If you are of the mind and generousity in the heart there is another link to help us help our troops and their families.
The Fisher House - HELPING MILITARY FAMILIES
Posted on 12/11/2004 9:43:08 AM PST by Former Military Chick
Americans looking for a way to support their troops in Iraq and Afghanistan this holiday season might want to consider the USO's Operation Phone Home, a program to give pre-paid phone cards to those serving in forward-deployed locations.
The program, started in March of 2003, has distributed more than 80,000 phone cards so far. The USO plans to distribute many more over the holiday season to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and to those recuperating from injuries in the U.S. and abroad. According to the USO, the phone cards are by far the most popular item requested by deployed troops.
Donations can be made online at https:www.uso.org/donate/default.cfm or over the phone by calling 1-800-876-7469.
Or, send a check, made out to the USO and with O.P.H. written on the memo line, to: USO World Headquarters, PO Box 96860, Washington, D.C. 20090-6860.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
If you are of the mind and generousity in the heart there is another link to help us help our troops and their families.
The Fisher House - HELPING MILITARY FAMILIES
Bump for donating later today.
While I think that is an excellent idea you might want to make sure that he can use it. If you like I will ask my husband as someone who has served there he might shed a bit of light on the issue.
Again, not taking away from your brilliant idea.
good news **PING**
ping this
Gotta have him ask about it... But if they don't have a problem, it's a small price for the year he's gone to have him basically a ring away. We'll see if we can do it...
Personally, between the Iridium and Globalstar systems, I don't see why every U.S. serviceman can't have a phone. It's a failure of marketing by those companies that they haven't done it on their own. The rates could be quite low, and since those systems are nowhere near their capacity, the traffic numbers would be easily accommodated.
But that's just me.
Sat with a young Spec 4 and a PFC outside the PX this afternoon eating burgers and chatting. We were talking about CIBs and patches and lousy army food, and then one mentioned he is going home on R&R to see his wife and new baby next week. Got so choked up hearing his excitement I couldn't swallow my burger. These men and women are doing so much for all of us without asking for anything in return, this is the least we can do for them. Thanks for the post.
Actually, the best satellite phone going is the Thuraya. The handset is normal size and it uses a stationary satellite versus the low orbiter used by iridium. Iridium is expensive (well over a dollar a minute) and erratic. Thuraya is owned by a UAE company which could be problematic but since no sensitive discussions should be held on any phone it shouldn't matter. The big problem is geo locating. MCI has banks of phones available for the troops at most if not all the bases in Iraq and during Christmas they are going to provide free service, or so the sign said.
Go with Thuraya, it's smaller, cheaper and much more reliable. The handset is the size of a normal cell phone instead of that big cluge Globalstar.
Iridium has a small handset now; Globalstar could too if they had the money to develop them. Besides, the UAE types get a lot of oil money all ready...at least G* and Iridium are U.S. companies.
It's a matter of preferences, and trades. They all have good points. Thuraya's an OK system for the price if you don't mind the call quality and limited service area.
Excellent military article **ping**
I think phone cards are a much better idea than satellite phones.
Soldiers having satellite phones with them at all times is too great a risk to operational security. Even if the soldier that owns the phone is one that can be trusted, that doesn't mean the phone won't be borrowed by one who doesn't understand the risks.
Good for the USO.
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