Troubleshooting: My Soldier Hasn’t Gotten My Letters At Basic
It’s one of the most frequently-asked questions of any Army loved-one when their soldier is at Basic Training. Everyone wants to know if their letters ever made it to their soldier. Or why they haven’t. Or if they will. And while nobody can know exactly what goes on behind the closed doors of Basic Training camp, here are a few answers to help you through the fog that we have all been through.
Problem: He is Sending Me Letters, But Says He Hasn’t Received Mine
Solution: If it’s still within 10 days of his departure from you, then he is still in a pre-Basic Training “phase” known as Reception. It’s the soldiers’ first stage of being stripped down to the very core, where their personal backgrounds and circumstances fade, and they become a single unit of men training for the same objective. It’s the stage where they are issued clothing, receive haircuts, and learn how to get into formation, etc. Since this phase is so strict, there is no way that the soldiers can receive letters, in fact, you won’t even have their Reception address! Note: they can send a few letters from Reception, which is why you are getting some, but they won’t include a return address.
If he has been gone for more than 10 days, but hasn’t been gone longer than 5 weeks, then he is in Red Phase. It’s the first phase of Basic Training and supposedly the “hardest.” I’m sure it varies from soldier to soldier. But it’s the strictest phase during which they are introduced to the Army lifestyle. It’s the phase that sets the tone for the soldier’s Basic Training experience. Normally, letters and phone calls aren’t allowed during this phase, because the Drill Sergents are still in “breaking” mode. Again, you might be receiving letters from your soldier, but he won’t be getting mail call until about two weeks into this phase.
Problem: I’m Not Sure If I Have the Right Address
Solution: You have 3 options.
- Wait to receive the Commander’s Letter. It arrives at some time during Red Phase. It will have the address EXACTLY as you need to write it (but make sure you get your soldier’s roster number, or platoon/class information if that is required instead of his roster number).
- Copy your soldier’s return address EXACTLY as he writes it. He won’t be able to write a return address until he is physically in Basic Training, (not Reception) so some waiting might ensue. Your soldier’s way of writing his address might differ slightly from the Commander’s way, but both are accurate. Just make sure you have the roster number/platoon or class information.
- Get on the Facebook page of your soldier’s unit to see if the Commander’s Letter has been published there. Make sure you have the right unit though, as they have very similar numeration. If you don’t know the unit Facebook page, you can look up their training website where an address is often posted under FAQ’s. Just remember, you will still need the roster number or platoon/class number!!
Problem: I Never Got the Commander’s Letter
Solution: The Commander sends out a letter but sometimes it gets sent to someone besides you (if you aren’t his primary point of contact). Your soldier fills out a few different forms of contact during his in-processing at Reception. If he put his parents or a sibling down as his primary kin, then they will more than likely receive any of the letters sent out by the unit. You can of course get a copy of the Commander’s Letter by contacting that family member. But that’s not always possible.
So, another solution is to find your soldier’s unit Facebook page and look for the memo posted there. If you can’t find it the memo, consider connecting with a fellow family member on the Facebook page and ask for a copy of the Commander’s Letter. Just remember that social media is not always a safe place for discussing military topics. There are rules posted on the Facebook pages about what can and can’t be said. Always be careful and err on the side of caution…since it’s your soldier’s safety we are talking about here!
Problem: My Letters are Addressed Correctly, But He Isn’t Getting Them
Solution: If you’ve ruled out the possibility that he is still in either Reception or Red Phase, then there could be another very good reason. There are portions of the training during which your soldier will be sleeping and training “in the field” (outdoors). During that time, there is no mail call, and your soldier doesn’t get a chance to send letters out either. Not to worry! They build-up and are all eventually delivered in one big bundle. But remember that the build-ups are company-wide, and so it could cause a delay in the sorting/delivery process. Again, he WILL get them eventually, but that doesn’t mean he will always get them in a timely manner. 🙁
If your soldier doesn’t seem to be getting your letters, more than likely there has just been a significant delay in the mail sorting. Unfortunately, this is a very common occurrence at least once or twice during Basic Training. It’s not done on purpose. It’s a simple logistical issue of having mass quantities of letters arrive in the same distribution room. There is no “delivery” process from the mail carrier to the individual soldiers–that’s the job of the Drill Sergeants. And they have so many other tasks that sometimes mail call gets left behind. Rest assured, the letters WILL arrive (as long as you have the right address and roster number!)
