Stryker Brigade News

But Soldiers hoping for mail also hope that what arrives is handled with care.

"They beg me not to hurt their mail," Holden said.

Damaged packages are not uncommon. When a damaged package is found a few procedures are required. First, the post office is notified. If the package is cracked or opened then mail handlers must inventory the package and have it resealed by the post office. Sadly, this process is now common to those that handle the mail.

"Most packages get damaged in the process of getting here," said Holden.

Holden and his certified team of mail clerks, both assigned personnel and volunteers, make a daily run in a Light Medium Tactical Vehicle to collect the mail from a large storage container at the KAF post office. The mail, which takes about a week to reach its final destination, is presorted and stacked on the back of the LMTV.

The mail goes through another sorting process once it reaches the Stryker Brigade mailroom, as the letters and packages are placed into one of three containers based on destination and parcel type.

Sometimes as many as 20 pallets stacked with mail come in to the post office and must be received, sorted and distributed by Stryker mail clerks. Though all of the brigade's battalions regularly receive mail, one of them consistently receives the lion's share of the bulk- the Brigade Support Battalion. The men and women of the 402nd BSB often enough receive enough daily mail to warrant a 40 foot storage container all to themselves, equal to the other battalions combined.

Staff Sgt. Fernando Torres, B Company, 402nd BSB, is a familiar face in the mailroom and is one of his unit's certified mail handlers.

"I am able to give an answer right away when my Soldiers ask me if they have any mail today," Torres said. "It is important as a platoon sergeant to do this for my Soldiers."

In the course of regular mail operations, items arrive for those members of the brigade either killed or wounded in action. Dealing with this specific mail can be tough for the mail handlers, but they understand that these items, too, require special treatment, and they make sure all is handled properly.

"When we're sorting mail and I see a name [of a Soldier] who I know was killed in action I bring it up to the postal officer," said Holden. "I get a memorandum from the unit saying what to do with it. If a wounded Soldier gets mail it's returned to sender."

The Stryker mail clerks have a challenging job, but one that is appreciated. Every day they retrieve the mail and deliver it to the brigade's Soldiers, many of whom await what their letter or package brings. The mail handlers know how important their efforts are. For them, they're doing much more than completely the cycle started with the price of a few stamps. They're delivering morale, one letter at a time.

(via DVIDS)