Delay in mail to troops is families’ own war front

Lolita Harper

The postal credo lists rain, sleet and even snow, but no guarantees

were made about desert sandstorms and hails of bullets in enemy

territory.

A delay in getting letters to troops in the war with Iraq has many

Newport-Mesa residents frustrated, but their spirits not been

dampened as they resolved Monday to keep sending notes of

encouragement.

“They will get it, we just have to be patient,” said Marsha

Steinbrenner, the mother of a Marine reservist.

Steinbrenner’s son, Lance Cpl. Ian Voss, has been stationed

overseas since Jan. 20 and has only sporadically received the letters

his mother has sent him. The Newport Coast resident said she

understands the mail has to “travel around” and find her son, who is

like a nomad in the blazing hot desert. Still, she wishes her son

could receive sooner the amount of love being sent in his direction.

Marge Shillington, of Newport Beach, shares that frustration. She

said she received an e-mail from Camp Pendleton explaining that her

grandson’s battalion has not received any mail thus far.

“Mail is very slow, and the men are very, very busy,” Jennifer

Miner, a Marine civilian designated to share information with the

families of Marines in the 4th Light Armor Reconnaissance Battalion,

wrote to Shillington: “A few Marines have received packages, but as

of today, none of them have received letters. Fear not, eventually

all of you mail should get to them, and they will all appreciate it

very much.”

Shillington said she, too, understands the circumstances of the

battlefield, but she also stressed the importance of the notes of

encouragement to the troops. They are living in insufferable

conditions, are in the line of fire, go without food and sleep for

days at a time, but are unable to take comfort from simple

correspondence from home, she said.

“I just feel that since these guys are working so hard for us they

should be able to get their mail faster,” Shillington said. “We write

to him everyday and they should know that we love and support them.”

Shillington, who says she is “just a concerned grandmother,” has

written letters to various federal officials asking them to “please

do something to expedite the mail service overseas.”

She received a form letter from California Sen. Barbara Boxer,

thanking her for her letter, but has yet to receive an explanation

about the mail process.

Government officials have admitted a delay in postal service and

attribute it to the general difficulties of wartime. The environment

is chaotic and ever-changing. As a result, military officials are

encouraging family members to send e-mails instead.

“If I could e-mail, God it would be great,” Steinbrenner said.

“But Ian is out in a tent with no electricity and obviously no access

to the Internet.”

And when they are not in the “main tent,” as Steinbrenner calls

it, they are in the middle of the desert, sleeping -- if given the

luxury -- in their tanks, under enemy fire.

Steinbrenner, who had organized a massive care package drive to

send to the men in her son’s battalion, said she was told the troops

were in a holding pattern until things calmed down, but would

eventually make their way back to base camp, where she hopes the

letters and care packages will be waiting for them.

“They can’t do this forever. At some point, they will have to

bring in someone else,” she said. “When they are going on no sleep

for four days and they are being shot at, you can’t express enough

how the small things are so important. Those letters are so

important.”

If people would like to send e-mails or care packages to the

troops, there are specific steps that must be taken:

* Packages must be small, no bigger than the size of a shoebox,

and therefore all items contained in them must also be small. This

also helps the troops because they can carry them in their pockets.

“Think travel size,” Steinbrenner suggested.

* Although they have been requested by troops longing for mom’s

homemade goodies, no homemade items will be accepted because of

security concerns. All food must be sealed. Pork or pork byproducts

cannot be sent to the Middle East.

* All items such as chocolate must be sent in sealed plastic bags

in case it melts. It is not encouraged by military officials, but the

troops are generally craving it. Costa Mesa resident and former

serviceman Carl Neumeyer, 80, said he can attest to that.

“I was stationed in the South Pacific, and we got chocolate that

was melted several times and had turned white, but we didn’t care,”

he said. “The quality was lost, but it was still good.”

* Troops are requesting reading material, but the military is

specific as to what types. Magazines such as Sports Illustrated and

Maxim are not permitted because of the pictures of the women.

Steinbrenner suggests Time magazine or Newsweek or even the Sunday

funnies.

* Powders -- because of the Anthrax scare -- are prohibited, as

are aerosol items.

* Expect all packages to be X-rayed or searched.

* A shoe-box-sized package cost about $8.50 to mail and must be

sent priority mail, or else it will not be received for at least six

weeks.

* The letter or package must be addressed to a specific person.

Generally addressed mail will not be delivered. To get more

information on how to send items, people are encouraged to contact

officials at Camp Pendleton at (760) 725-6637 or (760)725-9052 and

ask for the volunteer section of the base.

If larger items have already been donated, or a specific name

cannot be obtained, Steinbrenner recommends sending the supplies to

the families left on base.

“Don’t forget the wives and kids on base who are living on

nothing,” she said. “Oh God, the families. They are living on

below-poverty incomes with no support from their husbands, and some

of them have two and three kids. We get those moms off the base, get

them a massage, a haircut or something.”

For information on how to help those families, officials at Camp

Pendleton volunteer offices should be contacted.

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

and covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275

or by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.