DALLAS, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- For service members deployed to Operations
Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, the only fireworks they want to hear on the Fourth
of July will be the soothing sound of a loved one on the other end of the
telephone line.
"A phone call home, when you're thousands of miles away from home,
delivers thrills and excitement that even the best fireworks display can't
match," said the Army & Air Force Exchange Service's (AAFES') Chief of
Corporate Communications Lt. Col. Debra Pressley.
Troops placing calls from any of AAFES' 65 phone centers in Operations
Iraqi and Enduring Freedom don't need a holiday to pick up the phone. In
fact, just last month troops using Military Exchange Global Prepaid Phone
Cards logged more than 12 million minutes in AAFES call centers in Iraq,
Afghanistan and Kuwait.
While Military Exchange Global Prepaid Phone Cards offer the lowest rates
from Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom (as low as .19 cents a minute for
calls between Iraq and the United States), deployed troops always appreciate
America's support in making a connection from the front lines to the home
front, especially on a holiday.
"It's tough to be deployed on days that you would traditionally gather
with your friends and family," said Pressley. "Regardless of location,
holidays don't feel the same if you can't share them with friends and family."
Through the "Help Our Troops Call Home" program, any American can help
troops celebrate Independence Day with their loved ones by sending a Military
Exchange Global Prepaid Phone Card to a specific deployed service member or to
"any service member."
Phone cards addressed to "any service member" are distributed via the
American Red Cross, Air Force Aid Society, the Fisher House Foundation, and
the USO. To date, AAFES along with its charitable partners, have distributed
more than 60,000 Military Exchange Global Prepaid Phone Cards since the "Help
Our Troops Call Home" program began in April 2004.
The "Help Our Troops Call Home" initiative allows any American to make a
direct contribution to the morale of troops who find themselves far from home.
Individuals, organizations and businesses can log on to http://www.aafes.com
and click the "Help Our Troops Call Home" link or call 800-527-2345 for more
information.
The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) is a joint command of the
U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, and is directed by a Board of Directors who is
responsible to the Secretaries of the Army and the Air Force through the
Service Chiefs of Staff. AAFES has the dual mission of providing authorized
patrons with articles of merchandise and services and of generating non-
appropriated fund earnings as a supplemental source of funding for military
Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) programs. To find out more about AAFES'
history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our Web site
at http://www.aafes.com/pa/default.asp .
Media Notes:
For more information or to schedule an interview with an AAFES
representative please contact Judd Anstey, 214-312-3861 or anstey@aafes.com .
SOURCE Army & Air Force Exchange Service
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Related links:
http://www.aafes.com
http://www.aafes.com/pa/default.asp
CONTACT:
Judd Anstey of Army & Air Force Exchange
Service, +1-214-312-3861, or anstey@aafes.com
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