You’ve Got Mail: Army Post Office connects soldiers with home

Photo By Pfc. James Dutkavich | U.S. Army Spc. Jonathan Jones, native of Gainesville, FL, a Human Resource Specialist assigned to 259th Human Resource Co., Special Troops Battalion, 25th Sustainment Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, gives Spc. Aaron Gilbert, a native of Concord, NC, an Infantryman assigned to C Co., 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, his package in Adazi, Latvia at the U.S. Army Post Office, July 4, 2016. The Soldiers of 259th Human Resource Co. provide the mail service to soldiers that are training with Latvian forces in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve which is being conducted in Eastern Europe to demonstrate U.S. commitment to the collective security of NATO and dedication to enduring peace and stability in the region.  

ADAZI, LATVIA

07.04.2016

Story by Pfc. James Dutkavich 

24th Theater Public Affairs Support Element

ADAZI, LATVIA – Handshakes, letters, lots of packages and even more smiles this 4th of July at the U.S. Army Post Office at Adazi, a military site in Latvia that hosts U.S. soldiers deployed in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

Packages arriving were often filled with treats, pictures and other goodies from friends and loved ones. On Mondays and Thursdays soldiers come to the post office to reconnect, if only in a small way, with everything they have back in the U.S.

Spc. Jonathan Jones, native of Gainesville, FL, a Human Resource Specialist assigned to 259th Human Resource Co., Special Troops Battalion, 25th Sustainment Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, and Cpl. Geovanny Samayoa, native of Monterey, CA, a Human Resource Specialist also assigned to the 259th Human Resource Co., both work in the post office.

“Working postal is great,” Jones said as he was sorting mail, “I get to meet a variety of different ranks of soldiers from privates to officers, and have a great professional relationship with them.”

Once he and Samayoa had all the mail sorted and scanned into the system they just had to wait for Soldiers to arrive and sign for their mail.

“Working in an Army post office is a very important job whenever you are on a deployment,” Samayoa said as he was scanning the last package barcodes into the system. “Soldiers look forward to receiving mail from their loved ones, and when I am able to successfully get them their packages, I know I made someone’s day a lot better.”

U.S. Army Spc. Aaron Gilbert, a native of Concord, NC, an Infantryman assigned to C Co., 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, was receiving a package and said, “It really brightens my day when I receive packages from home.”

The post office is the only on-site center for soldiers to send and receive mail. Mail delivery is critical for keeping up the morale of soldiers who are away from home and for giving families back in the U.S. a way to support their loved ones. An efficient, well run U.S. Army Post Office is important.

“The mail delivery went quick and smooth,” Jones said as he was closing the post office door, “and we made plenty of Soldiers smile today.”

• Date Taken: 07.04.2016
• Date Posted: 07.05.2016 10:27
• Story ID: 203081
• Location: ADAZI, LV
• Hometown: CONCORD, NC, US
• Hometown: GAINESVILLE, FL, US
• Hometown: MONTEREY, CA, US