Audio News Release: 2008 Holiday Military Mail Deadlines

INTRO:

The U.S. Postal Service is reminding families to send holiday mail destined to troops stationed overseas as early as possible and to use the full APO or FPO address. Delores Killette is vice president and consumer advocate.

KILLETTE SOUNDBITE:

"Mail Call" can be the best part of the day for our military service members, especially during the holidays. Making sure the mail for our young men and women serving overseas arrives on time is important to all of us. If you're using Parcel Post, the most economical way to mail to your loved one this holiday season, you should mail by Nov. 13. If you use Priority Mail, the deadline for mail destined for Iraq and Afghanistan is Dec. 4.

CLOSE:

The Postal Service also offers FREE military CareKits to help military families and friends send care packages to their loved ones stationed overseas. The kits include boxes, tape, envelopes and customs forms, and can be ordered by calling 1-800-610-8734. Plus, you can save $2 on the largest Flat-Rate Priority Mail box when sent to overseas APO and FPO addresses.

(Preceding audio courtesy of U.S. Postal Service.)

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news.

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation, 146 million homes and businesses, six days a week. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.