Category: Relationships

Celebrating a Deployed Soldier’s Birthday

Be Discreet, or Go All Out!

At any stage in a military member’s career, hearing from loved ones at home is comforting and motivating. But when it comes to their birthday, things can get a little more complicated depending on where they are and what they’re doing.

To simplify your decision-making about what to do for your soldier’s or recruit’s birthday, My Hero Crate is here to give you some great ideas.



Birthdays at Boot Camp

Most recruits are pretty young — fresh out of high school, or even college-age — although, of course, there are plenty that are a little older, too. Birthdays are still pretty special to them, especially as they reach landmark years: leaving their teens, or turning 21.

If your recruit’s birthday falls during their time away at boot camp, we have some bad news. Boot camp is actually not the best time to send your recruit a military care package, let alone a birthday gift. There’s a reason recruits are instructed to not bring much with them to basic combat training, and that’s because whichever branch they’ve enlisted in, be it Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, or Coast Guard, they provide what they need to get through.

However, that isn’t to say you shouldn’t acknowledge your recruit’s birthday. Instead of a soldier care package, consider sending a heartfelt letter through the mail. Reflect on previous celebrations, talk about how proud you are of them for joining the military, and wish them happy birthday in a way that won’t bring the ire of their drill sergeant down upon them. The one thing you definitely don’t want during boot camp is special attention!

 

Birthdays After Basic Training

When your recruit graduates to soldier and their birthday comes around, finding creative ways to celebrate or send a gift to a military base is totally OK!

Some people prefer to keep it simple and follow the boot camp rules for celebrating birthdays. But if your soldier really loves their birthday, you might want to send a special Army care package, or build your own Navy gift box — or whatever branch they’re in — to send to your soldier.

If you want to keep it simple, My Hero Crate can take care of the packaging and shipping for you. Just select what type of care package you’d like to send, and your hero will receive their military care package directly from us.

If you prefer to create your own, know you will need to carefully package the contents to prevent them from being crushed, especially if you’re including anything fragile (like certain snacks). A popular item to receive is the famous cake-in-a-jar, which is a personal-sized cake baked directly inside a canning jar. Other ideas include necessities like underwear or sunblock; snacks, like chips, nuts, jerky, trail mix, or drink mixes in single-serving packages; simple games like cards or puzzle books (but not jigsaw puzzles); stationery supplies without stamps; and photos and special notes.

 

Birthdays During Deployment

It’s hard enough to be deployed to another part of the world, let alone when you’re deployed on your birthday. Just as you might send your soldier a birthday gift when they’re stateside, you also can send them a gift while they’re deployed for the domestic cost of shipping.

The United States Postal Service offers a reduced rate for military mail. You need only pay domestic postage on anything going to an APO or FPO address, as long as you have the APO/FPO/DPO and the zip code. Double-check with your soldier that you’ve written their mailing address down correctly before shipping a gift to them.

If assembling overseas-quality sturdy packaging and securing shipping just isn’t your forte, but you still want to send something special, My Hero Crate can take care of you in this situation, too! Our soldier care packages ship free 100% of the time. You’re already paying the emotional toll of having a loved one in the military; you don’t need to be nickel-and-dimed for postage, too.

 

Shop Now at My Hero Crate

Ready to send a care package and let us handle everything for you? Perfect! We’re ready to do it! Start by browsing our selection of care packages. You can even choose to sign your soldier up for a care package subscription service, and we’ll send a gift box every month!

When you place the gift box order with us, you’ll include your billing address, and your soldier’s shipping address. Then, we’ll take care of the rest. The next thing you know, you’ll get a phone call or letter thanking you for the care package full of snacks and sweet treats.

 

Editor’s Note: This post has been updated for accuracy. It was originally published on May 5, 2020.

Getting Ready For Your Service Member’s Homecoming

Holiday Leave Is Coming Up

Holiday leave. There is no more perfect combination of words in a soldier’s vocabulary. During the month of December, most military bases offer “block leave” opportunities, where entire weeks are marked off in the calendar for service members to visit home. Right around now, thousands of men and women in uniform are turning in their official leave requests and getting ready for a trip home. Here are some important things to keep in mind if you’re expecting a visit from a service member in your life over the holidays.

