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Show MAIL XMAS GIFTS FOR SERVICE MEN AT EARLY DATE The Christmas shopping season sea-son is here even- though the . weather is still warm. Mailing of gifts for Army and Navy personnel overseas must begin by September 15, if many of the men and women in our armed services are not to be disappointed; dis-appointed; and September 15 is less than a month away. Christmas gifts may be mailed by parcel post to Army men and , women overseas only between September 15 and October 15. After the latter date, such parcels par-cels may not be mailed unless a written request from the soldier for the articles is presented with each parcel. No soldier should . have to ask for a Christmas gift; so gifts must be mailed on time. The Navy also urges that gifts be mailed between September 15 and October 15. Reasons for the early mailing dates are: The vast distances that the parcels must travel to reach our men at war fronts and stations sta-tions the world over; frequent transfers of thousands of men from one location to another, which means forwarding of the mail and consumes additional time; the necessity for giving preference to reinforcements, arms, munitions, ' medicine and food in allotment of shipping space, which often means that the shipments of gifts must wait. And it is most urgent that gifts be delivered to the men in time for Christmas, to keep their spirit high. The only way to insure against disappointment for the fighting men is to buy at once and mail early mail your gifts as soon as possible after the September 15 starting date. Those who have relatives or friends in the service should remember re-member that we have fighting men in Alaska, Greenland, Iceland, Ice-land, England, Sicily, far-separated regions of Africa, the Near Eastern countries, Australia, many of the South Pacific islands, is-lands, India, China, South America, Am-erica, and other areas. Weeks are required for a ship to reach many of these stations. There can be no assurance, of course, that the first ship sailing for any of these locations will have space available to carry Christmas parcels. Gifts may have to wait until vitally needed supplies and equipment have been snipped, to assure victory and to save the lives of our men. If the parcels are not mailed early, that delay may prove to be just enough to prevent their arrival by Christmas day,, with consequent disappointment to the men who are offering their lives for their country and ours Mail of all kinds is vital to the spirit of fighting men. Every officer of-ficer who has inspected our Army and Navy postal facilities overseas over-seas has reported that thousands of fighting men dis"""' mess call when it conflicts with mail call, and get their letters- first. Officers at our large military and naval stations report that the spirit and efficiency of their men receive a distinct lift when mail is distributed, and that a delay in mail service caused a decided decline in spirit with a consequent conse-quent letdown in efficiency. A disconsolate soldier or sailor who thinks he has been forgotten forgot-ten at Christmas obviously is not at his best. So the gifts must be mailed on time so that they can arrive on time. Rules for Christmas mailings to the fighting forces overseas were made public in June for the guidance of early shoppers. They include: The parcel must not exceed five pounds, and must not be more than 15 inches in length or .36 inches in length and girth combined. It should be marked "Christmas parcel" so that it may be given special attention to assure as-sure its arrival before December Decem-ber 25. Not more than one parcel may be mailed in any one week to the same member of the armed forces by or in behalf of the same mailer. The parcel must be well and strongly packed, in a container of metal, wood, strong fiber board, or similar material, then wrapped in strong paper and tied with twine. The cover should be such that it can be opened readily readi-ly for censorship. The contents should be packed tightly. Perishable goods, such as fruits that may spoil, are prohibited. Intoxicants, inflammable materials mater-ials such as matches or lighter fluids, poisons, and anything that may damage other mail also are prohibited. Gifts enclosed in glass should be substantially packed to avoid breakage. Sharp instruments, such as razors and knives, must have their edges and points protected so that they cannot cut through the coverings cover-ings and injuse postal personnel or damage other packages. Since the armed forces are being be-ing plentifully supplied with food and clothing, the Army and Navy Na-vy recommend against these as gifts. Addresses must be written clearly and completely. In ad-(Continued ad-(Continued on page eight) MAIL XMAS GIFTS TO SERVICE MEN AT AN EARLY DATE (Continued from page one) dition to the return address of the sender, a parcel for an Army man should show the name, rank, A 1 1 k,.,. .,,.1, ,,f Array senai nuniut-i, umiini service, organization, Army post office number, and name of post ! office through which the parcel is routed. A typical address for an Army man: Pvt. John R. Doe (Army Ser. No.) i Company F, 167th Infantry A.P.O. 810, c o Postmaster New York, N.Y. The address on a parcel for a Navy man should include the name and rank or rating of the addressee, the Naval unit to which he is assigned and the Navy number assigned thereto, or the name of his ship, and the fleet post office through which the parcel is routed. A typical Navy address: John M- Jones, Seaman first class. U. S. Navy Naval Air Station Navy 199 (one nine nine) c!o Fleet Post Office San Francisco, Calif, or: Lieutenant Roger Doe, U.S. Navy U. S. S. Minnesota co Fleet Post Office San Francisco, Calif. |