text: Chapter 4
  ACCOUNTABLE MAIL
  4-80. Accountable mail is registered, insured, certified, signature confirmation, return receipt for
  merchandise or express military mail service. Postal platoons receive, sort, and dispatch accountable personal
  mail to appointed unit mail clerks IAW DOD 4525.6-M. Once received, unit mail clerks maintain chain of
  custody with appropriate documentation through delivery to the recipient. Unit mail clerks ensure
  accountable mail is properly secured IAW DOD 4525.6-M. Return undeliverable accountable mail to the
  servicing APO the following day with the appropriate endorsements.
  CASUALTY MAIL
  4-81. Casualty mail processed within the mail distribution system requires special attention to prevent
  premature casualty information disclosure and mail returned home before NOK notification. Casualty mail
  consists of unopened mail in the delivery system that has been received by the unit mail clerk for a Soldier
  or DOD and DA Civilian who has become a casualty (injured, wounded, deceased, missing or ill). When
  processing casualty mail, unit mail clerks validate the Soldier’s location, hold the mail for the Soldier’s return,
  forward the mail to the MTF, or return to the servicing postal platoon. Undelivered casualty mail will be
  labeled as “Search,” forwarded to theater-level casualty section, and verified there before it is returned to the
  sender or forwarded to NOK. The APO forwards casualty mail to the casualty mail section for processing.
  The postal platoon verifies casualty information; makes appropriate endorsements, then forwards casualty
  mail to the theater casualty section at the MMT for final processing.
  Note: Any mail that has been previously opened by the Soldier is considered personal effects and
  is shipped with the rest of the Soldier’s belongings.
  CONTAMINATED AND SUSPICIOUS MAIL
  4-82. The postal network must make special provisions for handling and processing contaminated and
  suspicious mail IAW postal regulations. Suspicious mail items may consist of chemical, biological,
  radiological, nuclear, or explosive materials. The postal network screens for contaminated and suspicious
  mail and stops the mail flow when discovered. Any suspicious looking package or letter should be considered
  a potential bomb or hazard and should be treated accordingly.
  ENEMY PRISONER OF WAR MAIL
  4-83. The Geneva Convention, relative to the treatment of prisoners of war, identifies the need for EPW mail
  operations. The Army G-1 coordinates with the Provost Marshal, an appropriate international neutral agency,
  and an American neutral agency to assess EPW mail requirements. The ASCC G-1/AG coordinates with the
  TSC to identify a postal platoon to handle EPW mail.
  FREE MAIL
  4-84. Free mail is authorized by Executive Order 12556, Mailing Privileges of Members of Armed Forces of
  the United States and of Friendly Foreign Nations, and Title 39, USC 3401(a), as determined by the Secretary
  of Defense. Free mail is a privilege specifically granted by this law and intended solely to expedite
  transmission of military members’ personal letter and mail correspondence to the U.S. in times of operational
  contingency in arduous circumstances or armed conflict including LSCO. Free mail privileges apply to
  Service members in a declared free mail operational area as well as those hospitalized in a facility under
  military jurisdiction because of service in the designated area.
  4-85. Free mail is limited by Title 39, USC 3401 (a) to personal letters or sound recorded correspondence
  (to include video tapes) and must be addressed to a place within the delivery limits of the USPS or MPS.
  Free mail privileges normally are not allowed when mail is processed, handled, or delivered by a foreign
  postal administration. The Army/ASCC requests free mail through the combatant commander for the specific
  theater and is considered authorized when the combatant commander receives official approval from the