#1 – Leave is a Complicated Process

Imagine all the difficulties of planning a trip somewhere far away. Keep in mind all of the packing. Finding an affordable flight, or a safe driving route. Figuring out where you’re going to be staying. And so on, and so on. Whatever you’re imagining, go ahead and assume an extra four or five challenges have to be dealt with before holiday leave is even approved, let alone before your soldier can come home to you. And keep in mind that the army runs on paperwork. Every single step in the travel process doesn’t just need to be figured out, it needs to be documented. This leads to the next point.

#2 – Seeing You Took A Lot of Work

Picking someone up from an airport, especially if you don’t live particularly close to the airport, is never fun. And knowing that someone who you missed all year is in town and isn’t making the effort to come see you is frustrating. You have to keep in mind that it likely took weeks of work for a service member to see you. And a lot of that work had to be done during a soldier’s extremely limited free time. A single day driving to the airport or clearing time in your schedule to go to the place the visiting service member is staying is not that big of an ask. And if you haven’t seen them since they left for basic training, bear something else in mind.

#3 – The Military Changes People

The service member who comes home for a visit might not behave the same way as you’re used to. This can lead to a lot of tension between service members and their loved ones back home. The fact that many soldiers are under the age of 25 heightens that dramatically. You won’t get to be around to see them changing, and it might catch you off guard. Be sure to keep in mind that, even if they’ve changed, they are still fundamentally the person you love and were excited to have come home for holiday leave.

#4 – Not Everyone Gets to Go Home

Although the military does make an effort to let service members go home for the holiday, sometimes it just isn’t possible. There could be any number of reasons. They could be deployed somewhere where they are needed in December. Paperwork snafus can happen. They might not have enough leave days or money saved up. When that happens, your soldier is probably at least as bummed about it as you are, if not more. Why not show them you care over the holiday with one of My Hero Crate’s Care Packages? Our Christmas Gift Set is a perfect way to let your veteran know that you’re thinking of them and want to wish them a very Merry Christmas.

 

Whether you are seeing your family this year, or are stuck on base, all of us at My Hero Crate would like to wish our men and women in uniform a Happy Holiday.

May is Military Spouse Appreciation Month

Thank Them For Their Strength and Ability to Overcome Challenges with a Care Package from My Hero Crate

Military spouses are heroes in their own right. They hold down the household and take care of the children and pets while their military member loved ones are away. They move from location-to-location each time duty stations change, readjusting to life and meeting new friends out of necessity. And they endlessly support their enlisted spouses.

So it makes sense that the U.S. would dedicate a month to appreciating military spouses – affectionately called MilSpouses. How will you thank yours for all that they do? Here are a few ideas for celebrating!

A Day of Pampering

Anybody, and we mean anybody, would love a day at the spa to get a massage and pedicure. A massage will help your milspouse relax, but it also is really good for helping to heal body aches and pains. A pedicure doesn’t have to include colorful nail polish. It can be a rejuvenating experience and an opportunity to remove dry, callous build up and get a professional toenail trim. 

 

If a visit to the spa isn’t in the cards, order them a Women’s Relaxation Gift Set or Men’s R&R Gift Box from My Hero Crate.

 

Household Chore Takeover

If your MilSpouse spends their spare time keeping your home in top shape, give them a few days off from it by taking over the cleaning routine. Sweep, mop, dust, and scrub your heart out, while they put their feet up and enjoy their favorite television show. Or, save up spare change throughout the year to spring for a maid service for one month!

A break from keeping house provides the perfect time to enjoy a Mom’s Luxury Gift Set from My Hero Crate.

Chef for a Night

Don your “Kiss the Cook” apron and cook a special meal for your MilSpouse. Don’t forget to include an appetizer – perhaps a small charcuterie board to share – and a tasty dessert for later in the evening.

Supplement your charcuterie board or cheese board with some delicious crackers found in one of our signature military snack boxes. If you’ve received one as a gift, then you already have it in your house, ready for building out the perfect antipasto! 

Military Care Packages for Military Spouses

Sending your love goes both ways! If your spouse sent you care packages while you were deployed or temporarily away from your duty station, then you know how meaningful it was to receive such a gift that you could share with your friends and use as a reminder that someone back home loves you very much.

Return the favor by sending a gift box from My Hero Crate to your MilSpouse – even if you’re together at home. Receiving an unexpected gift in the mail will render them speechless and so, so thankful for how thoughtful you are.

