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A priceless morale boost

Just in time for the holidays, the Army’s new HooahMail is a terrific marriage of snail mail and e-mail.

In a pilot program that starts Dec. 1, family and friends with soldiers at certain outposts in Afghanistan can send them e-mail letters that will be printed out in the war zone and delivered as though they arrived in stamped envelopes.

For free. And the troops will get their letters in a matter of days, at most, rather than weeks.

Senders can even attach photos, and there’s no limit on how many letters can be sent. Privacy is built into the system through encryption technology.

It’s such a no-brainer idea — companies have been sending out checks this way for years — it’s a wonder it took the Army so long to set it up. The British forces have been using the same system for nearly a decade.

What’s more, the service is run by the same company that operates the Marine Corps’ highly successful MotoMail system, which was established in 2004 and has moved more than 2.8 million messages to deployed Marines.

The Army’s one-year trial run costs $700,000 and will move as many as 87,000 letters a month. At less than half the cost of one Stryker vehicle, that is a frugal way to boost morale among those who most need it. Mail call often is the brightest part of the day for those far from home.

Unfortunately, the new program is planned to serve just eight forward operating bases.

Given the Marine Corps’ five-year record of success with its own service, the Army is being overly cautious with HooahMail.

With tens of thousands of additional soldiers soon to be headed to Afghanistan, the Army should expand the service to the entire theater.