The Army is warning the public of a “hoax�e-mail asking recipients to send holiday mail to soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

The e-mail instructs recipients to send Christmas cards to “A Recovering American Soldier,�and lists Walter Reed’s Washington, D.C., mailing address.

But the U.S. Postal Service won’t deliver any such card, letter or care package.

Under a 2001 policy designed to improve security, the medical center can’t accept mail addressed to “Any Wounded Soldier�or “A Recovering American Soldier.�/P>

Lt. Col. Kevin Arata, a spokesman for Army Human Resources Command, said his office has been inundated with inquiries from the public about the e-mail.

“It’s not true,�he said. “Don’t do it.�/P>

Instead, Arata said, members of the public wishing to spread holiday cheer should consult the military’s “American Supports Youâ€?Web site, www.americasupportsyou.mil,  for information about more than 300 nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping U.S. soldiers and their families