Browse our full selection of military snack boxes or care package gift sets.

Handling Military-Related Homesickness

Send an Armed Forces Care Package to Help Cure Your Hero

Military members, their spouses, and their children all end up dealing with feelings of homesickness at some point. Moving from duty station to duty station, traveling for deployment, or simply being assigned to a base far from home or loved ones sparks this sense of loss and distance.

After you’ve been tied to the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps after a while, you learn how to keep homesickness and its related emotions at bay, until they go away. How you cope with homesickness is dependent upon who you are and your situation — and everyone is different. The feeling is totally normal, and your strategy for dealing with it should be creative and a perfect fit for you. Here are a few methods you can use to help quell the homesick blues.

Meet New People Near You

Building friendships and a support system — even a small one — where you live can help you feel less homesick. This includes if you’re a military spouse, in basic training, or are a deployed military member. Bonding with your unit or other military spouses means you will eventually have plenty of activities to take your mind off the distance between you and where you’re from.

You can meet new friends by attending social events for military members and their families, for starters. Base facilities like the gym can also be a great place to meet people. If you have children and you take them to play on the playground, you may even find like-minded parents looking for friends, too. 

Just remember: you aren’t the only one far from home. Others will be looking to make friends with you, so half the work is already done for you! 

Take Leave If You Can

Enlisted military personnel can take leave, if permissible, to visit family members and enjoy a break from work. You can take a short vacation with your family, or spend time at home doing absolutely nothing.

If you take leave to see your family back home, be sure to let everyone know when you’re coming, so you can plan your visits accordingly. You don’t want to use up your leave time only to find out that beloved family members were out of town when you came to see them.

Call, Write, and Send Military Care Packages

While meeting new people can distract you from your feelings of homesickness, it’s OK to think about who’s back home waiting for you. That’s why it’s important to stay connected with those folks who are far away.

Writing letters and making phone calls when possible are two easy ways you can stay in touch with friends and family members you left in your hometown, or back in the States while you’re deployed. You don’t have to have anything specific to talk about; just have a conversation and enjoy hearing each other’s voices.

Writing letters also gives you and your loved ones something to hold onto to get through bouts of homesickness. You can always reread letters when you’re missing your spouse, children, parents, or friends. It’s much harder to replay a phone call.

If your enlisted loved one is sent far from home, sending a care package is a wonderful way not only to show that you care, but also to make sure your hero has everything they need or want. Simple care packages full of snacks or a monthly military subscription box can mean the difference between having a crummy day and having the best day while enlisted so far. My Hero Crate makes it easy to send armed forces care packages; shipping is always free to DPO, FPO, and APO mailing addresses, too. 

Find a New Hobby

Filling your time with something that interests you is a prime way to deal with homesickness. If you’re having fun doing a new activity, you won’t be distracted by how homesick you feel. Eventually, that gnawing feeling will ease up or go away.

If you aren’t sure what hobbies interest you, do a quick internet search for ideas, or talk to people you know about what they like to do in their spare time. Painting, knitting, running, woodworking, or board games all help you pass the time and keep you feeling happy.

We’re More than Military Care Package Experts

At My Hero Crate, we know a thing or two about curating, assembling, and shipping really awesome care packages that you can send to your loved ones. But we also think we give really great advice! For more ideas for issues you face while living on base, while your loved one is deployed, and more, be sure to check out the rest of our blog.

And when you need to send the perfect gift for someone in the military, we’ve got your back!  Browse our full selection of Marine Corps, Army, Navy, or Air Force care packages on our website.

On Your Team: How an Army Spouse Helps People Improve their Wellbeing

Celebrate Accomplishments with a Military Care Package from My Hero Crate

Louise Valentine has been bucking tradition for years. Before completing her undergraduate degree, she started her own business — the first one. She never stops learning, as evidenced by the alphabet soup behind her name — five major credentials she’s earned over the years to stay at the top of her field. And she’s mastered the art of living without separating work and play.

Oh, she’s also an Army wife, currently stationed in Maryland with her husband and two children, after moving nine times in 11 years, enjoying a full-time career and side gig dedicated to helping people live healthful lives, physically and mentally. The latest way she’s done that is by writing and self-publishing a book on a wildly abbreviated timeline.

You might find yourself feeling exhausted thinking about accomplishing all of that in a single lifetime. But Louise isn’t. She focuses on the driving force behind everything she does, and sticks with it.

