I Want to Support Our Troops. How Can I Help?

Some of you have asked if I can recommend a particular organization to which you might offer your support, financial or otherwise, for our troops serving abroad. Despite the convenience of the Internet, it’s sometimes difficult to distinguish the legitimate support organizations from those that may not be.

The following are organizations I believe I can recommend, although you should do your own research as I can’t personally endorse any organization. If you have a positive (or negative) experience with any of them, please let me know so I can amend the list.

• Soldiers’ Angels - A nonprofit run by some of our best Americans - military moms! With their help, you can adopt soldiers or entire platoons, send care packages, emails, you name it. You can even help wounded soldiers as they come back from overseas. And you donations are tax deductible.

• Spirit of America - A nonprofit, SA helps Americans serving abroad assist people in need by responding to requests from American military and civilian personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa for items that will help local people.

• Operation Hero Miles - Gives family members of wounded servicemen and women free plane tickets to visit their loved ones recovering at military hospitals across the country.

• Operation Gratitude - Sends care packages to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

• Books For Soldiers - Sends books to deployed members of our military.

• The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society - A nonprofit, charitable organization that provides financial, educational, and other assistance to members of the Naval Services of the United States, and their eligible family members and survivors, when in need.

• AnySoldier - All the Soldiers involved in this effort are military volunteers stationed in areas that are in harm’s way. You send your support (letters and/or packages) addressed to them and when they see the “Attn: Any Soldier” line in their address they put your letters and packages into the hands of Soldiers who don’t get much or any mail first. Everything is shared.

Remember that any commitment you make on behalf of our troops, no matter how large or small, will resonate beyond any one American soldier. So please consider offering your support for our soldiers away from home and in harm’s way. Show that you care about their lives while they defend ours.