Voices From the Field
Mail Call
Every care package we send carries a message: we see you, we're grateful for you, and we haven't forgotten. Sometimes, the people who receive them write back. This is where we share those voices, and where you can add yours.
Are you a service member, veteran, or first responder who received an Operation Gratitude care package? We'd love to hear from you. Your story matters, and it helps more Americans understand the difference that gratitude can make.
Watch
Voices of Gratitude
The First of Many
Operation Gratitude
Gratitude in Action
From Those Who Received
In Their Own Words
These are real messages from service members, veterans, and first responders who received an Operation Gratitude care package.
U.S. ARMY · ACTIVE DUTY
"We hadn't received mail in weeks. When that box showed up, it wasn't just the stuff inside, it was knowing that people back home were thinking about us. I read every single letter. Some of us cried. We don't admit that easily."
U.S. MARINE CORPS · VETERAN
"I'll be honest, I didn't think anyone remembered us older vets. I served and came home to a very different reception. Getting that package was like finally getting the welcome home I never had. It meant everything."
FIRE DEPARTMENT · FIRST RESPONDER
"Two young women knocked on the door of our station, handed us boxes, and just said thank you. My crew didn't know what to say. We're not used to that. One of my guys still has the letter on his locker. That was six months ago."
More From the Community
The Letters Keep Coming
A few more voices from the people Operation Gratitude exists to serve.
"My daughter's scout troop packed my care package. They live three states away and had no idea. But there was a letter from a girl who said she hoped I was safe and that she was proud of me. I have a daughter that age. I kept that letter."
U.S. Navy
"After 22 years of service you think you're past things like this. Then you open a box packed by strangers who wanted you to feel remembered. My wife cried when I told her. So did I, if I'm being straight with you."
U.S. Air Force
"The letters hit different than the snacks. The snacks were gone in a day. But I'm still thinking about what that fourth grader wrote, that she wants to be in the military someday because of people like me. I'm going to carry that."
U.S. Marines
"We work nights, we miss holidays, and most of the public drives right past the station. That knock on the door, and those two volunteers who drove across town just to say thank you, I won't forget it. Tell them that."
Sheriff's Department