Fact check: False claim well-wishers can mail holiday cards to recovering soldiers at Walter Reed

BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY
·4 min read

The claim: People can mail unaddressed cards to soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center

As many around the country are mailing holiday cards to loved ones, an array of Facebook posts encouraged people to write to injured members of the military.

“When filling out your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to this address: A Recovering American Soldier, c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20307-5001,” reads the Dec. 8 Facebook post that was shared more than 300 times in one day (direct link, archived link). “If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful, selfless people, who have sacrificed so much would get.”

Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks

Other versions of the claim were shared widely across the social media platform.

But following these instructions won't help anyone.

That address is no longer the home of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which closed its doors in 2011. It reopened as the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, but the facility does not accept unaddressed cards for recovering soldiers.

USA TODAY reached out to users who shared the claim for comment.

Medical center is 'grateful' for support but can't accept cards, donations

The Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Georgia Avenue in Washington, D.C., closed in 2011, as reported by The Washington Post. The National Naval Medical Center also closed, and the pair were merged to become the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, according to the medical center’s website.

Vernishia Vaughn, a spokesperson for the medical center, said the facility is “grateful for everyone’s heartfelt desire to write a letter, send a holiday card or donations to inpatient service members” but that it cannot accept such items, whether in person or through the mail.

Militarykind: Behind every great soldier you'll usually find a great family. These are their stories.

Vaughn said those wanting to support service members can do so through the American Red Cross's “Holidays for Heroes” program.

According to the organization's website, the program started as a wintertime effort but was expanded to collect and distribute items to service members year-round. The program specifically mentions toiletries, low-value gift cards, individually wrapped snacks and clothing as appreciated donations.

American Red Cross spokesperson Emily Osment told USA TODAY the organization does not have a national mailing address to accept cards for soldiers, but local offices do collect and disperse them.

Those who live in the jurisdiction of the organization's National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region chapter, for example, may have their cards distributed to local military hospitals, including Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Cards for service members must have names

Letters sent to Army, fleet or diplomatic post offices are required to have details including the recipient's name, rank and unit.

More: Don't address your holiday cards wrong: Here's what to know before sharing season's greetings

"Addressing to 'Any Service Member' is no longer permitted," said David Coleman, a spokesperson for the United States Postal Service.

Programs that allowed people to send mail to unnamed service members overseas were stopped after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to the Marine Corps website.

PolitiFact also debunked the claim.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that well-wishers can mail unaddressed Christmas cards to U.S. soldiers recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. That facility closed in 2011, and the newer Walter Reed National Military Medical Center does not accept holiday cards for soldiers.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: No, you can't send anonymous holiday cards to Walter Reed