Who remembers standing in formation for mail call? Does the military still conduct mail call?

Of course I remember mail call, especially in Vietnam long before computers and email, mail call kept up going. Semper Fi

Basic Training at Ft. Lewis WN C-2-2, 1969: Our Sr Drill Sergeant was trying to be a bit 'culture sensitive' and was struggling with pronunciations of last names: no trouble with mine, Humble, but: he hollered out 'Jose'... 'Jose'...'JOSE' ('Ho-say') and got no reply from the company, then a small voice said (with a very middle-American accent 'Uh... that's Jose, Drill Sergeant. It's pronounced Joe-ss.' 'Geesuskhrist! Just when I was getting the hang of sayin' it right!' The trooper wasn't Latino, of course. When I reminded him about it 50 years later, he'd forgotten the incident completely, and didn't think it too funny. I'm still chuckling!

Mail ahhhh postage stamp and some well written words sent yonder... communication the way it was meant to be . Slow and then maybe non existent. We are, not literally, communicating ourselves to death?

Mail call was the highlight of the day, especially in basic. After the first four weeks we could get care packages. My mom would send a huge box full of cookies, chips, and candy for the whole platoon!

In the CG we didn't usually have mail call after boot camp. Our units were small enough that they really were not necessary. Some units had mail cubbys, other units they just slipped it under the door, or left it on your rack.

You can tell be the amount of post mail is big for moral. I recieve one letter in basic training and the one letter ment so much. Then go assigned box at PDS. Then went to Germany got assigned box, but did so much feild duty had formation mail call again. Now while everyone was in tent city, I was up on Bravo Bravo and mail was delivered straight to my tent. My mom only went to the 6 grade in school. She taught herself to read, but had beautiful hand writing (that was a plus for baby boomers). Anyway her greeting always stared with, " How are you, fine I do hope". I was in the field in GE for 269 days one year lol and at one point I was on Bravo Bravo 60 straight days, was covered in moe Gass and diesel on my 22 birthday. I was surprised by a letter from my Dear Mother with that greeting! It brought tears to my eyes then as it does now. That was the best birthday cake ever! I was a medic they brought me and Angle down the hill for showers and wouldn't you know there was a birthday cake there! Not for me! Lol some big wig had a party and gave use the rest of the cake hey but if it's your birthday the cake is for you lol. I have it with the fried spam covered in gravy and rice lol. Later on I became the mail clerk, at the time I couldn't drive, but I never had an issue getting people to help carry the mail bags lol did you know you can't open up a box even if it really stink! You had to keep it for 30 days then take it back to the man mail room, another fun fact, only 2 mail room door keys allowed...if your baby son flushes one down the toilet you sell your soul to get another one lol

This brought back many memories from when I was in Vietnam. Sometimes we would go a few weeks between mail calls when we were in the field. There was nothing like a letter from home to keep us connected to the "real world". It didn't matter if it was Monsoon season or hot and dry, nobody missed mail call! Thanks for your post.

Yes

Yes

Don't forget the care packages that came in the mail to our men...cookies, snacks etc
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