My purpose is to help others find realistic ways to live a vibrant, healthy life,” she explained.

Building a Foundation

Louise, a military wifeConsidered a wellness expert, Louise started her career as a sports and medical massage therapist for the NFL when she lived in Ohio. However, after marrying her combat aviator active duty husband, she moved to New York state to join him at his duty station.

After years of re-engineering her career at each new duty station, Louise was awarded a research fellowship with the Army, where she could utilize her health expertise. During her two-hour daily commute, she planned Team Valentine Project, an online comprehensive health resource, at www.TeamValentineProject.com.

As she drove, she’d dictate notes into her phone and transfer the information to a later blog post. The platform shares tips, tricks, and tools for leading a healthful life, with Louise’s experience as a military spouse sprinkled throughout.

Unbeknownst to Louise, the health tool she created in her spare time would go on to help her land a leadership role at a healthcare technology company, Vheda Health, where she works as the Director of Client Services. It’s a position that allows her to help Medicaid, Medicare, and employer group high-risk populations find ways to navigate chronic disease and improve their overall wellness.

And that’s a task that Louise is no stranger to, herself.

Overcoming Obstacles

In a short span of time, Louise received major medical diagnoses that would change how she approached her work: osteoporosis, and a pre-cancer diagnosis mid-pandemic last summer. And then her dad received his own cancer diagnosis.

Louise had already been writing about how to break down challenges and researching how to do it. But her dad’s health was the motivation she needed to turn her thoughts into a concise book that she wanted published as soon as possible, that her dad could hold in his hands, and see that he had been a success at instilling his values in her.

She also saw an opportunity to help people suffering during the global COVID-19 pandemic. So, she got to work in June. She was finished by October, just as her dad completed his month-long ICU stay because of coronavirus.

“When we’re motivated to help others and see the impact we have on them, it’s powerful and energizes you,” she said.

Her book, now available on Amazon, is called The Art of Breaking Through: Five Simple Steps to Take on Any Challenge & Tackle Self-Doubt. While writing, she channeled how she navigated out of her own dark moments in life to overcome obstacles and come out on the other side better than ever.

“We are all perfectly capable of overcoming obstacles,” Louise said. “The more we recognize that, the more we can do and take on.”

Although the final version of her book is quite short, Louise explained that it was intentional, so that her readers could quickly begin to take charge of their wellbeing rather than devoting too much time to grappling with overly-complicated concepts. Her goal was to empower others to change their lives, and she is confident her short book accomplishes that within its 68 pages.

Tips You Can Follow, Starting Today

Making small changes with great intentions can help you navigate out of a difficult place. Louise says these starting points can help you change the things in your life that aren’t working for you.

-Take a stress inventory. Think about the responsibilities you’re juggling and what you actually need to accomplish in the moment to begin feeling better. Choose what really matters, and start there.

-Recognize that you may need to re-engineer your goals. What you might’ve been able to accomplish under other circumstances could be different because of your current situation.

-Find what works for you by looking to those who are successful as your inspiration. Use their techniques to optimize your time and energy, but don’t restrict yourself to assuming their way is the only way to do things. Ask for help when you need it; find a support system.

-Honor the struggle. Anticipate that obstacles and challenges will appear. When you acknowledge that, you’re less stressed when they arise.

Know that changes take time and won’t happen instantaneously.

“It’s taken me years to get to this place, and it’s a good place to be. That [good place] looks different for everyone,” Louise shared. “Find what works for you, and fill your bucket.”

A Care Package from Home Can Help Motivate Your Hero

military subscription boxSometimes motivation comes from things you’d least expect.

You would expect your military hero to find motivation from their work, their squadron, and their leadership. But sometimes it’s the smaller things — the things that don’t necessarily affect careers — that are the biggest factors in getting through the day and getting things done. One of those things just might be a deployment care package.

A gift of sweet and savory treats and games or activities to pass the time helps your hero’s mind stay sharp and focused when it’s time to work, because the fun and relaxation our military care packages provide reminds them of everyone who loves them back home.

Send a monthly military care package to your hero today.

