Modern Mail

1980s-2010

Despite the availability of electronic communication, mail remains relevant to service men and women. Packages can be sent simply with domestic U.S. postage rates, and mail reaches military personnel serving in places where phone and internet communication is unavailable.

Modern mail transportation has been made efficient through computer tracking and containerized mail shipping. The postal system remains a global operation, bringing mail to service personnel in bases and outposts around the world.

“Few things impact a unit's morale more than mail. . . . Letters are not left behind on a nightstand or on a cot when Soldiers go into battle. They are taken along and read over and over. A small piece of correspondence from home means the world to these brave young men and women who fight for freedom.”
—Brigadier General Sean J. Byrne, 2003

Desert Storm

Captain Ann H. Patrie wrote letters to her husband Chris while serving as a medical evacuation pilot during the Persian Gulf War.

In Patrie’s letter of January 20-21, 1991, she described some her work and the dangers she faced: “I am much, much closer to the Iraq border. Just to give you an idea – I flew there at 50’ to 100’ feet at 102 [knots] (117.5 MPH). The radar altimeter – had to be turned off because the Iraqis could acquire its signal and lock on.” (Letter courtesy of National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution)

Care Package

For military personnel, the ability to send parcels to family and friends can be just as important as receiving care packages from home. While serving in Iraq, Chief Warrant Officer Peter Paone used this Priority Mail box to send souvenirs to his son Tom.

Hybrid Mail

Tested by the Marine Corps in 2003, MotoMail represents a new way to send mail. With MotoMail, people can e-mail a message to a service man or woman at a Marine camp overseas. The message is then printed and delivered to the recipient through postal delivery like a normal letter. MotoMail is free to use, fast, and private. The Army experimented briefly with a similar system in 2009, called Hooahmail.