I received this info from a former Marine here on the west coast. Have a great day.

S/F Gary Alls
HMM-263 '66-'67

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 13, 2009
Media Contact: Dave Lewin
(O) 202-268-8567
(C) 214-557-6467
dlewin@usps.gov

usps.com/news
Release No. 09-082
Bringing the Holidays to Military Men and Women
Recommended Mailing Dates to APO/FPO Addresses
WASHINGTON — For military service members stationed around the globe, holiday gifts are a big morale boost. To help the families and friends of U.S. military personnel, the Postal Service offers a discount on its largest Priority Mail Flat Rate box.
The recommended mailing date for the most economical postage to overseas military installations, including Iraq and Afghanistan, is Nov. 13.
Mail sent to overseas military addresses is charged only domestic mail prices. The domestic mail price for the Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box is $13.95, but for packages to APO/FPO addresses overseas the price is reduced to $11.95. Additional discounts are available for customers printing their Priority Mail postage labels online at Click-N-Ship.
Flat-Rate boxes are free at any Post Office, or can be ordered online at shop.usps.com. Postage, labels and customs forms can be printed online any time using Click-N-Ship.
The Postal Service continues to show support to those serving in the armed forces by offering free Military Care Kits, designed specifically for military families sending packages overseas. The mailing kits can be ordered by phone by calling 1-800-610-8734 and asking for the Care Kit. Each kit includes two “America Supports You” large Priority Mail Flat-Rate boxes, four medium-sized Priority Mail Flat-Rate boxes, six Priority Mail labels, one roll of Priority Mail tape and six customs forms with envelopes.
For online ordering of the Large Priority Mail APO/FPO Flat Rate boxes featuring the “America Supports You” logo and APO/FPO addressing block, Click here. More information about mailing letters and packages to military destinations is available online at Supporting Our Troops.
“Mailing holiday gifts to service members early will help insure that a piece of home arrives in plenty of time to make the celebration complete," said Pranab Shah, vice president and managing director, Global Business.
To ensure delivery of holiday cards and packages by Dec. 25 to military APO/FPO addresses overseas, the Postal Service recommends that mail for service members be entered no later than the mailing dates listed below. Mail addressed to military post offices overseas is subject to certain conditions or restrictions regarding content, preparation and handling. APO/FPO addresses generally require customs forms. To see an online table of updated APO and FPO addresses and mailing restrictions by individual APO/FPO ZIP Codes, Click here, select “Pull-Out Information” and click on “Overseas Military/Diplomatic Mail.”
MILITARY MAILING DEADLINES
Military Mail
Addressed To
Express Mail® Military Service (EMMS)1/
First-Class Mail®
Letters and Cards
Priority Mail®
Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL) 2/
Space Available Mail (SAM)3/
Parcel Post®
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 090-092
Dec-18
Dec-11
Dec-11
Dec-4
Nov-28
Nov-13
APO/FPO AE ZIP 093
N/A
Dec-4
Dec-4
Dec-1
Nov-21
Nov-13
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 094-098
Dec-18
Dec-11
Dec-11
Dec-4
Nov-28
Nov-13
APO/FPO AA ZIP 340
Dec-18
Dec-11
Dec-11
Dec-4
Nov-28
Nov-13
APO/FPO AP ZIPs 962-966
Dec-18
Dec-11
Dec-11
Dec-4
Nov-28
Nov-13
1/ EMMS: Express Mail Military Service is available to selected military post offices. Check with your local Post Office to determine if this service is available to your APO/FPO of address.
2/ PAL: PAL is a service that provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. It is available for Parcel Post
items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60 inches in length and girth combined. The applicable PAL fee must be
paid in addition to the regular surface rate of postage for each addressed piece sent by PAL service.
3/ SAM: SAM parcels are paid at the Parcel Post postage rate with maximum weight and size limits of 15 pounds
and
60 inches in length and girth combined. SAM parcels are first transported domestically by surface and then to
overseas destinations by air on a space-available basis.
The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps..com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.
An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.
Santa Ana District Postal Customer Council
Office 714-885-2394