Veterans Day Cards for Our Deployed Troops
Honor our veterans by writing to those serving today. Our free classroom kit has card ideas, letter templates and coloring pages. Every message your students make goes into a care package for a U.S. service member deployed overseas.
They Protect. They Serve. We Support.
Why your students' messages matter
Troops tell us the same thing again and again: they read these messages hundreds of times, because they remind them of home. Picture the toughest service member in the unit, thousands of miles from family, holding a crayon card from a second grader and fighting back tears. Long after the snacks are gone, the messages are what they keep.
Our Director of Operations, a Navy veteran, still has the two letters he received while deployed, packed in his seabag. This Veterans Day, honor those who served by supporting those serving now, our future veterans. Make sure no one is forgotten.
How do I send Veterans Day cards to troops?
Get the free kit
Sign up below. The kit arrives in your inbox right away, ready to print.
Write and draw
Students write letters, color pages or make cards. Use our templates or your own ideas. There is no wrong way. Add a return address or email so troops can write back: your school, church or organization, or any address you are comfortable with.
Send them to us
Mail or drop off the messages at Troopathon, 3105 Fite Circle, Suite #108, Sacramento, CA 95827. Our volunteers read every one and pack them into care packages.
What's in the free kit
- A teacher guide with dos and don'ts, and a class discussion page
- Card ideas, sentence starters and a word bank
- Two letter pages, including one with fill-in prompts for younger students
- Four full-page coloring pages, including a saluting service member and the American flag
- Four fold-and-color cards and a class packing slip
The kit is optional. Handmade cards, coloring pages you find online, drawings and letters on notebook paper are all welcome. Whatever your class enjoys making is perfect.
Good for classrooms, scout troops, churches, youth groups and homeschool families.
For churches and faith-based schools
Two free fold-and-color cards with a cross, a blessing and Psalm 91:11. Print, color, fold and write a message inside. They go into care packages like every other message.
Sign up below and choose Faith cards (or both). We email them right away.
What should students write?
Start with "Dear Hero" or "Dear Service Member." Say thank you, share something about yourself (a favorite food, sport, pet or joke), ask a friendly question, and wish them well. Cards, postcards, poems, drawings and class banners are all welcome.
What should students avoid writing?
- Questions about fighting, injuries or death, or wishes like "I hope you don't get hurt"
- Scary, sad or violent drawings
- Last names, home addresses, phone numbers or student photos
- Requests to be pen pals or to stay in touch
Keep it upbeat: thank them, cheer them on and share a little about your world.
Get the free classroom kit
More than 1,000 tons of care packages shipped since 2004.
One minute to sign up. We email the kit right away.
More ways your class can help
Know someone deployed?
Request a free, hand-packed care package for a deployed service member.
Request a care packageGive $25 a month
Keep care packages, and your students' messages, shipping all year.
Support our troopsQuestions teachers ask
What is the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day?
Veterans Day, November 11, honors everyone who has served in the U.S. military. Memorial Day, in May, honors those who died while serving. On Veterans Day, writing to troops serving today, our future veterans, is a great way to say thank you.
Is the kit free?
Yes. The kit and the program are free.
Who receives the Veterans Day cards?
U.S. service members deployed overseas, our future veterans. Every message goes into a Troopathon care package.
Will troops write back?
Some troops write back when they can. Add a return address or email to each message: your school, church or organization, or any address you are comfortable with. We also share troop thank-you photos and notes on our social media, and we pass along any replies that come back to your class.
How should students sign their messages?
Start with "Dear Hero" or "Dear Service Member." A first name and grade, or your school name, is enough. No last names, home addresses, phone numbers or student photos.
Do we have to use your templates?
No. The kit is only a starting point. Handmade cards, coloring pages from any website, drawings, letters on notebook paper and class banners are all welcome, as long as they fit in a 12 x 12 inch box.
Is there a deadline?
No. We pack and ship care packages all year, so messages are welcome any time. Running late for a holiday? Send them anyway. Troops are happy to get a holiday card whenever it arrives.
What size can the cards be?
Any paper or material works, as long as it fits a 12 x 12 inch care package box. Please skip glitter.
Want to write to troops all year? See Letters and Cards for Troops.