A Military Spouse’s Guide for Getting Through a Deployment

Stay Strong and Stay Connected with Our Military Care Package Subscription Box

It seems like time slows down during deployments, when you’re responsible for “holding down the fort” at home. Maybe you have children and pets. Maybe you’re working full time or juggling multiple part-time jobs to keep things running. We get it: you’re busy, emotional, and tired. There’s nothing quite like being a military spouse, and getting advice from other people without that experience feels useless.

Instead, take a cue from someone who’s been there with My Hero Crate’s tips from other military spouses about how to get through deployment with your sanity.

Use On-Base Benefits

Especially if you live on-base, you’ll find that these close-to-home resources are invaluable. Do all your shopping on base when you can and take advantage of on-base babysitting at the Child Development Center when you work and when you need a break.

Most base CDCs have an hourly child care option, so you can schedule a couple days per month to enjoy time to yourself to decompress, destress, or problem-solve without children interrupting your train of thought.

And if you’re already living on base or at least near to base, you won’t need to travel very far to drop off and pick up your kids, making it the most convenient option available to you without relying on family members or friends.

Practice Good Sleep Hygiene

Getting a good night’s sleep is key to feeling your best and being healthy. Being well rested is the foundation for good days. When you’re tired, your body handles stress and emotions differently. Just like when your kids get fussy, you know it’s time for a nap, do the same for yourself. Hit the hay at a reasonable hour and wake up every day at roughly the same time.

Try not to watch TV in bed, or leave lights on all night. Cozy up in your dark bedroom and focus on resting and falling asleep.

Healthy sleep habits help you keep your energy up throughout the day and prevent that run-down feeling.

Exercise at Home or at the Gym

Exercise releases endorphins that can help improve your mood and increase your energy. Take advantage of free gym access or fitness classes on base when you can, or look up at-home workout videos online and work up a sweat in your living room.

According to the Mayo Clinic, you should get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise every week, spread out over all seven days. You don’t have to exercise because you’re trying to lose weight; it’s just good for your body, physically and mentally. And even if you don’t care about all that – it will at least help you pass the time and perhaps meet new friends who are dealing with deployment, too.

Talk

Your military spouse friends know what you’re going through, so if you’re having a tough time during deployment, make a few phone calls and plan a get-together to help take your mind off of your emotions or process them.

As a military spouse, you also have access to free non-medical counseling sessions through Military One Source. Attending counseling sessions does not mean that you’re weak. It means that you’re strong enough to acknowledge that you need help managing stress and life while your spouse is away.

Participate in Activities

Whether you frequent on-base activities for spouses dealing with deployment or you make your own, keeping busy with something fun is ideal! 

You can plan a day trip with your friends or children, take up a new hobby, learn new skills via online courses, or anything else you can think of. Not only will these help you pass the time, but you might gain valuable knowledge you can apply in your career or use to start a small side business to help you bring in some extra money each month.

Stay Connected by Sending Military Care Packages During Deployment

Your hero may be deployed, but that doesn’t mean they don’t realize how hard you have it at home. They hope that you’re doing well, thinking of them, and feeling happiness at every opportunity.

Remind them of your love by sending our monthly subscription box for deployed military members in the Air Force, Navy, Army, or Marine Corps. For just $39.99 a month, for as many months as you’d like, we’ll send your hero a military-approved care package full of sweet and salty snacks, quick meals, personal care items, and premium gifts like sunglasses, headphones, and activity kits. And shipping is always free to any APO, FPO, or DPO addresses.

Each time they receive one of our military care packages in our signature olive-drab box, they’ll be thankful for everything you do while they’re away – while you’re thankful for everything they do, too.

Subscribe to our military care package service today.

Facing Valentines Day During a Deployment

Send a Gift for Deployed Soldiers to Help Them Celebrate

The uncertainty of deployment, coupled with missing yet another holiday together, is heartbreaking. For many couples, Valentine’s Day is about togetherness and showing each other how much you care. Distance, especially long ones across oceans, can make celebrating difficult. But this year, My Hero Crate has ideas for how you can make the most of your Valentine’s Day celebration. 

Enjoy Valentine’s Day with Friends

If you can’t spend the holiday with the one you love, then why not spend it with friends who are going through the same thing? If it’s safe to meet up in person, plan a small dinner party or dessert night. Otherwise, plan a gathering via video conference, where you can play games, chat, and do the same activities. Use apps like Zoom, Discord, Google Hangouts, or Facebook Messenger to arrange your virtual meet-up. When you spend Valentine’s Day with people who are enduring the same thing you are, you find lots of common ground and can comfort each other.

