Soldier pen friends

[Help1234]

I'm a SP and don't really want to/ have time to date but miss chatting to adults even though I do have friends/ work colleagues etc Ive always thought it would be nice to be able to write or chat to a soldier who maybe also needed that bit of company without anything serious. Anyone know how to go about this properly please?

Why a soldier?

Because I wanted more of a pen friend than to chat to people on dating sites or anything like that. Just somebody who also might enjoy writing back and for occasionally I suppose.

www.forcespenpals.co.uk/write-to-soldiers

Here you go OP

Thank you purpleh

You could always email me for a blether too!
I'm not a soldier or a man but I like emailing

There's nothing wrong with wanting to be 'pen friends' with a soldier. Nothing. However, you should be a) honest with yourself about why you want to do this and b) conscious of the emotional risks involved.

I'm guessing that you want a romantic connection with your soldier. That's why you're considering a mostly male profession (unless I've got it wrong and you're actually specifically thinking of writing to a female soldier?) That's fine, just bear in mind that:

1. Feelings can escalate quickly in these sorts of situations - you can very quickly start thinking that you have an 'amazing connection' or a 'special bond' based on a few letters.

2. You have no way of checking or verifying anything you are told. Keep an open mind about how much you believe the things he says. If possible, file them in your mind under 'enjoyable fiction'.

3. You don't know how many other people he is writing to, or even if it really is him who is penning these letters.

4. Don't ever, ever respond to any requests to send an intimate picture or write down any fantasies.That is, unless you are happy with the idea of them being passed around the barracks for everyone to enjoy because that is EXACTLY WHAT WILL HAPPEN.

careful with the link it's brought up weird things on my phone about my battery being a dud.

not sure how or why, as i can see that the site is legitimate.

Soldier magazine has a section for those seeking and those wanting to become pen friends. You can check online for details.

A few years ago I wrote to a soldier whilst he was posted in Iraq. I never met him, he was lovely and talked about books he read and funny things that had happened. He told me about what is known as the '* Board' where trusting female penfriends would send scantily clad pictures or worse and the less scrupulous would pin them for all to see.

Write to a soldier by all means but be honest with why you are doing it and don't be too trusting. I was away from home a lot and writing to while away the lonely hotel nights. He was on tour in Iraq and had hours to fill and needed some normality, he had his own life back in the UK.