The Veterans of Foreign Wars received a $250,000 grant from SBC Communications to be used for its Operation Uplink, which solicits donations to buy calling cards for deployed troops.
Joanne Dickerson, manager of special operations for the VFW, said the operation has picked up since it started in 1996.
“The program started as a way of thanking actively deployed armed services and hospitalized veterans for their service,” Dickerson said. “It needed to be fairly inexpensive so as to be supported completely by donations, and we decided, what better than a call home?”
Since its inception, the operation has donated more than two million calling cards to servicemen overseas.
Operation Uplink has been gaining momentum as more troops were sent to the Middle East in preparation for the current war with Iraq. Dickerson said 1.2 million calling cards have been distributed since November 2002.
“Our cards work everywhere,” Dickerson said. “If you can get to a phone, you’ll be able to use it to make a call.”
Dickerson added that the VFW cards work better on army bases using phones provided by AT&T, the military’s phone carrier. If a soldier is on leave from the base, it is harder to get the call to go through, and the card minutes are used up more quickly.
“The bases in Kuwait works off satellite phones, and the cards work with those too,” Dickerson said. “With satellite they can set up a call center in the middle of the desert.”
The SBC Communications donation will make the purchase of about 30,000 calling cards possible.
The operation has received help from other large corporations, in addition to outpourings of support from small businesses and private citizens.
The National Football League ran promotions airing during its Sunday afternoon and Monday night games starting on Veterans’ Day weekend, in addition to making its own donation.
Much of the estimated $3 million the operation raised since its start was from private donations from citizens moved by the NFL’s commercials.
SBC Communications spokesman Howard Riefs said the company was a supporter of U.S. troops at war.
“There are 250 SBC employees who have been called into active duty,” Riefs said. “This contribution honors those employees.”
Riefs said the donation is part of the SBC Vital Connections program that is designed to help consumers, businesses and troops stay connected during uncertain times.
“Staying in touch with family members is difficult for troops deployed for long periods overseas. It can be a tremendous financial burden to call home, and troops can spend up to hundreds of dollars every year to communicate with their families,” Riefs said. “Calling home from Iraq right now would cost approximately $15 for a 10-minute phone call.”
The VFW’s Operation Uplink will distribute the calling cards, along with supportive letters, mementos and photos, to the troops through the Department of Defense.
