We’ve talked about what not to write to the troops in letters and we’ve talked about what to write to family and friends in letters. Now we’re going to talk about writing to the adopted troops. These are the service member’s we want to write to even though we don’t know them. They are the troops who aren’t receiving mail, or the ones we just want to write to to brighten their day.
It’s not always obvious what to write to someone you’ve never met, you probably will never meet, and may not even hear back from. I’ll put a good guess on here that if you’re reading this your motive to write to troops you’ve never met isn’t to create a lifelong penpal and friendship (though that would be awesome if it happened!), your goal is probably to say thank you to someone who is serving in our military, who is away from home, and who you want to make smile, even if it’s just for a moment.
If those are your motives, then thank you! I’m not even a soldier and I can say if I received a letter from a stranger that was uplifting and interesting I’d have a smile on my face too, no matter how horrible my day was. That might just be me, but I’d like to think anyone would smile to receive a letter from someone like this.
To help you write a fantastic letter that doesn’t just reiterate the mundane details of your everyday life, I have some suggestions on what you can write to help make our troops smile. I’m also going to give you some resources if you’re not sure where to adopt a soldier to write to. Lets start with some ideas on what to write first.
What to write to soldiers we don’t know personally
Writing to someone you’ve never met can be daunting. You don’t know their interests, you don’t know if they’ll be interested in the same things you’re interested in. How much personal information should you share, do they really care what kind of ice cream you like? What if they can’t get ice cream and they love it, would that be absolutely horrible to talk about in a letter?
Before you get frazzled with all of the details, my suggestion is to take a deep breathe and not put too much focus on the what if’s. Write to our troops, be yourself, and I’m sure they’ll love the letter no matter what you write.
My first tip, to help you out is in this case don’t just write a letter that’s a laundry list of random facts about yourself.
- I like to play baseball
- My favorite color is deep purple.
- I have 2 cats, a dog, a parrot and an iguana.
- Tacos are the best food ever!
Ok, I take that back. Go ahead and write that laundry list of random facts about yourself, but that’s not going to be your letter. That list is going to become your bouncing off point for topics to write about. Here’s how it works.
Instead of just telling the person you’re writing to that you like baseball and leaving it at that. Tell a story about it. Write your entire letter with the focus on baseball. Example:
I love to play baseball. It’s my favorite game in the world. Do you like baseball? I play first base, though I’d love to be a pitcher some day. My dad has been playing catch with me lately to help me get better. Last week we were playing and I threw the ball so hard it hit my neighbors car and the car alarm went off. It scared me so much because I thought I was in trouble. My dad told me I needed to go talk to my neighbor about it. I told her I was sorry, and I’d do what I could to pay for the damage. She went to check it out and it didn’t look like there were any dents, so she said it was ok and just asked that I be more careful with that strong pitching arm. I still felt bad, but it was a great feeling when she told me I had a strong pitching arm! I really think I’m getting better.
I wrote that one from more of a perspective of a child because I know a lot of people are looking for some examples for classrooms and other kids to write. However, the same technique works for adults as well. If you love coffee, talk about the things you observed the last time you were in a coffee shop. Talk about your favorite drink. Did someone approach you and talk to you? Did you witness something funny? Tell a story of some kind and it will take the soldier you’re writing to into their imagination as you paint the picture for them.
Each time you write, just go back to your list and you’ll have an endless supply of topics! Remember, your letter doesn’t have to be extremely long to be meaningful.
Tip number 2: Include the soldier in the letter to help make a connection. This can be as simple as asking a question related to what you’re talking about, just like I did in the above example by asking if the recipient liked baseball too. You can even ask if they’ve had an experience with something, such as fixing a car if your story is about how your car broke down, or even if they like to get out and do yard work. Keep them connected just as though you were having a face to face conversation.
Tip number 3: Please remember we’re not writing to soldiers we don’t know just to find a soul mate. Please make sure your intentions when writing to our troops are in favor of boosting the morale of our soldiers and not self serving as a potential way to find a boy/girl friend. I’m pretty sure this won’t be your intent, but I wanted to throw it out there because people have done this before and it can cause a lot of stress for our troops and in some cases unnecessary drama. Remember, our troops main focus is on their mission. Our letters are there to lift their spirits and let them know we’re supporting them.
Letter Writing Topic Idea List
I know that not everyone is going to be able to sit down and create a list of 20 or 30 things, so sometimes a little creative inspiration is needed. Here’s a list of some random things that might be in your life in some way, shape or form. Use this list to create some ideas or stories to share with the soldier you’re writing too.
