Why You Should Buy From Us
Our product prices are almost always below the Suggested Retail Price and include all shipping and handling costs. The discounted price you see is the price you pay. No additional charges added on at checkout. And when you buy from us, you not only get a deeply discounted price, your purchase also goes towards supporting our troops and their families.
Our Operations
The Operation Support Our Troops.net website represents the effort of a pair of Army Parents who are doing their best to show our gratitude and thanks to all Military Service Members that enable us to live in peace and safety while they fight to protect our freedom.
Our Website Operations Provide:
- A media for Family Readiness Group (FRG) fundraisers
- Catagorized resource links for our Military Personnel and Family Members covering all branches of the military, deployment support, employment support, health support and publications
- Provide catagorized links to e-commerce sites that offer shipping to APO and FPO addresses
- Provide resource links for those who want to Support Our Troops or Military Personnel and family members in need of support be it a care package, a letter from home, wounded warrior support of support and memorials for our fallen heroes
- Provide hints, tips and directions for building and sending care packages to our troops
- Provide products that allow you to show your support of our troops, send affordable products to you Soldier, Sailor, Marine or Airman or all them to send gifts to their families
Our Personal Operations:
We began participating in the DFW Welcome Home Heroes in 2004 where we have tried to ensure every Soldier, Sailor, Seabee, Airman and Marine received a warm welcome, a hand shake, a big THANK YOU, got routed to their connecting flight and/or received a ride home. Military personnel that engaged us in dialog or had an overnight or extended layover had a contact or host that would take them out for a beer, dinner or even a Dallas Cowboy's Game if the timing was right. Pictures were taken of many soldiers and the families awaiting to pickup their soldier. We offered cigars, cigarettes, matches, mints or gum available to any military personnel after they had cleared customs and ensured every family member received a Blue Star Banner pin. Lastly, we sent free care packages upon request and support other efforts like the Walter Reed Xmas program, provided FRGs with care package contents and adopted units for Christmas.
In 2008, our personal operations have had to change a bit since we have move to Yucatan, Mexico to start our new retirement venture Lizard Joes Hotel, Cantina and Restaurant making many of our prior support efforts impossible from a logistical standpoint. (If you think the US Postal Service has issues, you should try sending or receiving mail from Mexico). In our current operations, we continue to support the DFW Welcome Home Heroes program by:
- Donating money for water that will be handed out when our soldiers exit the terminal building
- Donating Blue Star Banner pins to be given to family members awaiting their loved one to arrive.
- Donating cigars, cigarettes and candy to the last remaining cigar person
- Offering our Military Personnel an open invitation to 2 Tickets for every Dallas Cowboy's home game. (Unfortunately this ends with the 2009 season and the move to the new stadium)
- Sending specific products offered on our website to deployed military when we can afford it.
- Supporting FRG fundraising efforts.
Our Categories
Our product offerings include care packages, gift baskets, military themed gifts, NFL logo merchandise and Electronics. Our mark-up on these products is minimal and all profits from the sale our products are used to support our troops via free care packages, donations to other support organizations and fundraisers or to buy water, Blue Star Banner pins and cigars or cigarettes in support of the DFW Welcome Home Heroes Program
Family Readiness Groups
Family Readiness Groups (FRG) represents a strong network of Families and Military personnel that help prepare Families for mobilization or deployment ensuring that all arrangements are complete. During mobilization or deployment, the network or FRG supports Families working together with the military to help Families get what they need so Service members don't have as many worries about Family matters.
Each FRG is a voluntary organization whose membership consists of Spouses and Children, Parents, Boyfriends and girlfriends, Friends and relatives, Retired service members from all branches of the military, Members of the community who want to help military personnel and Service members themselves.
Their primary purpose is usually three fold:
- Provide a communication channel that allows FRG members a chance to ask questions, express ideas and concerns.
- Enable volunteer work and activities that make military life easier and more rewarding to be shared across FRG members.
- Provide a support network of people who understand military life as a source of strength and comfort to one another.
If you are an FRG Leader or member and would like Operation Support Our Troops.net to support your fundraising efforts, please have your FRG Leader use the "CONTACT US" link to request links to your fundraising site be added to our site or offer your fundraising products, commission free, as part of our store.
APO/FPO Friendly Stores
This list of e-commerce sites was put in place to allow Service members and their families to readily identify companies offering the products they need and that ship to APO/FPO addresses. Too often our web search for clothing, photo sharing software, hobbies, electronics, entertainment, games or health and beauty items result in shopping an e-commerce site only to find that the product our Service members want or our families want to send to their deployed loved one can't be shipped to an APO or FPO address.
