Since it’s the day after July 4th, did you know that Robert Heinlein graduated from the US Naval Academy and was a Lieutenant in the Navy until TB caused his medical retirement? “The Lieutenant” was fiercely patriotic and even though he was not eligible for active duty during WWII, he was a civilian engineer at the Philadelphia Naval Yards so he could do his part. He always supported our military, but since Robert is no longer with us, The Heinlein Society pays it forward in his name by sponsoring The Heinlein for Heroes project (H4H). H4H sends paperback Heinlein / SF books to active duty military serving overseas. They also send hardback Heinlein / SF books to VA Hospitals and other veterans groups in the United States. So far, they have shipped over 38,000 books, but to continue to do that they need your help! The majority of funding comes from individuals like you who join The Heinlein Society. Yearly dues for a full membership are $45.00 and are tax deductible in the US. If that’s not enough, all regular and lifetime members will be eligible to win a complete Virginia Edition of Robert Heinlein’s work in just a few short months. Joining is easy at The Heinlein Society website.
www.heinleinsociety.org/membership
Thank you for posting this! As a member of The Heinlein Society, I’ve met many of the people involved in this program, and you can be assured that the donated books (by both RAH and other authors) do indeed get sent to units that request them, and not just to the burn pit.
This group also runs a few other worthy projects, including scholarships, and blood donation drives at science fiction conventions.