- Gardening
- Cars
- Sports
- Cooking/Baking
- Pets
- Nature
- Hiking
- Fishing
- Local events
- Holidays
- Movies
- TV Shows
- Hobbies
- DIY
- Family
- Favorite Foods
- Grilling/BBQ’s
- Travel
- School
- Home Remodeling
- Community Service/Volunteer Work
- Local Attractions
- Collections
- Video Games
- Books
- Careers
To give you an idea of how I might use this list to create my own letter topic list, I could write about how we’re having trouble keeping the rabbits out of everything except our tomatoes this year. Cars: I could tell the story of how the wheel on my niece’s car practically fell off, or how the wheel did fly of of my car when I was a teenager, or even how much I love my Jeep and my plans to go to the Jeep Jamboree sometime in the future. Local Events: Here in Omaha we’re hosting the College World Series, again, and I can write about my experiences with it. Local Attractions: We have the #1 zoo in the world here in Omaha, so there are a lot of things I could write about from funny things that happen while we’re there to telling about the new African Grasslands that’s going in.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg, but it’s a great way to show you how you can brainstorm some of your own letter topics to a soldier, just from a simple prompt.
No matter what you decide to write, the troops are going to be happy to receive your letter. Have fun with it, keep it positive and upbeat and you’re sure to make someone, somewhere smile.
Where Can I Find a Soldier to Adopt
This is a common question I receive, and I’ll be honest. I’ve never adopted a soldier I didn’t know. I’ve helped organizations pack care packages for the troops, and they take care of all the mailing. I’ve written to several soldiers I personally know, but I’ve never adopted a soldier I didn’t know so I did some research for you. I have listed some organizations that will help you find a soldier to write too. Please be aware some organizations may ask you to provide them the letter and they’ll mail it off. Don’t take offense to this. Our soldiers are often moved from one location to the next, so an address you have today may not be good tomorrow. Also, keeping locations and addresses quiet is often in the soldier’s best interest for security purposes.
I haven’t personally worked with any of the resources provided below and I can’t guarantee their legitimacy or quality. If you have any experience with any of them, please share it in the comments below to help others make an informed decision on which organization will be the best for them to partner with when adopting a soldier to write to. Also, if you know of any other legitimate organizations to add to the list, please share them in the comments so I can add them on!
- Adopt a US Soldier
- Soldiers’ Angels
- Any Soldier (this may just be care packages)
- Adopt a Hero (currently not facilitating adoptions, but I’m adding it in case they start up again)
- Adopt a Platoon
- Operation Adopt a Soldier (I think this one is care packages only as well)
- Operation Soldier Assist
- Red Cross (get in touch with your local Red Cross for more information)
You can find additional resources, tips and mailing information directly from Military.com.
I hope these resources help to get you started, and please let me know if you see any changes needing to be made to the above information. I would love to hear about other links, bad links, and your opinions and experiences working with the organizations that help us support our troops through letters and care packages.
Thank you for being willing to write to our troops, whether you know them or not. It’s important they know we’ve got their back and appreciate all they do for us. Thank you for being there for our troops!
Share your ideas about what to write to adopted soldiers we’ve never met in the comments below. Let’s help create some amazing letters for our troops to read!
Great Advice for writing to soldiers you don’t know. I will have to look into some of the programs.
I think I’m going to look into some of those programs too. It’s been awhile since I wrote a letter to a soldier and it’s something I should get back into.
Hello,
I am currently a member of Soldiers Angels and there are a lot of opportunities with that group. You can write letters, send care packages, send baked goods. I love it
Excellent information! Thank you for sharing it with us.
You are so kind to do this for these soldiers. I’m sure they appreciate it more than you can imagine.
Thanks Chelsea, you’re making me blush, lol.
Love this article! So well written and such great advice! I have never written to a soldier, but have sent many expired coupons to soldiers overseas. I definitelt have to look into this more now! Thanks 🙂
I’ll have to research that more! I heard you could send expired coupons to soldiers, but so far I’ve failed at all of my couponing attempts, LOL Thanks for sharing!
What is the object of sending soldiers expired coupons?
I have no idea on if this works, but my understanding was at one point certain shopping locations and/or brands maybe, would accept the expired coupons knowing they were from soldiers. Maybe it was the on base stores. I’m not sure. I’ve heard both ways that it works and it doesn’t any more. I’m not sure on the truth right now.
I love that you listed topics! That is so great to get ideas before writing the letter! Love this post, thank you for sharing. Maybe the boys and I could do this together!
Absolutely! It’s a great family activity to do. Also, if you like to write letters to pen pals, this gives you some great pointers for that too!
This is such a great post! Thank you so much for sharing it 😀
Thanks for stopping by, I’m glad you liked the post 🙂
Great info! Thanks so much for sharing this. My husband was a Marine, and I know that military morale is something the general public sometimes doesn’t realize is very important for helping soldiers complete their missions safely. Great job gathering all this info in one go-to post. 🙂
Thanks Kristin! I received such a huge response to my original post about what not to write to soldiers, I knew I needed to give more information. There’s a lot out there and it all seems to be jumbled around the good and the not so good information. I’m hoping this helps people find what they need easier.
There is another great group militarymamanetwork.org that is awesome. Find them on Facebook or on the web
Awesome resource! Thank you!
It can be difficult to write to someone you don’t know. This is a great post and excellent advice on how to have a well written letter!
