Saluting soldiers via snail-mail cards

During World War I, Hallmark introduced a line of deployment cards for soldiers being sent overseas. Nearly a century and countless deployments later, the practice not only continues but is booming, thanks to the explosion in national pride ever since the attack on the Twin Towers.

"We started out with cards for the military, but since 9/11 we've expanded the line to recognize everyone who puts their life on the line in service to their country," said Hallmark spokeswoman Sarah Kollel. "We have cards for police officers, firefighters and EMTs -- for anyone who devotes their life to service."

There have been many other changes. The company's American Heroes line was redesigned in 2008 and again earlier this year, in part because of the changing nature of the military, including the deployment of women.

"We've added more female photos and illustrations," she said. "We're also dealing with longer deployments than soldiers used to have, and with multiple deployments, with some people going back two or three times."

The evolution of "voice-capture technology" also has played a role in a line of cards that enable family members to record personal messages. And in 2009, the company introduced a series of recordable storybooks that have become very popular with soldiers who have children. When a page is turned, the child hears the parent reading the text on that page.

The sound of a parent's voice "is a pretty powerful connection," Kollel said.

Hallmark isn't the only company producing patriotic cards. Cards4heroes.com was launched five years ago by a former lawyer, Donna Nakagiri, who was working out of her house in Michigan.

The company has found its niche in specialization. Nakagiri takes pride in being able to offer a wide range of narrowly focused items.

"There are other companies with products for folks in the four major branches, but that's it," she said. "We have items for people in the Coast Guard. We even have them for the Merchant Marine. Most people don't know what the Merchant Marine is; we have cards for Merchant Marine Day." (It's annually on May 22, in case you're curious.)

In North Carolina, photographer Marsha Spain Fuller realized how much patriotic messages could affect the lives of soldiers' families when the pastor at her church asked the congregation to pray for the son of a member who was being deployed.

"Instead of just praying, I made the member a card with a verse I wrote," she said. "When I gave it to Donna [the mother], she cried."

Since then, she has put together a line of 24 cards called Mindful of Our Military that she sells through her website, marshaspainfuller.com.

In an ideal world, there would be no need for cards to be sent to deployed soldiers. But even with the war in Iraq winding down, none of these folks expect business to end.

"I hate to say it, but there always is going to be a need for the members of the military to be deployed to protect us," Nakagiri said.

"There are always going to be people at risk guarding us."