Holiday season is in full swing at Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Bahrain Post Office, and the staff is diligently handling all packages, cards and letters with care as personnel and families send and receive them for the holidays.

More than 149,000 pounds of mail was delivered Nov. 20 - Dec. 20; an incredible amount of mail containing holiday wishes, gifts and communication from family and friends.

According to Mahmood Al Jufairi, finance clerk at the post office, there is an increase in the amount of mail starting in December and ending around the second week in January. It is one of the only times a year where the post office is consistently busy all month long with deliveries and shipments.

In order to provide better service to Naval Support Activity Bahrain, the post office has instituted extended hours Sunday through Thursday to allow families, military, and civilians to pick up or send out mail on those days.

Timothy Lynch, regional mail manager, said that the post office now offers Priority Mail Express which provides a five day guaranteed delivery time along with $100 automatic insurance included for the package.

"We work hard during each delivery of mail," said Logistics Specialist 3rd Class Tyshaun Ezell, on processing each mail delivery to the base during the holiday surge. "Sometimes we get more than one truck in at a time and we will spend the whole day processing through the mail as fast as we can so we can get it delivered to the people and commands on base."

In packages alone, the post office has received 4,214 items with a total weight of 39,223 pounds since the holiday season started ramping up at the end of November. The post office has seen an increase of 5,976 pounds of mail over the 33,247 pounds of mail received during the same time frame in 2014.

"The amount of mail coming in and being shipped has been constant," said Lynch. "This has a lot to do with the weather in Chicago staying clear, as weather plays a big part in mail delivery."

Lynch explained that the majority of mail sent to overseas FPO or APO addresses funnels through a United States Postal Service (USPS) hub in Chicago.

Since 2013, USPS and the Military Postal Service Agency (MPSA) have worked together to utilize Chicago as one hub for overseas military mail to increase efficiency in delivery of that mail overseas.

"Because of this, the overseas military mailing process has blossomed into a well-oiled machine," Lynch said. "We are able to send and receive mail with more efficiency and give the customer some peace of mind when they know their parcel is in good hands."

NAVSUP FLC Bahrain is part of NAVSUP Global Logistics Support (GLS), which provides global logistics for a global Navy. The organization is made up of more than 6,500 military and civilian logistics professionals operating from 105 locations worldwide, providing an extensive array of integrated global logistics and contracting services to Navy, Marine Corps, joint operational units, and allied forces across all warfare enterprises.

For more news from Naval Supply Systems Command, visit http://www.navy.mil/.