Addressing a Military Care Package Online

Our goal here at Hero Care Packages is to try and get military care packages into the hands of as many service members as possible. Whether you DIY, or use let our military veterans send the care package, we want to give you the tools you need to get military members the care packages they deserve.

So let’s look at the most important part: making sure it gets where it needs to go.

Domestic Military Members

Service members who live in the United States will likely have an APO/FPO address, but many will also have a standard domestic address. Ask them which one they prefer getting packages at. Sometimes, it’s easier to get packages sent to one or the other. If you’re sending it to the domestic address, you can use any mail service. But if sending to the APO/FPO address, you must use USPS.

Overseas Military Members

If you are sending to a military address, as most will be, USPS is your only option. Usually, military members will give you an address that looks like this:

Hero Soldier 

Camp Army 

HHC 123 ABC 

APO AE 12345

The below graphic is an old version of the Hero Care Packages checkout, before it was customized to format it specifically to military addresses.  This is what most online shipping forms look like.  The graphic walks you through how these should be entered int o shipping fields, whether online or on the label forms with USPS.  Click the graphic to enlarge it.

Common Mistakes:

1. ALWAYS Put "United States" as the Country: Not sure where they are stationed? (Don’t worry if you don’t. Lots of times, it’s classified!) Just check the address. If there is an APO/FPO/DPO in the address, the military will route it to the right country. For that reason, whenever you have to pick a country, always choose “United States” even if you know they are deployed in Afghanistan!

2. Forget Customs Forms: If you've filled out customs forms in sending your own care package, don't worry about it when you send something online.  The company shipping the items will do all that for you.  

3. Don’t feel the need to fill every field. Trust that your military member has given you the right address, and the units are very good at getting the packages where they need to go, even with little information. All you need to do is get it to the unit, and they’ll know who to give it to, usually by name. So if you don’t know the exact division, and your service member hasn’t given it, don’t worry!

If you're more interested in learning more about sending a care package on your own, check out our articles about DIY Care Packages. And, as always, we curate premium care packages made by veterans, for veterans. And we take care of all shipping, customs forms, and even have a checkout tailored towards military addresses to make sure the packages get where they're supposed to go. Check out the full catalog here.

Questions? Other tips? Comment below!