Problem: I Think My Letters are Being Confiscated
Solution: Your letters will never be confiscated, unless they contain something that is contraband: gum sticks, explicit photos, etc. Your letters are US Mail and cannot be confiscated or discarded simply because the Drill Sergeant are “trying to teach the soldiers a lesson”. To be honest, the letters MOTIVATE the soldiers much more than withholding them ever could. The letters are the property of the soldiers, and the Drill Sergeants cannot just hold onto them for their own reasons. (nor would they)
When it does happen that your soldier isn’t getting his letters, it’s never that he is being singled out. Sometimes, the soldiers (as a group) will get assigned a task at night in punishment for something they did or didn’t do during the day. This task could get in the way of mail call. But it’s not that mail call was restricted. It’s just that training got in the way. That’s pretty much the only kind of situation during which your mail will be “withheld” from your soldier (or if he is training in the field). So out of all your concerns, assuming his letters are being confiscated is the least likely issue!
Problem: I Think My Letters are Getting Him in Trouble
Solution: You can’t get him in trouble for writing too frequently. Don’t worry that you are “annoying” the Drill Sergeants. They are well aware that the soldiers will be getting frequent letters. It’s part of their job to relay the letters to them. The only way your letters could be getting him in trouble is if you are breaking the rules. You can read the guidelines about envelope restrictions here and material restrictions here. It’s pretty hard to break the rules though…you have to be intentionally sending naughty things or going out of your way to make your letters stand out in an alarming way.
Problem: I Just Can’t Figure Out WHY My Letters Aren’t Getting to Him
If you’re still in doubt about what could possibly be going wrong, do a quick troubleshooting exercise:
- Check the current date– Is he in Red Phase?
- Check the known training schedule (if he has been updating you on upcoming events)– Is he in the field?
- Check the address– Is it the right one, including his roster number or platoon or class information
- Check the rules– Am I violating any obvious rules, like sending padded envelopes?
Out of all the possibilities of what’s happening (or NOT happening in the mail room) the very most common problem with sending letters to your soldier is a simple issue of overflow. With one mail room and hundreds of soldiers, it’s inevitable that keeping up with the mail is going to be tough. Unfortunately. The good news is, your letter will eventually get to him! The bad news is, he might not be getting a “daily” letter–more likely a weekly windfall.
In the meantime, just keep writing him. One day, he will get your letters! And I guarantee, the mountain of mail will be a day he won’t forget. 🙂 If you are having a concern that wasn’t addressed above, feel free to leave a comment below. I will answer your comment as best I can!! And if you have a suggestion for another Army-family concern that needs troubleshooting, I would love to know.
Thanks so much for reading. I hope your period of waiting goes by as quickly and painlessly as possible! Basic Training is long and waiting is such a challenge. But one day it is over and your soldier is yours to keep. 🙂 Homecomings really are perfect. I wish you and your soldier all the best! Come back soon.
**Read Next: 5 (Emotional) Letter Writing Myths**
16 Comments
Victoria
Hi do they throw away mail if the platoon number is wrong? And if not do they ever get their mail if the platoon number is wrong ?
Amara
Hi, I was just able to talk to him on the phone and he said that he’s sent me multiple letters but I’ve only gotten one. Do you know any possible reason why?
Jennifer
hi! To the best of my knowledge, the absolute, number one critical piece of information is getting your soldier’s name right. Everything else is important in terms of getting the letter to him/her in a timely manner. Sending it to the right company, right address, and right name, with a slight platoon slip-up is not as big of a deal as sending it to the wrong training base! If your soldier has a roster number, that is even more helpful than a platoon number (though both are useful). 🙂
Jessica
Hi, my husband has been at basic for nearly four weeks now. He sent me the commander’s letter but I never received it since he got the numbers mixed up for my address. He has sent several letters and he writes a return address on them. I just got a letter from him with his mailing address, but it has a different street address from the return address he has been using. I sent several letters to him using his return address before getting his mailing address. Any chance he will get the other letters I sent? They included his company and Battalion but not his unit or platoon #. Thanks!
haikey
so i sent my boyfriend letters but i’ve never mailed a letter before and i know he is in red phase so it may be awhile before he gets them but will he still get them if i forgot a return address
Carly Estrada
Hi there!y boyfriend is at Fort Jackson and he wrote me a letter saying he has not got any of my letters. I wrote him 4 already and he said other people are getting there mail. I’m worried because he went in as E4 so before I got his exact address I looked up on the Facebook page how to write a letter to them. It said to include his rank before his name. So I wrote SPC but later found out that I have to write Trainee. Will this affect him not getting his letters now?? Thanks so much!