Do Absolutely Nothing

Sometimes treating a holiday like Valentine’s Day like any other day makes passing the day much easier. While you’ll definitely have to deal with hearing about other peoples’ plans, you can revel in the fact that you can spend the day doing whatever you want – including taking a nap on the sofa, eating junk food for dinner, going for a run, or meal-planning for the rest of the week, for example.

Plan a Spa Day

Use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to practice some serious self care. Indulge yourself in luxurious and relaxing spa treatments – even if they’re DIY ones – and simply enjoy the rejuvenation process. You can get everything you need for your DIY spa treatments in our Women’s Relaxation Gift Box. Treat yourself!

Spend Time with Your Family

If you and your military hero have started a family together, devote February 14 to your children (even if they’re fur kids!). Plan fun activities for them, like a special dinner and movie night. Get creative with it. For example, if your kids are very small, create a drive-in movie experience by creating “cars” out of cardboard boxes and lining them with a blanket. They can enjoy their movie from the inside of their new rides while you stretch out on the sofa.

Head for the Great Outdoors

Reconnect with nature and practice mindfulness as you go on a hike on a nature trail. Take in the sights; breathe in the crisp, fresh air; and enjoy moving your body and using your muscles. Many people find peace in nature. Perhaps you will, too.

Shop ‘Til You Drop (Within Reason)

Sometimes retail therapy is all it takes to get your mind off of your sorrows, like missing Valentine’s Day with the one you love. Save up all your shopping, including grocery shopping, for Valentine’s Day, and knock it all out in one day. There’s something soothing about the process, even if you’re just shopping for necessities.

Send a Military Care Package to Your Deployed Hero

Even if you may only get a letter or card in return, you can make your hero feel special and loved on February 14, by sending him or her one of our military gift boxes full of snacks and treats, or with items meant to inspire relaxation. We’re also pleased to offer a Valentine’s Day gift for military members this year. It’s a special gift box full of V-Day-themed items and sweet and savory treats. 

Five Reasons to Send a Monthly Military Subscription Box

My Hero Crate Makes Care Packages Easy!

One-time snack boxes are a wonderful gift – but what if you’re looking to send a present every single month? If you’ve ever wrestled with the complexity of sending a package to an APO address, then you know it’s not something you look forward to. But My Hero Crate is making the military care package game as simple as can be, and taking care of all the complicated work for you.

We’ve come up with five very important reasons you should send your hero a monthly military subscription box – but we’re sure once your hero receives it, they can come up with a few more!

You’ll save time shopping for care package items and organizing shipping.

Shopping for individual snacks, hygiene items, and fun surprises can be quite time-consuming. Rather than scurry from store-to-store looking for something unique to include, you could dedicate that time to doing something vital to running your household – and there’s always something to do, right?

My Hero Crate’s care package experts source gift items and assemble each box with great care. And because all our items are sourced from American distributors, we’re keeping our business right here in the U.S.A.! 

Your hero will have something to look forward to each month.

A monthly subscription box from My Hero Crate means your loved one in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, or National Guard will receive a new gift box every month, without fail, for as long as you’d like.

Soon, your loved one will know when to start counting down the days to their next gift. When they receive it and open it, they’ll be reminded of how much they’re loved and valued. It’s like sending them a big hug from home!

Our care packages are affordable.

For the cost of just 10 lattes, one tank of gas, or 40 lottery tickets, you can send a military care package anywhere in the world, with free shipping for APO, DPO, and FPO addresses.

And our care packages are a good value! Each gift box is completely filled before being sealed and shipped, so you know you’re getting your money’s worth.

Unique premium gift items are included each month.

Your hero won’t receive the same items month after month. Variety is the spice of life, and subscription boxes are meant to be varied, too.

Each military subscription box includes items like:

  • -Salty snacks: potato chips, beef sticks, pretzels, and more
  • -On-the-go snacks: granola bars, beef jerky, and more
  • -Quick meals: ramen noodles, mac ‘n’ cheese, breakfast oatmeal packets, and more
  • -Candy: America’s favorite fruity and chocolatey treats like Hershey’s bars, Starburst, and Skittles
  • -Personal care items: disposable face masks, cotton swabs, antibacterial wipes, tissues, and more
  • -Healthy snacks, like nuts, fruit snacks, protein bars, and more
  • -Premium gifts, such as a phone battery power bank, sunglasses, headphones, water bottle, and more

We donate to non-profit, veteran-backed organizations every month.

