Deadline set for overseas holiday mail

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Oct. 16, 2003 | 8:41 a.m.

If you want your holiday packages to get to service members overseas on time, mail them by Nov. 13. Otherwise, your package could be on the proverbial "slow boat to China," according to Mark DeDomenic, chief of postal operations for the Military Postal Service Agency

Military postal operations employees ship about 250,000 pounds of mail each day to Iraq. That number is expected to go up to about 325,000 pounds each day during the holiday season, which is why DeDomenic suggests that people mail holiday packages early.

The Military Postal Service Agency has set the following deadlines for holiday mail: Parcel Post, Nov. 13; Space Available, Nov. 28; Parcel-Airlift Mail, Dec. 4; Priority and First-Class Letters or Cards, Dec. 11.

Those dates also should be observed when sending mail from most overseas locations to the United States as well, DeDomenic said. The Army's 1st Armored Division has a pop-up window that appears on its website, 1ad.army.mil, linking to an electronic information sheet with specific guidance for people sending mail to and from Germany.

Other tips for faster delivery include mailing smaller packages. "The smaller the package, the easier it is to handle, the quicker we can move it," DeDomenic said. "Shoe box-sized packages are perfect."

Packages going to an APO or FPO address require a U.S. Customs label, DeDomenic said, and senders should be specific about what is inside the package.

"People tend to like to put on the customs label 'Gifts,' " he said. "This is very vague and that is the type of thing that will slow mail down. We must know exactly what is in those boxes to ensure that they are mailable items."

It's a good idea to place a copy of the address inside the package, just in case the address label or package gets damaged. "That way, the package can be rewrapped and sent to the correct address," he said.

Boxes should be packed tightly, using packing materials such as popcorn or newspapers, to keep contents from moving. He also recommended that senders use good tape. "Masking tape is a definite 'no' when it comes to mailing, and light-duty transparent tape is terrible," he said. "Reinforced nylon tape works very well."

Hazardous materials, firearms and flammable liquids are prohibited inside packages. This includes alcoholic beverages and even some perfumes that may have a high alcohol content, he said.

Also he advises not to install batteries inside electronic items that require them. "Things tend to get turned on (from jostling during shipping), and that causes security concerns," he said.

In brief

Swan, a switch network superintendent assigned to the 311th Theater Signal Command, also earned his bachelor's degree this year from the University of Phoenix in Columbia, Md.

Army Reserve Pvt. Jennifer Johnson, Valley High School class of 2003 and daughter of Susan Yelvington and Merle Johnson, both of Las Vegas, has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, S.C.