Thanks Lori! I know I’ve been lost at what to say and learning how to elaborate on a topic is a great way to expand a letter into an interesting story anyone would love to read!
I did a search on the web before for topics such as this – have been doing the adopt a soldier thing for years now, but always am looking for new topics or ways to improve my letters. This is a great post and I found it extremely awesome! That said, I can vouch for Soldiers Angels being a great place to get started if anyone was looking to adopt someone. That’s where I am and it can be really fun and rewarding! 🙂
Thank you so much, Ariel! I appreciate your feedback on Soldiers Angels. When my kids get just a little older I’m going to have them start writing some letters too. We might start there!
Hi Mary, My family and I have used anysoldier.com (anymarine.com) to adopt platoons each holiday season. They give you a list of the items their platoon requests and you can send as much or as little as you want. We’ve never heard back, but we include dearamericanhero.com thank you card inserts, as well as handwritten cards (one for each, based on the number of soldiers in the platoon). We try to include all of the social and sundry items they ask for as well. It is more like sponsoring a platoon because you’re providing them with the things their families would normally send. Folks should never expect to hear back unless they know the soldier personally, and even then, don’t expect to hear back. They get very busy, and when that happens, sleep becomes their top priority :).
That’s awesome Kate! I love that you guys do this every year, and you’re absolutely right that you shouldn’t expect to hear back. This is a message that doesn’t seem to be shared enough. I remember when my husband was deployed that I was always held with the burden of many people, friends and family, asking what he’s doing and why he isn’t responding to them. He worked 16+ hour days and the days he was supposed to get half a day off, he typically ended up working through them anyway because they were so busy. Thank you for supporting our troops!
These are all great, informative tips about writing to a soldier you don’t know. Thanks for sharing these great resources! Writing is so beneficial to both the sender and the soldier.
Operation Gratitude offers many ways to help deployed soldiers: http://www.operationgratitude.com. Also I use Soldier’s Angels to do a lot of letter writing, sending chaplain care packages and adopting soldier’s for the duration of their deployment.
I just sent my 2nd care package to my adopted soldier.
AAUSS-Adopt a US soldier. It took about two weeks after signing up to get my soldier. They will send all the information that was supplied by soldier. They have on their site the dos and don’ts. After that it is between you and your soldier. If you have any questions you can get on site and forum and find answers or you can email them.We have emailed, I have sent 2 letters. I have alot if questions because he didn’t really tell much. They say some hates to ask for anything. He has told me more things as we write more. We had truck driving in common. Me a driver and him a dispatcher.. I know what his favorite things are and try to make sure they get in every package along with different things each time. He says they share their packages. I do not ask anything about where he is ir what he does, I let him decide and if he eants me to know he will tell me.
This last one I baked brownies and not knowing how baked goods travel I vacumed sealed. I know they are going to get a good laughed cause it flattened me like a pancake. Lol.
I lost my husband last year and have been having a rough time and this has given me something to look forward to. Tyring to decide what to send and I tell him about our adventures and all the crazy things I always seem to get myself into while camping, 4 wheeling. He might just think he got stuck with a crazy woman but if it makes him laugh that is all that matters.
I’m sorry for your loss, but I’m glad adopting a soldier has helped you through, if only a little. It sounds like you’re building a good friendship with your soldier. They do share care package items, so even though you’re only corresponding with one soldier, you’re brightening the day of many. It’s amazing how one small act of kindness can have such a positive affect in so many ways. Keep up the amazing work and thank you for sharing your story.
I have been using Adoptaussoldier.org for almost 9 years now and I’ve adopted 9 soldiers and one platoon! It is the most rewarding an awesome thing a person can do! I usually write about my day but I tell funny stories and illustrate with stick figures because I’m a terrible artist haha. I write song lyrics. I write the letters different everytime. Sometimes I write on balloons, in circles, zigzag, etc. Anything to make it more fun. I tell jokes, include lyrics of songs I’m listening to, scriptures, write out compliments, inspirational quotes etc.
I love your creativity! I’m sure the troops do too. Great inspiration. Do you ever hear back from anyone?
two words: THANK YOU! I have been knitting beanie hats for Operation Gratitude for four years. I have also included letters; however, reading your MOST helpful list–well, I may have bored the soldiers!!! This list is going to be SO helpful this year! In 2018, a soldier, Eric, most likely stationed in Afghanistan, sent me a most heart-warming thank you – via e-mail and a selfie of himself wearing the hat I had knit (including the tags). This humbled me more than I can express. I will use your awesome suggestions this year, and, hopefully, be a much more interesting letter for the recipient! Again, thanks.
I’m so happy this information is still helpful! It’s been a decade since my husband was last deployed and I’m a bit rusty on the current letter writing delivery services for troops, but I’m happy to hear there are some still out there. I’ll need to find current info and update the list. I love that you received a response. I don’t think I ever received a response from any service member I didn’t already know, so that’s amazing! I’m glad the work you’re doing has been well received.