CAMP HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea – Although stress, chaos and anxiety may encompass many people’s fears about the holiday season, the Soldiers and civilians from across Humphreys postal services are putting in extraordinary effort to help reduce such worry and to help strengthen communication within the community.
“We’re processing a lot of mail right now, and through rain, snow, sleet and hail, so too shall come the U.S. mail,” said Jason Shaw, the postmaster of the U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys Main Post Office. “We’re pumping out a lot of goods and merchandise for the kids, especially with the holiday season and New Year’s coming up. During this holiday season we’re open extended hours, which are going to be really impressive for the community on Dec. 24.”
Through Dec. 23, community members can pick up their packages from the Main Post Office and the Cowan Postal Center from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m., while the Morning Calm Postal Center’s parcel pick-up window will be open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. On Christmas Eve Day, however, the staff and Soldiers processing packages to the community will be operating even later, allowing community members to pick up packages from the Main Post Office and the Cowan Postal Center from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., and at the Morning Calm Postal Center from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“We’ll get those last second packages out to everybody in the community and make sure that everybody has a nice holiday celebration,” said Shaw. “We’re going to have a lot of people here supporting the community and getting those presents out.”
As the holiday season brings thousands of letters, packages and parcels each day to the Humphreys postal team for processing, the increased workload and stress has prompted them to adapt and ensure that effective communication continues between them and the community.
“We have a threefold increase in mail during the holiday season,” said Shaw. “We get an influx of employees with the influx of mail and that’s very important during this stressful time of season. The personnel about doubles the amount of employees that we get right now, which causes a lot less stress for the people that are working the regular shifts.”
Soldiers from across approximately 10 battalion-sized elements work alongside South Korean local national civilians and American civilians to represent a diverse and varied staff during this holiday season. The diligent staff here are vital in the communication between the community and their loved ones.
“As Soldiers, as soon as we get that delivery truck in, we unload it, put mail and packages on the shelves then mark it so that people will get their notification emails to come to pick it up. We just get it done,” said Cpl. Jai Heath, a human resources specialist and post office Soldier assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, USAG-Humphreys. “For some people during this pandemic, they haven’t seen their loved ones in two years and the only thing they might have are these gifts and mail, so I see that as pretty important.”
Getting mail is especially important during the holiday season, in which distance from loved ones may seem greater than ever for some community members.
“It’s important during the holiday season for the Soldiers, civilians and contractors, who are based here and support the U.S. Army, to get their information sent to them from their loved ones,” said Shaw. “Without that communication, people can get a little bit lonely and a little bit sad, but we all support one another in the community and we help each other out. We also have it so that people can get their communication through the mail, it’s very traditional and it is a lot more personable.”
In addition to the stresses of the holiday season upon mail and packages being processed through the post offices on Humphreys, the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced additional obstacles which the postal Soldiers and civilians have worked to overcome.
“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of the packages have been pushed back. But now we are receiving these packages and people are getting their gifts that their loved ones have sent,” said Heath. “We’re going to keep doing what we have to do, and we’re doing this so that everybody can be good for the holidays.”
Although it may be easy to overlook the efforts and dedication of the Soldiers and civilians who work the postal services here, their tireless efforts and determination are essential in ensuring that those connections within the community and between loved ones remain strong.
“Our role here is to support the community, support the Soldiers and the civilians, and to make sure that people have a lifestyle similar to that in the United States,” said Shaw. “Our staff works very hard for the community, and we hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season.”
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