For every care package we sell, we donate a portion of our proceeds to a non-profit organization that’s doing great work for American veterans. Check out our website to see which organization we’re supporting this month.

Our donation is just one way we’re giving back to America’s heroes. Assembling meaningful gift boxes and shipping them to your hero is another.

Purchase a monthly gift box subscription online.

Valentine Ideas for Your Hero

Send a Traditional Valentine and a Military Care Package to Say “I Love You”

Every holiday spent apart is difficult, and Valentine’s Day is no different. Your partner or sweetheart misses you just as much as you miss them. One of the most thoughtful ways to show it is by sending them a greeting card. Go the extra mile this year by making your own card to send, and by ordering one of our awesome military care packages from My Hero Crate. We offer free shipping to APO, FPO, and DPO addresses all over the world, no matter where your hero is stationed.

Construction Paper Crafting

Create a greeting card design using construction paper in a variety of colors. Cut out hearts and other shapes, then glue them onto a piece of cardstock or another piece of construction paper. Paper doilies and tissue paper also look great. Write your own greeting inside. This greeting card project is ideal for kids who want to send a Valentine to their parents or siblings stationed away from home.

Collage Cards

A more artful idea for decorating a Valentine is creating a collage to adorn the front. Gather up old magazines, scissors, and glue. You’ll want to start with a background image large enough to cover the full front of your card. Look for nature scenes, cityscapes, colorful patterns, or other meaningful images. Then, choose images for the foreground: people, animals, plants, and other pictures to create a kind of storyline. Write your message on the inside and send it off in an envelope.

Buy a Blank Card and Customize It

If you aren’t confident in your art skills, start with a premade greeting card that is blank inside. Choose one that you can add your own decorations to on the front, like a photo cutout of you and your loved one. Write your own custom message inside.

Write a Heartfelt Letter

If you’re skilled in crafting poems and prose, purchase fine stationery from an online or local store, and draft a romantic letter to your hero. Make it even more special by learning some simple calligraphy techniques from YouTube to make your letter look fancy.

Photo Album Valentine

Small brag-book-style photo albums that hold 4×6” photos are inexpensive at your local dollar store. Purchase one and fill it with your favorite prints and memories, and include messages throughout it to your enlisted loved one. It’s like a multi-page Valentine they’ll love looking at over and over again, and it won’t take up too much room in their personal belongings.

Don’t Forget the Care Package

An ideal gift, our military care packages are full of snacks or self-care items. Receiving one is like getting a hug from home, even when home is an overseas flight away. And while you have many options for premade Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps care packages, we are confident that ours are the best. Why? All our snacks are sourced from American distributors, and we’re an American company, based in Ohio. We also donate a portion of our proceeds to a veteran-backed organization in the United States. 

 

Choose a care package to send to your military hero today.

How to Talk About Suicide

Ways You Can Help Your Hero in Need

My Hero Crate has made it our mission to improve the lives of veterans. Our method is to build military care packages for every branch of the armed forces and to ship them anywhere in the world, wherever your hero is living. We also support nonprofit, veteran-focused organizations because we put our money where our mouth is.

We are not experts in mental health or military suicides. We aren’t trained psychiatrists with an in-depth knowledge of how the brain works. But we do care a whole lot. And that’s why this month, National Suicide Prevention Month, we wanted to share with you some of the research we found about helping military veterans access the care they need, should they ever experience suicidal ideation. If this blog post helps even one veteran and the people that care about them get through a difficult time, then writing it will have been worth it. 

A Long History of Veteran Suicide

It is more than unfortunate that United States military veteran suicide has been a phenomenon for decades; the very first suicide prevention center opened in 1958 because of the prolific number of veteran suicides. In the years since, the U.S. and Veterans Affairs have taken steps to reduce rates of suicide by establishing additional mental health resources and legislation. It is difficult, however, to fix the root cause of the problem.

According to a report published by the VA in 2016, an average of 20 veterans die from suicide each day. Further analysis of the VA study shows that the rate varies by age group. Sixty-nine percent of suicides involved veterans 50 and older, whereas 31 percent involved younger veterans. Ninety-seven percent of victims were male.

