed suicide in the first 10 months of the year, almost doubling the 48 suicides in all of 2009.

 Whether or not you support their mission, we all support the men and women in our armed forces. Show your support by writing them a letter or sending an email—it’s super easy to show a soldier some love, here’s how:

Get writing

Send a soldier (or two) your support by thanking them for their service. Feel free to include a few details about your background if you’re comfortable doing so. Try to stay away from politics and keep it simple, the more positive the better! To get an idea of what to say, check out these sample letters.

Personalize it!

Add a personal touch by making your own card or including photos of your town, school, or family. Feel free to include your name and contact info if you’re comfortable—often times a letter exchange with the soldier will go both ways! A few guidelines before you go overboard though:

• No food or candy can be attached to the card
• No glitter or bulky items may be glued to the card

Prepare for drop-off

If you’ve written more than one letter, do not put each of them in individual envelopes. Bundle them into a packet, because all letters will be screened for security reasons. If you’re mailing them in bulk (from kids at school or in your community), bundle them into groups of 100.

Drop off and send off

Find a drop-off location or create your own if you’re interested in starting a letter-writing drive at your school.

If there is no drop-off spot near you or don’t want to drop your letters off, you can simply mail them to:

Wanna do more?

You can recruit some friends and get together after school or on the weekends to write and decorate letters and cards to the troops, or start you own collection drive at school or in local businesses around town.

Strapped for time?

You can still send your best to the troops abroad! A quick and easy email will do the trick.