Being away from home, even for a short weekend with relatives, can sometimes become a real source of frustration.  Think about it:  sleeping in a different bed without a favorite pillow while enduring Aunt Sally’s snoring from the next room can make for a really long night of counting sheep.  Add to that ol’ Uncle Fred’s desire to watch “The Deer Hunting Network” 24 hours a day and you’ve got the recipe for tons of weekend fun.  Home never looked so good.

Now, consider being on the road for months, even years at a time.  Think about living thousands of miles away from friends and family while enduring a culture that is totally and completely foreign.  Finally, keep in mind that given the opportunity, many folks from this new neighborhood would like nothing more than to kill you.  Such is the life of countless American soldiers currently on duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Suddenly, a weekend spent with Aunt Sally and Uncle Fred sounds downright enjoyable.

 

MTS and Jack Beckman provide a bridge for communication among soldiers and their families
 

Being away from home, even for a short weekend with relatives, can sometimes become a real source of frustration.  Think about it:  sleeping in a different bed without a favorite pillow while enduring Aunt Sally’s snoring from the next room can make for a really long night of counting sheep.  Add to that ol’ Uncle Fred’s desire to watch “The Deer Hunting Network” 24 hours a day and you’ve got the recipe for tons of weekend fun.  Home never looked so good.

Now, consider being on the road for months, even years at a time.  Think about living thousands of miles away from friends and family while enduring a culture that is totally and completely foreign.  Finally, keep in mind that given the opportunity, many folks from this new neighborhood would like nothing more than to kill you.  Such is the life of countless American soldiers currently on duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Suddenly, a weekend spent with Aunt Sally and Uncle Fred sounds downright enjoyable.

For those serving overseas, receiving even the smallest item of mail means Christmas day has arrived, even in the middle of July.  Whether enjoying a favorite hot rod magazine, a child’s crayon masterpiece, or a spouse’s loving letter, those defending freedom desperately crave a lifeline to friends and family, and the “Mail from Home” program created by Mail Terminal Services has provided NHRA fans with the opportunity to demonstrate their love and support for soldiers abroad by sending signed notes of encouragement to Americans living on the front lines.

In October of 2006, MTS began processing the packages and letters traveling to the war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, and during that time, MTS President and CEO Rodger Comstock, along with wife Karen, quickly recognized the amount of encouragement needed by our troops overseas.  “While processing the mail, it was heartbreaking to see families crying when sending packages,” he said. “We read notes written on them such as, ‘Mommy, we miss you’ or ‘Please come home, Daddy.’  We realized the troops needed as many encouraging words as we could provide.”

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With MTS as primary sponsor of Don Schumacher Racing’s Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car driven by Jack Beckman in his first full season in the professional funny car class, Comstock determined that the 23 NHRA POWERade national events scheduled for 2007 provided a ready-made audience of thousands who could participate in the program if provided an opportunity.  “The NHRA has a fan base that really appreciates the efforts that our troops provide,” said Comstock. “Though they probably have an opinion regarding the war, they possess the ability to set personal feelings aside to honor the men and women who serve, because they realize those in the military are protecting our rights.”

 Providing added credibility to the “Mail from Home” program was Jack Beckman, a former Air Force Sergeant who understood firsthand the need to promote the efforts of troops overseas.  “Jack is a veteran who has a lot of respect for those in the services,” said Comstock, who, along with wife Karen, previously competed against Beckman in Super Comp events. “He also approaches his life with an incredible amount of tenacity.  Forty-five days after becoming Super Comp Champion he was diagnosed with lymphoma, but he never allowed that to cause him to lose focus on driving in the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories, and he’s since competed in both.”
 
Beckman, whose own father was a member of the Army National Guard, served as a Sergeant in the Air Force from 1984-1988 and spent time working on the F-111, a multipurpose tactical fighter bomber.  Growing up in a home where patriotism and loyalty to country were an integral part of life, Beckman understood the life of a soldier, and the need to remain connected with those at home.  “Being in the military completely changes your psyche about life”, he said. “You’re away from family and friends, and getting mail is just awesome.  I was 1,000 miles away from home and I can distinctly remember those days when I would get a letter from a friend.  After reading it, I would sit down that very night and write back, so I could start the process of having mail sent back to me again.”

In March of 2007, the “Mail from Home” program debuted at the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida, with a simple yet effective approach, as race attendees were invited via information provided by NHRA public address announcer Bob Frey to visit a kiosk located in the Schumacher Racing hospitality area.  Once on site, fans were provided with post cards to write notes of encouragement and support, and along with photos of the MTS Dodge Charger and Beckman, the cards were bundled and sent to the troops, with all postage costs paid for by MTS.  Since that time, the U.S. Army Racing Zone, located in the midway at each NHRA event, has included a second kiosk, providing fans with an additional location from which to send their best wishes.  Along with recognizing individual soldiers, MTS also pays homage to an entire war-zone camp each week by displaying the name of a selected camp on the MTS envelope logo that decorates the sides of Beckman’s Charger.

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Comstock is encouraged by the momentum developed for the program over the past 4 months, as the grass-roots effort is now paying off handsomely.  “We’ve worked really hard to get out the message,” he said. “It’s taken some time, but now it’s beginning to take on a life of its’ own, and this past week in Chicago we had 5,000 cards sent, which is our largest number yet.”  Having spent time at each event in the pits with participants, Beckman agrees that the program has turned a corner, saying, “This has really started to snowball during the last couple of races.  A lot of the NHRA fans have family and friends in the military, and they tell us how much they appreciate what we’re doing.  I’m a new father, and I know that really changes my own perspective about family in the military.”

In addition to providing this program free of charge to race fans, MTS employees have also exhibited their own giving spirit by volunteering their time and services to assist race fans at each event.  “We had MTS employees who volunteered at Chicago who worked their regular jobs, and then joined us all day at the track,” Comstock said. “We’re talking about folks who worked the entire day after being up all night long, and the first thing they wanted to know was if they could come back next year.” 

Additionally, those MTS employees who processed over 500,000 pieces of mail during the holiday season were honored for their efforts, when the Marine Corps’ Camp Al Taqqadam presented them with a flag that flew over the camp in January of 2007.  The flag, which now hangs in the MTS terminal at Newark, N.J., was accompanied by a certificate of thanks for successfully getting the mail to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan in a timely fashion during the holiday season

Currently at the midway point of the 2007 season, Comstock envisions an even brighter future for the program, realizing that the success achieved by simple word-of-mouth will translate into even more support for the troops.  “When I see that MTS car at the starting line, I immediately feel pride, he said. “Every time it goes down the track we win.  The car runs in front of thousands of people, some who will come back to the pits and fill out a postcard.  We may not always finish first in the race, but our troops always win.”

In addition to providing increased recognition and encouragement for troops overseas, Beckman realizes that the “Mail from Home” program has created in him a renewed sense of appreciation for his own life and chosen profession.  “You know, here we are on a beautiful Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in America at the track, and we’re doing what we love in front of thousands of fans.  At the same time, we have thousands of Americans overseas doing their jobs.  Now, they may not be doing what they want to do at that time, but they’re doing it anyway.  On those days when I have a bad day at the races, I look around and think, ‘Hey, this ain’t so bad after all.’” 

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