ROFL!!!
It was amusing, especially because people thought Frank was her son, because they both have red hair.
But seriously, troops away from home (my father was in the Navy for 32 years) want to hear from their family. Get an address, and plan to write every day. I did this when Anoreth was in Basic - just a note card, usually, with anything that had happened at home or at church - and then when she was in the “rehab unit” with a foot fracture, I cut out magazine articles from “Road & Track” and “American Cowboy” and mailed them six pages at a time.
Making sure your son and and his friend each take an up-to-date address book is a great idea, but also, everyone they know should write to them as often as possible. “HI, I went to the Jimmy Buffett concert and you didn’t!” When they get someplace with a known address, send them boxes of batteries, baby wipes, trail mix, and granola bars. Or if you don’t get a firm address, send something to an address from “AnySoldier.com,” and hope someone’s goods get to your son.