Books for Soldiers

‘Books for Soldiers’ is an initiative that started during the first Gulf War. Through this initiative, paperbacks donated by people were sent as care packages to soldiers who were deployed. Several people in the reserves were activated to fight against the Iraqis and the deployed soldiers had a lot of time on their hands. Due to Saudi government’s travel limitations, they were unable to move out of their base.

‘Books for Soldiers’ is an initiative that addressed the specific needs of those who are avid readers and could benefit to a great extent from books that were not being used. People started gathering addresses of marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen and sending out care packages instead of selling used books at the stores.

Book donors as well as addresses of needy soldiers started growing at a phenomenal rate and the system was set. Within a few months of initiation of the program, thousands of books were sent to the Gulf.

Grateful soldiers, after the war, sent thank you notes to people who sent books for them and the practice continues. For them, till they reached back home, mail call days were the most anticipated events.

Books for Soldiers do not encourage donors to send books directly to them. Books have to be shipped to the troops directly after obtaining the address from the site. You can choose the troops and destination you want to send CDs, DVDs or books to and send it directly to them.

It is also imperative to put down the receiver’s name on the package to ensure that it does not get lost or destroyed. It is necessary for book donors to first register for a BFS account before they can access the troop addresses. 

On the ‘Books for Soldiers’ self service website, you must first register. You will have to wait for approval after which you will be a full fledged BFS volunteer. You can then choose the branch of your choice to view lists of requests. You can access the address of the troops by clicking on the requests made by deployed Marine, Sailor, Airman, Soldier and Coast Guardsman.

To find the link to this and many other military aid and charity organizations, please visit the Military Links & Resources page.