Jennifer
No, it’s totally okay to write Trainee vs. their actual rank!
Sarah
Hello I ran into a few problems. Before my bf headed out for basic training from reception he had taken a pic of his platoon number, company and infantry. He told me to send him mail to that address but then when I got his first letter :c he told me his platoon number changed. I’m afraid he isnt getting the letters I’ve been sending him. He told me he has only got one out of 10 that I’ve sent him. Do you think he will be able to get them or is it lost forever :c?
Jennifer
Thank you so much for commenting. Sorry for the late response!
There can be delays with sorting, and if there is wrong platoon information on the envelope, it could definitely add some time on delivery. Usually the mail is divided up into platoons, and then dispersed to the soldiers. So the missing 9 letters that were grouped with the wrong platoon’s mail most likely got kicked back to the delivery room to be resorted by name instead. It’s always possible they won’t get there (that has happened to me before with Army mailing too) but I wouldn’t give up hope–since one got delivered, the others very well might as well!
It really stinks when stuff like this happens but you should be REALLY proud of yourself for spending that time writing him letters. The mail is a HUGE morale boost and it matters so, so, so much to the soldiers. It even makes the leadership happy to see so much mail getting sent to the soldiers. So really, that in itself is a big accomplishment. And now that you have the corrected address, your soldier will get all his mail regularly.
Thanks for stopping by! And best of luck on your Army journey together.
Sam
Hello, so I’m wondering if the same address has to be followed exactly for example if the first line ended with _ Co,
I have to follow that same format ? I sent my boyfriend letters but it I didnt follow his format I ended the first line with his Name then started the second line with what company he is in and etc.
Jennifer
Hi! Thanks for stopping by.
Copying the format that your soldier uses is helpful because it eliminates any guessing, however there are always alternatives that will still totally work. As long as you are including the information that is required… __ Co, Soldier’s name, Platoon #, then it will get to the right place. And that’s why having received a letter is helpful–because you can fill in all the information for addressing with whatever return address your soldier provides. I hope this helps! Congrats on your soldier’s service!!
Stephanie
Hi Jennifer
My husband has been in bootcamp 3 weeks now and I have resived two letters of my husband saying he still in reception the begging of bootcamp and that he will be starting the falling week I have also received a commanders welcome letter that provides his mailing adress … but I have not received a platoon number?
My question is should have I gotten his platoon number already? Or will it be coming? I be so stress about it thank you
Jennifer
Hi! If your husband is still in reception, that’s probably why he hasn’t been able to tell you which platoon he is in. Once he begins bootcamp, he will be able to tell you his platoon number! Best of luck and thanks for stopping by.
Taylor
My husband has been in basic training for almost a month now and I’ve received 2 letters from him but he hasn’t gotten any of mine but he has got his moms and grandparents letters why would this happen?
Jennifer
Thanks for commenting and welcome! I can’t say for certain why he hasn’t gotten your mail, but I would definitely double-check your the personal information and address on your envelopes. That would be so frustrating to send him mail and for him to not receive it. 🙁 I’m so sorry! Sorting delays often (OFTEN) happen in the mailroom, but a month is an unusually long delay. Most delays are a week or two at the very most. Did the commander’s letter reach you yet? That will have the exact address on it (minus the personal information like your soldier’s roster number). If you don’t have the commander’s letter, would you be able to verify with your soldier’s relatives about what address/personal information they used? You could also use your soldier’s return address, exactly as he wrote it. Sometimes having a mis-print in the address or in the company information can delay the sorting process. It doesn’t mean the letters will never get there, but it can make it take a lot longer, and in some cases make it undeliverable. I wrote a post about how to specifically address letters to soldiers in Basic, and you can read that here. Again, I’m so sorry that he hasn’t gotten your letters yet! When my husband went through Basic, I remember that I received letters from him for a while before he received them from me too!
Taylor
Yes I have received the commanders letter and the address is the exact same on the paper and it’s the exact address his mom and grandparents used I was told sometimes certain letters get held to see if he can make it thru basically messing with his head