My email to this lady-soldier didn't go through. It said the email address was invalid.
I met her, a woman with the National Guard posted in Jackson, Michigan, on her way to duty after a bereavement visit home. It was the last Friday in February 2007. She was rather lovely, but it wasn't the first time I had bought one or two drinks for a soldier on their journey to duty.
I remember buying two rounds for a man on his way to service in Iraq, a fellow from Peoria, Illinois. We were drinking together at the fine bar located onthe first floor of the Hotel Pere Marquette, 501 Main Street, Peoria, Illinois. I doubt it is going to be supported by the military services, but it's good to drink a fine draught with a man or woman of honor, a person who is keeping their word on the frontier of duty. His money was no good for those two rounds.
I started talking to her because she was that attractive, and she had just taken the stool at the corner of the marble bar top. Planes were delayed due to a minor storm squall. In fact, mine diverted to Detroit for a fill-up of gas. It was possible that a delayed plane could give her commanding officers a reason to give her another night at home. But she had already said her goodbyes to her girls; it was better to keep pushing forward. And my plane and her plane eventually dropped through the clouds to do their duty, too.
Hi Soldier, how are you doing? (I feel like Robin Williams yelling, Good Morning Camp Speicher, Iraq)
I'm sitting a Starbucks in Burbank, California, and I was remembering my promise to you. It was a promise, none-the-less, even though I was drinking Budweisers when I made it. So this morning (my morning, your well I don't know what time of day it is for you), I was wondering how does someone send a care package to a soldier? Do you find a nice sturdy box and fill it with lemon drops (for the thirsty desert) and deodorant(so no one sees you sweat) and then tape it up and find a post office, who will probably understand a military address. Sorry, brave one, but I can barely shop for myself. I then thought, Amazon will understand. Amazon will know what to do. So I emailed customer service and Amazon's vaunted customer service hasn't gotten back to me. Amazon had a care package for soldiers, but it looked dorky in a junk food kind of way, but it did included postage price for sending to an overseas military installation.
So I did a web search, and I found Treats for Troops. The website had a form that seemed to understand military addresses, and I think it validated that it was a good one. I didn't know that AE is like one big state like Texas or Michigan or California or something. I did add your email address to the last name field, thinking someone would be smart enough to write you should your package get lost. They had some interesting packages, so I picked one that looked cute, but now I'm wondering if it is stuff a woman can use in the desert. Of course, I won't tell you what it is, and I hope it'll give you a little happiness that far away from home and creature comforts.
I'm out in California for the business intelligence job I was flying out to interview for that weathery night overlooking the night sky and dark tarmac in Lansing. It was the end of February (jeepers, and you have to wait to the end of April for me to do what I said I would do. Men). Like me, you are probably eager as all to get back home to Michigan. Let's not tell too many people how good we got it there.
I've enclosed the invoice on the chance that you've redeployed to a new camp, so you can write these folks and tell them your location has changed. I'll do the same so I can have the satisfaction of knowing it made it to your hands.
Take good care of yourself,
Will
INVOICE
Date: 04-21-2007 05:16:29
Order id: #66188
Order status: Processed
USPS Priority Mail
Treats For Troops
14 Inverness Drive East, Suite F-148, Englewood
80112, Colorado
United States
Fax: 720.875.9093
E-Mail: order@treatsfortroops.com
Company: Jackson Michigan Army National Guard
First Name: #######
Last Name: #######
--
William Juntunen
989-906-3324
1 comment:
You're a good guy, Will.
AE is Army Europe. Military mail to the Middle-East and Southwest Asia are routed through Germany.
If you ever have to fill in an internet form that doesnt' include AE as a state code, you can (sometimes) enter the City as "APO AE" and the state as NY, where the post office hands the mail off to the Army.
If you ever want to send a box for yourself, take the unsealed box and what you want to send to any post office, then fill out the US Customs form. Someone may or may not visually inspect the contents, which you'll have to list on the form. Seal the box and take it to the counter where they'll calculate postage for you.
--OKARNG in A'stan
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