Sending Gabe a letter

We can now write to Gabe!  There are TWO options for sending Gabe a letter.  You can use US Mail - but keep in mind it can take up to TWO weeks for letters sent this way to arrive.  OR, you can use Sandboxx, which are printed and delivered to him overnight Tuesday-Friday (so letters sent this way over the weekend will be delivered on Tuesday with mail call).

SANDBOXX 

Sandboxx is a website that family and friends can use to communicate those in the military.  Usually these are service members in bootcamp, or service members that have been deployed to a confidential location.  You can use the Sandboxx website online, or you can get an app for your phone.  It does cost money to send letters through Sandboxx, but the benefit is that letters are delivered MUCH more quickly, and Gabe will receive blank stationary and an envelope with his letter to send you a letter back.  You can also include pictures with Sandboxx, which will be printed out in full color, included with your letter, and handed out during mail call.

I have created a "Support Squad" in Sandboxx which I will invite you to, if you would like (all current family members have been invited already so check your email to see if you've received a notice, it might be in your SPAM folder).  If you can't find it, or haven't been invited yet, just send me your EMAIL address, and I will add you (send to denisesheets10@gmail.com).  

This is what our squad currently looks like in Sandboxx (I have invited quite a few people, but only 3 have accepted so far as the writing of this post).  ALSO - I have donated 8 letters to the squad to get us started and make it easy for you to write a letter to him.  You can also purchase and donate letters to the squad if you would like (but I would wait until the remaining number goes down as I am not sure how many will use Sandboxx vs just send a regular letter through the mail, and there are no refunds for unused letters).  

You can also get weekly updates about what Gabe's Platoon is doing each week, and you can send him a gift card through Sandboxx to spend on base (not really sure how often he gets to do that but they can be spent when he is in his job training after bootcamp as well, and they never expire).

US MAIL

When sending a letter through the mail, keep in mind that you should ONLY SEND A LETTER.  Not a greeting card.  Not a care package.  You can send a picture or two, but a letter and a picture or two are all you want to send him.  Drill Instructors (DIs) are known to make a recruit's life MISERABLE if they get sent other things, so don't do that to Gabe.  

ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE: it is possible that his platoon or company will change during his time in bootcamp (due to the needs of the greater group OR if for some reason he is held back due to injury, illness, or some other reason).... any changes made to his platoon or company will mean you will have to send letters to a different address.  Sandboxx will always be current, but if you are not using Sandboxx please let me know if you plan to just send letters as I will have to make sure I update you with the new address if anything changes. 

His current mailing address is:

Rct. Cran, Gabriel
1st RTBN, Charlie Co, Plt #1051
40000 Midway Ave.
San Diego, CA 92140-5680

That's all for now.  Thank you for considering helping our boy through bootcamp with your letters.  I have heard over and over again from those who went before him that letters from home were absolutely CRITICAL, especially on hard days.

Hugs,

Denise