Posted on Jul 15, 2015
LTC Stephen F.
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I was recently reminded me of the importance and significance of mail call especially in the days before email, cell phones and texting existed in the 1950's 1960's, 1970's and I think through the 1980's. Waiting with anticipation in formation as a young enlisted man in sun, snow, rain or wind for mail call. The weather was much less important than hearing the names of friends called out to get mail and then hearing my own name which was wonderful. Going back to the barracks to smell envelopes from girl friends, read the letters on my bunk.
Later as a cadet at West Point one of the duties of the freshman class known as plebes was to distribute the mail to the upper classmen. It was a very important function and seemed to release a sense of common humanity and a brief period of humane treatment.
After I was commissioned in 1980, my mail was delivered to me except when we were away from home station when we would have mail call or else wait until the operation was over and then mail would be distributed.
Images: mail call wingen 70th ID WWII; Korean War early afternoon mail call brought these Thunderbirds in the 279th Infantry; Mail call! Pfc Glen Zachery of the 19th Army Postal Unit brings a sack of mail to the
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LTC Stephen F.
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Double edged sword for me in Vietnam - elation when receiving mail from home; the pits when not receiving any for a long period of time. Funniest receipt was a chocolate birthday cake sent by Mom for my April birthday that arrived in June - covered in green and gray fuzz. Weirdest was receiving a letter many months after it had been mailed, once water soaked and with one corner burnt. It had been on a plane that went down that they recovered mail from and sent on to us.
LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
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Thank you my friend Sgt Harold Mccampbell for responding and making us aware that for you mail call was a double-edged-sword while you were deployed to South Vietnam.
1. Receiving a fresh cake sent in April that arrived in June with green and gray mold made-it-clear that it was made without preservatives. Hopefully after the mold was scraped off, the cake still tasted good.
2. Receiving a letter recovered after the plane carrying it crashed, having been water soaked, after having a corner burnt due to the crash was weird but at least that piece of mail got through. Hopefully it was good news.
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MSG Terry Lingle
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Never got much mail. All my guy friends were in the Army because, you know, the draft and all. The only letter I specifically recall was the “Dear John” I got a few months into my Korea tour in ‘69. But I do remember mail call.
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
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Thank you my friend MSG Terry Lingle for responding and letting us know that you remember mail call and because during the draft era your male friends were all in the Army. I am sorry that you received a “Dear John” a few months into your Korea tour in ‘69.
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SGT Adam Wolf
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We had mail call when deployed but everywhere else you had a mailbox.
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
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Thank you my friend SGT Adam Wolf for responding and making us aware that you only had mail call while deployed. Since you served from August 1995 to April 2008 that is not very surprising. Did you have mail call in BCT?
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SGT Adam Wolf
SGT Adam Wolf
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LTC Stephen F. oh yeah I t think so. Don't remember how we got mail in AIT. Can't imagine it was always a mail call
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SGT Adam Wolf
SGT Adam Wolf
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The more I think about it the more I realize we mostly had our orderly room clerk go around dropping off mail but we did have a mail call formation occasionally. Just not all the time.
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PFC James Edward VERNON jr
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WITH ALL THE "TECH", I DOUBT THAT TROOPS ARE ASK TO ENDURE A FORMATION FOR MAIL. NOWADAYS, I EVEN GET MY "BILL REMINDERS " THROUGH TEXT OR E-MAIL. IF
YOU HAVE A CELL, THEN YOU GET YOUR MAIL.
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
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Thank you my friend PFC James Edward VERNON jr for responding and making us aware of your perspective that you doubt the troops are asked to endure a formation for mail.
'if you have a cell phone, you get your mail.'