If you have an e-commerce site that offers products that are fun or in demand by our Service members or their Families, you support shipping to APO and FPO addresses and would like to become an Affiliate of or establish a dropship relationship with Operation Support Our Troops.net, please use the "CONTACT US" link to request links be added to our list of APO/FPO Friendly Stores.
Support Links
We encourage all visitors to our page to visit the Support Links to see how you can Support Our Troops by volunteering, participating or donating to one or more of these operations that:
- Provide care packages, letters, phone cards, airline miles, air conditioners, books, gift certificates or messages of support to our Troops
- Focused on support or memorials for our Wounded and Fallen Heroes
- Represent Iraqi or Afgan community operations led by our Military Service members
If you are part of a Support Operation and would like you site to be included in our Support Links, please use the "CONTACT US" link to request links be added to our list.
Military Links
The Military Links offered on our page are intended to provide resources for all our Military Service members and their families. We have include links to the official branch web sites of the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, National Guard and Navy which have their own support links for Sevice members and Families as well as links to sites that provide specific support related to combat mobilizations and combat deployments or address issues for Military spouses and transition of our Military Service members related to finding employment, mental and physical health and assitance from the United States Postal Service in send mail and packages to deployed loved ones.
Care Package Hints & Tips
What To Send:
You should never mix food and hygiene or chemicals in the same package. Dedicate your care package contents to a specific theme like good eats, personal care, entertainment, electronics, holiday or comforts of home. The list below represents some commonly requested items for care packages during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Most items are general and will gratefully received by any military service member.
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Toiletries |
Food |
Entertainment |
Miscellaneous |
Linens & Things |
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What Not To Send:
- Obscene Articles & Comics (articles, prints, paintings, cards, films, videotapes, ... and horror comics)
- Any material depicting nude or seminude persons, pornographic or sexual items
- Nonauthorized political materials
- Firearms
- Pork or pork by-products
For detailed information on restricted items,for a specific APO/FPO Address check the USPS Military Mail Restrictions site
How To Package:
Priority Mail is the packaging of choice. The United States Postal Service has created a special "kit" that contains the necessary mailing materials for most items you may include in a military care package.The FREE kit can be ordered by calling 1-800-610-8734, press 1 for English, press 1 again for express mailing. The kit contains 5 each of Priority Mail Box-4, Priority Mail Box-7 and Mili-Pac Tyvek envelopes, 1 roll of Priority Mail tape and 10 customs forms with envelopes. If the item or items you are sending will not fit in one of the Priority Mail Boxes, make sure you select a box that is strong enough to protect the contents and large enough to accomidate cushioning. If you are reusing a box, make sure to cover all previous lables and markings with a heavy black marker or adhesive lables even if you are planning to wrap the box in brown paper.
If you are sending anything battrey powered, be sure to remove the batteries and wrap separately. Be sure to add cushioning to your care package. The box contents should not rattle when you shake it. Good choices for cushioning include: newspaper, plastic grocery bags, socks, shorts or other new clothing materials. Be sure to seal the box completely. Tape the opening of the box and reinforce all seams with 2" wide packaging tape. Never use string or twine.
Be sure to include a card inside the package (postcards depicting your home location are a nice touch) that lists your and the recipient's name, address and package contents to assist in collecting items that may fall open during shipment.
How To Address The Package:
When addressing your package, use the servicemember's full name, unit and APO/FPO address with the nine-digit ZIP Code as well as your return address.
EXAMPLE (bogus address):
SGT Johnny Freedom
HHC, 2-112 Armor, 56 BCT, 36 ID
APO AE 09369
Customs Form:
All APO/FPO ZIP Codes have a "B" restriction which states the customs form 2976-A is required for all mail weighing 16 ounces or more. In addition, mailers must properly complete required customs documentation when mailing any potential dutiable mail addressed to an APO/FPO regarldess of weight. You can print the customs form by visiting the
USPS Custom Forms page
- Complete the form in English
- Complete in blue or black ink and press firmly so all info transfers to all copies
- Complete the declarations fully and legibly (a false or misleading declaration may lead to a fine or seizure of the item)
- Goods may be subject to import/export regulations and it is your responsibility to find out what documents, if any are required by the destination country
- Enter a detailed description of each item - e.g. undershirts. General descriptsion are not allowed - e.g. food products
- Enter the quantity of each article
- Enter the value for each article in total US dollars
- Check the "Gift" box
- Check appropriate box for Case of Nondelivery (returned items are subject to return charges at senders expense)
- Add your signature and date
