P R E S S   R E L E A S E

Defense Commissary Agency

Corporate Communications

1300 E Avenue, Fort Lee, Virginia 23801-1800
Tel: (804) 734-8134  DSN 687-8134   FAX: (804) 734-8248  DSN 687-8248
www.commissaries.com

Release Number:        09-02                                                       

Date:                        March 1, 2002
Contact:                    Flo Dunn, Media Relations
                                    Tel.:  (804) 734-8768 / 8134
                             email:  dunnfi@hqlee.deca.mil

“Letters TO the Front” delivered to the front
By Bonnie Powell
powellbj@hqlee.deca.mil
(Approx. 857 words)

 Editor’s Note: An 300 dpi photo of Letters TO the Front coordinator Marsha Roberts with thousands of “Letters TO the Front” is located at http://www.commissaries.com/press_releases.htm

FORT LEE, Va. – The threat of anthrax contamination canceled numerous letter-writing campaigns "to the front" this past holiday season. All but one.

Thanks to a General Mills Sales, Inc., and Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) sponsored promotion and a network of people around the world, a service member stationed far away from home will receive a letter from 11-year-old Courtney Melchoine of Virginia that says "our country is so blessed to have young men and women like you who will give their lives to serve. Thank you for keeping my friends, family and me safe."

This year, the “Letters TO the Front” program will ensure that thousands of military service members can still put a letter from an ordinary American citizen in their pocket, ready to pull out when they need a word of encouragement.

DeCA and General Mills Sales Inc., have sponsored the “Letters TO the Front” contest since 1999 as part of a fall sales promotion. The contest is an offshoot of the long-running play “Letters From the Front,” which tours military bases each year. The play, produced by Rector-Roberts Productions and supported by General Mills through commissary promotions, gets rave reviews wherever it tours, but it’s the letter-writing contest that allows all commissary shoppers, school children, military family members and concerned Americans to show their support for troops stationed overseas.  Even though getting letters to the troops by direct mail this year was complicated by the recent anthrax threat, the unique structure of the contest eventually overcame this obstacle.

"We were right in the middle of the contest this past fall, with thousands of letters pouring in, when the 'Any Soldier' or 'Anonymous' letter-writing programs were canceled as a precautionary measure," said Marsha Roberts of Rector-Roberts Productions, coordinator of the annual “Letters TO the Front” letter writing contest.  "We knew we didn't really fall into the same category and we wanted to assure everyone how differently we operate."

        Although many Web sites with messages from home sprang up to fill the void, it just wasn't quite the same as getting an honest-to-goodness letter.  "We know exactly how much a real letter means to a soldier, a sailor, an airman, a marine," said Roberts. "People leave a bit of their own presence on the page of a handwritten letter.  These letters get folded up, put in a pocket, and pulled out when times get tough and a word of encouragement is needed.  I know because so many service members have told us their stories."

Robert’s team was very determined to follow all necessary precautions to make sure these special letters from ordinary Americans got to their intended destination.  "We take a very labor intensive, hands on approach," Roberts explained.  "Letters are gathered by volunteers at service organizations and schools throughout the world, then sent to our office where every single letter is opened, sorted, read and judged.   No letter is sent directly to troops in the field.  They are sent to MWR (morale, welfare and recreation) contacts we have all the world to deliver.”

In previous years, each letter was placed in a new envelope before shipping.  But this year, at the suggestion of the Military Postal Service, the letters were mailed in bundles to the MWR contacts.  "It was felt this would further reassure the troops in the field," said Roberts.  "Of course, we followed any and all Military Postal Service suggestions regarding safety."

A former registered nurse, Roberts made sure all Rector-Roberts Productions employees who worked with the letters observed strict safety precautions when opening and sorting letters.  Happily no problems were encountered.

So, with a little perseverance and a network of helpers, thousands of letters are finally being delivered to such places as Bosnia, Kosovo, South Korea and to staging locations for U.S. troops deploying to Afghanistan.  "They are even going to Coast Guard members in Kodiak, Alaska," said Roberts.  "You can't get much more remote than that!"

The letters also came in from all over the world, according to Roberts. Letters from commissary patrons and children at both DOD and civilian schools poured in from writers in 49 states and more than 160 military installations worldwide. The best letters in each age group won prizes ranging from T-shirts to scholarship funds to a computer.

Once all entry letters were processed for shipping overseas, a sticker was attached explaining the program and closing with "we hope you get encouragement from this letter and are reminded how much the folks back home appreciate you for what you are doing."

Following the events of Sept. 11, the annual contest seemed to take on a deeper meaning.  "This year, letters tended to be more personal - more thoughtful and appreciative," said Roberts. "They reflected a heightened awareness of the importance of our military and we even had several hundred letters addressed to police and firefighters in New York City!"

        What happened to those letters?  "Believe it or not, the stage manager of the fall “Letters From The Front” tour is in the Army Reserve in New York," laughs Roberts. "He's delivering them in person."

To read some of the Letters TO the Front, go to http://www.letters-from-the-front.com/localletter.htm.

--DeCA--