The cause? It’s not precise, but the majority of veterans who commit suicide reportedly struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and combat-related guilt. Transitioning back to civilian life can also be quite difficult, especially after years in the military. 

Risk Factors for Veteran Suicide

The National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah and the VA both say there are risk factors that increase the likelihood of military veterans experiencing suicidal ideation:

  • -Feelings of depression or hopelessness
  • -PTSD and/or a history of trauma
  • -Access to firearms
  • -Combat experience and combat-related guilt (although combat doesn’t always play a primary role in suicidal ideation); severe combat conditions
  • -Lengthy or frequent deployments, or longer times at war
  • -Location of deployment
  • -Branch of military
  • -Lower level of education
  • -Divorce soon after the end of deployment
  • -Sustaining life-altering injuries
  • -Brain/head trauma
  • -Witnessing traumatic events, such as their fellow soldiers being killed 
  • -Military structure and re-acclimating to civilian life

Suicide Warning Signs to Watch For

It’s difficult to predict when someone may be considering suicide, especially if they tend to hide their emotions. However, there is a set of common warning signs you can watch for as you interact with your hero at home, over the phone, or via mail.

  • -They make statements about suicide, such as “I wish I were dead,” or, more specifically, “I’m going to kill myself.” 
  • -They withdraw from social contact, including their friends and other family members.
  • -They seem preoccupied with death and dying, or violence.
  • -Their personalities may change, or they may have severe mood swings.
  • -They participate in risky behaviors, including using drugs, abusing alcohol, or driving recklessly.
  • -They express that they feel trapped or hopeless.
  • -They say goodbye to people as though they’ll never see them again.
  • -They change their normal routine, including when and how often they eat or sleep.
  • -They give away their belongings or “get their affairs in order.”
  • -They have acquired means to commit suicide, including purchasing a gun, accessing pills, etc. 

How to Start the Conversation with Your Hero

Don’t worry that if you ask your hero about suicidal thoughts or feelings, you push them into actually doing it. Giving them a chance to express their feelings can actually reduce their risk of acting on them. To do so, you can start your one-on-one conversation by asking some sensitive questions, like:

  • -How are you coping with what has happened in your life?
  • -How are you feeling about everything that has happened with you?

You should also ask some direct questions, like:

  • -Are you thinking about hurting yourself? 
  • -Are you thinking about suicide?
  • -Are you thinking about dying?

Your questions can continue to delve into more detail, like:

  • -Have you ever thought about suicide before?
  • -Have you ever tried to hurt yourself before?
  • -Have you thought about how or when you’d do it?
  • -Do you have access to weapons, or other things you could use to hurt yourself?

What Not to Say

Most suicidologists agree that committing suicide isn’t a decision. In an essay by Gerben Meynen, a professor of forensic psychiatry at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, he argues that “having a mental disorder takes away a person’s ability to choose alternatives.”

In fact, until the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), “loss of freedom” was listed as a component of mental illness. This description has now been updated to an “impairment in one or more important areas of functioning,” which is said to include “one or more losses of freedom.” 

It makes sense, then, that talking about suicide in a way that insinuates it is your hero’s choice would not be productive, and would instead shame them for their struggle. Never refer to committing suicide as selfish, stupid, cowardly or weak, a choice, or a sin, regardless of your personal beliefs.

You should also avoid “making it about you.” It is likely your hero has already thought about the repercussions of suicide and how it may affect their loved ones, but still views it as the only escape from their feelings.

What You Should Do

If your hero is considering suicide, you can help them get the resources they need. You can encourage them to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, and offer to sit with them as they make the call. To access responders with experience helping veterans, your hero should press “1” at the prompt. If they prefer to text with a responder at the Lifeline, they can send a message to 838255.

Help them locate the phone number for their doctor at the VA to get access to the VA Mental Health program and VA Suicide Prevention program. There are so many non-profit organizations dedicated to veterans’ mental health — just like the ones we donate to with the proceeds from each of our military care packages. You can learn more about them at veteranscrisisline.net. 

Be supportive. Express your love for them, and your concern. 

A Heartfelt Sign-Off from Your Favorite Military Care Package Experts

Your personal military hero is also ours. It is our sincere hope that you and your veteran will learn to stave off the thoughts of suicide while living your best possible lives together.

© 2020 MY HERO CRATE