Army Warns of Holiday Mail ‘Hoax’

Staff report

The Army is warning the public of a “hoax” e-mail asking recipients to send holiday mail to soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

The e-mail instructs recipients to send Christmas cards to “A Recovering American Soldier,” and lists Walter Reed’s Washington, D.C., mailing address.

But the U.S. Postal Service won’t deliver any such card, letter or care package.

Under a 2001 policy designed to improve security, the medical center can’t accept mail addressed to “Any Wounded Soldier” or “A Recovering American Soldier.”

Lt. Col. Kevin Arata, a spokesman for Army Human Resources Command, said his office has been inundated with inquiries from the public about the e-mail.

“It’s not true,” he said. “Don’t do it.”

Instead, Arata said, members of the public wishing to spread holiday cheer should consult the military’s “American Supports You” Web site for information about more than 300 nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping U.S. soldiers and their families.