Address changes for airmen

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Chase Cannon
  • 49th Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Several months have passed since the Holloman postal service available to Airmen has switched to post office boxes, and according to Steve Duncan, post master of Holloman Air Force Base, there is still confusion about how airmen are supposed to transition into being able to use their new P.O. boxes.

"James Iken [49th Mission Support Group deputy commander], approached me to discuss the issue of us taking over the dormitory delivery, and it took some time, nearly a year of going back and forth over what we could and couldn't do," said Duncan.

The previous mail office paid for airmen to use the boxes, and a deal was cut to receive new boxes from Arizona for free. Installation of the new boxes took around a week and saved thousands of dollars, with the help of civil engineering.

There are many benefits to using this new postal system for airmen. "Part of the benefit is that we don't require every package to be signed for," said Duncan. "Before, you would have to go during operation hours at the postal service center to get your package."

"Here, we have 54 parcel lockers. The small packages we put right in the box, and the larger ones are put into lockers with a key left in the airmen's mail box to open the locker," said Duncan

More advantages of the new system include a 24 hour retrieval system for those that use the P.O. boxes. "When we first started, some people weren't happy with the hours," said Duncan. "We don't have to be here for them to get their package, the forwarding system we have now is better than the postal system we had before."

"We also notify mailers when your address changes for magazines and periodicals. So they will forward your mail for a year, and then quit," said Duncan. "We also distributed a letter that explained how they are supposed to address their mail for regular mail and how they are supposed to address their mail if it is UPS [United Postal Service] or FedEx."

For the new mailing system to work, Airmen will need to update their current mailing addresses to the new P.O. boxes they were given when the transition process began Whenever a letter is delivered without the correct address, Duncan has to hand sort the letters himself, which can cause delays for the delivery system. Many letters are also kicked back to the sender because addresses are written without the box number.

In order to ensure the mailing process runs smoothly, be sure the proper address is written on all letters, and that those sending mail to the base know your correct box number.