Thousands of Americans are again asking what they can do to show their support for servicemembers, especially those serving overseas in this time of war. Below are Web sites for several organizations that are sponsoring programs for members of the Armed Forces overseas. While it would be inappropriate for the Department to endorse any specifically, servicemembers do value and appreciate such expressions of support:

Operation Uplink: Donate a calling card to help keep servicemembers in touch with their families at http://www.operationuplink.org/

Operation Dear Abby: Send a greeting via e-mail through at either http://anyservicemember.navy.mil/ or http://www.OperationDearAbby.net

Defend America: Sign a virtual thank you card at http://www.defendamerica.mil/nmam.html

Military Relief Societies: Make donations to

• Army Emergency Relief at http://www.aerhq.org/
• Navy/Marine Relief Society at http://www.nmcrs.org/
• Air Force Aid Society at http://www.afas.org/
• Coast Guard Mutual Assistance at http://www.cgmahq.org/

Operation USO Care Package: Donate at http://www.usometrodc.org/care.htm

American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services at http://www.redcross.org/services/afes/

Volunteer at a VA Hospital to honor veterans who bore the lamp of freedom in past conflicts.

Reach out to military families in your community, especially those with a loved one overseas.

Please do not flood the military mail system with letters, cards, and gifts. Due to security concerns and transportation constraints, the Department cannot accept items to be mailed to " Any Servicemember ." Some people have tried to avoid this prohibition by sending large numbers of packages to an individual servicemember's address, which however well intentioned, clogs the mail and causes unnecessary delays.

The support and generosity of the American people has touched the lives of many servicemembers, over 300,000 of whom are deployed overseas.

[Source: U.S. Department of Defense]