eMail Our Military

Members of the public eager to show troop support can do so through eMail Our Military (eMOM). The organization was created in response to the U.S. Defense Department's cancellation of the "Any Service Member" and "Operation Dear Abby" programs because of security concerns. By using e-mail instead of regular post, eMOM offers a secure method to continue the tradition of troop support with an even more personal touch. Military members sign up with the organization and are matched with civilian registrants. eMOM tries to match up correspondents based on age or interests, but because the goal of the program is to provide moral support to all troops who request it, sometimes those matches are not realized. Scout troop leaders can involve their scouts through a special account created for children. The youngsters can include their e-mail address in their signature block if they want to receive reply messages from deployed military members. Scout leaders should register their addresses because they act as guides for the program. All registrations-individual or group-require a one-time fee of $2. In addition to sending e-mails, eMOM offers other ways for civilians to take action for service members, including getting involved in military support projects, sending an e-message of support, purchasing eMOM's online products, promoting the program in a local area or simply telling a friend about the program. Information about these projects is available on the Web site. Just as eMOM is the next generation of soldier letter-writing programs, the organization is using a new breed of networking to spread the word about troop support. eMOM can be found on a variety of Internet social networking sites, including Twitter, Pownce, Jaiku, Flickr, Facebook Fan Page, Facebook Group, LinkedIn, Technorati and Magnolia. More information is available here. The programs listed on these pages are not affiliated with our publication or association. We highlight these independent efforts as a service to our military and our readers. For more information about these programs, please contact the organizations directly.