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1SG Michael Farrell
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Yeah. In Basic and AIT, and in the field in Germany. The advent of garrison and installation post offices and the shrinkage of the number of "duty troops" made it a less common process. First Sergeant Farrell really grumbled about having to have Mail Call in the field, and we normally didn't until we were at Grafenwoer for 90 days won a pre-deployment deployment. Then it was critical. One my longest surviving and being reachable old buddies was my Lieutenant when I was a buck Sergeant in an E7 slot. (Call it Volar..stuff was weird.) Before coming to us, he'd been the Brigade Chemical Officer for one the brigades in the 8th Infantry Division. He had brought a car over, a VW Thing figuring he could get parts and services. Well, those things were in fact all military vehicles. He had to order parts through his fiancé back in Alice, Texas. So, the Brigade is at GRAF for gunnery, and he is trying not to get in too much trouble. Hanging out with the other Lieutenants and avoiding the brass whom he works for. Suddenly, he gets called out of formation to get handed a couple of boxes of VW parts. Of course, the Thing was back in Mannheim. Not a fond memory...
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
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Thank you my friend 1SG Michael Farrell for responding and posting some great memories of mail call. Your recount of the Brigade Chemical Officer Lieutenant who seems to have pulled a reverse on Radar O'Reilly's mailing a jeep back to CONUS piece by piece in M.A.S.H. I imagine postage on Thing parts from Alice, Texas got to be somewhat expensive.
Mail call in the field [for extended training periods/deployments] has been a crucial function for morale for a long time.
Now that so many send text message and emails, I hope that some troops actually send and receive physical mail.
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SSG Shawn Mcfadden
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When I was in boot camp in 1987, we did mail call. Had one guy that had cookies mailed to him from his mom. The Drill Sergeant made him eat them in front of the squad.
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
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Thank you my friend SSG Shawn Mcfadden for responding and making us aware that your drill sergeant in BCT made another trainee eat cookies in front of the formation after his mom sent the cookies to him. Did the DS make him eat all of the cookies:-)
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SSG Shawn Mcfadden
SSG Shawn Mcfadden
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LTC Stephen F. - Yeah. Drill Sergeant Houston made him eat all of them. This was during the first phase of Basic, so no sweets, no soda, none of that. We got to have one soda during the lunch meal I think AFTER we did BRM. And it was only that ONE TIME.
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Kayla Davies
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I just got out of boot camp this summer and yes they did mail call. If we were out in the field, they would just do it when we got back from the field. Most of the time when we did mail call we were in formation, but we were sitting down. There was only once or twice that we were standing when they did it.
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
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Thank you Kayla Davies for making us aware that you 'just got out of boot camp this summer and yes they did mail call. If we were out in the field, they would just do it when we got back from the field. Most of the time when we did mail call we were in formation, but we were sitting down. There was only once or twice that we were standing when they did it."
Where did you do boot camp?
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SPC Nancy Greene
SPC Nancy Greene
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I definitely remember mail call throughout my entire time in the Army (83-87). In Basic, my Drill actually opened my packages until I had my mom send me red lingerie for Valentines Day! I looked forward to mail call while stationed in Germany! Any little piece of home helped!LTC Stephen F.
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
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Thank you my friend SPC Nancy Greene for making us aware that definitely remember mail call throughout my entire time in the Army (83-87). In Basic, my Drill actually opened my packages until I had my mom send me red lingerie for Valentines Day! I looked forward to mail call while stationed in Germany! Any little piece of home helped!"
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Kayla Davies
Kayla Davies
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I attended basic at Fort Sill
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SSG Christopher Boyer
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Remember standing in line for pay checks too!!!
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
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Thank you my friend SSG Christopher Boyer for responding and making us aware that you remember mail call and standing in line for pay checks as well.
Since direct deposit has been in effect for decades now, I am curious about where you were when you received physical pay checks. I expect you were deployed at that time as an Intel Analyst.
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SSG Christopher Boyer
SSG Christopher Boyer
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It was in Basic Training as a Tanker at Ft. Knox 1984, and then during that first 2 years stationed at Ft. Riley. Got tired of changing paychecks into Money Orders then trying to use those on the Economy. This is the time when you looked like that guy in the Brochure with a duffle bag on your shoulder getting on a Trailways Bus in Uniform after Basic!! Could smoke on those Buses too btw.
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SGT Infantryman
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Oh yeah standing in line before dinner chow.
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
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Thank you my friend SGT (Join to see) for making us aware that you remember mail call and you standed in line for mail call prior to dinner at the mess hall.
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