Want to Help Our Troops? Send Them a Book

I've never served in the military but I grew up around it. And, when I talk to both family and friends that have returned from assignments in other countries they always tell me the same thing; when they have down time, their biggest problem was boredom because they had very little to keep them entertained.

That's why I'm glad there are groups like Operation Paperback out there to help fix a problem that most organizations overlook.

Founded in 1999, the non-profit Operation Paperback has provided more than 600,000 books to soldiers serving our country over seas. The books are supplied by volunteers from around the country that ship them to soldiers around the world to places ranging from Pearl Harbor to Iceland.

The organization provides the names and addresses of soldiers looking for books. The books themselves don't need to be new, just in good shape and still have the front cover on them. They can be action, bestsellers, biographies and memoirs, fantasy, history, horror, mysteries, science-fiction and true-crime. You can also send romance novels and religious books if a solider specifically requests those. The only books that aren't allowed are ones that are sexually explicit or racist and any books that are critical of Islam or any other religion.

The only requirements for becoming a volunteer are taking the time to register on the site and being willing to follow specific guidelines; such as not sending any book that has female nudity to the Middle East or any country that has a population that is primarily Muslim and making sure each book as an Operation Paperback label on it. You send the books when it's convenient to you and can get a soldier's address just by e-mailing the organization. If you have the books already, all it will cost you is the postage (usually about $4-$6 for a medium box).

For those people who don't have the time or resources to send books to soldiers, the site offers other opportunities to help. One of these is a section that allows you to donate money that will go toward postage. The donations can be made by check, credit card or PayPal and are tax deductible.