You may be asking what you can do to support America’s service members, especially military troops serving overseas and those injured in combat recovering in military hospitals. Several organizations are sponsoring programs directly aiding members of the armed forces.
The Help Our Troops Call Home program is designed to help service members call home from Operations Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Those wishing to donate a prepaid calling card to a military member may log on to any of the three Armed Services Exchange web sites: the Army and Air Force Exchange Service http://www.aafes.com/, the Navy Exchange Service Command http://www.navy-nex.com/, and the Marine Corps Exchange http://www.usmc-mccs.org/. Click the Help Our Troops Call Home link.
From there, a prepaid calling card may be purchased for an individual at his or her deployed address or to any service member deployed or hospitalized. The Armed Services Exchanges will distribute cards donated to any service member through the American Red Cross, Air Force Aid Society and the Fisher House Foundation.
The Armed Services Exchanges operate telephone call centers in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and other countries and aboard ships — anywhere service members are deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. All of these locations stay busy round the clock to keep up communication between deployed troops and their loved ones. The cards available through the Help Our Troops Call Home program offer the best value for calls made from the call centers; they never expire; and there are no added charges or connection fees.
On American shores, the number ONE request at the Walter Reed Medical Center is phone cards for its patients – - wounded soldiers who are rationing their calls to loved ones at home. To help on this front, you may send phone cards of any amount to:
Medical Family Assistance Center
Walter Reed Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20307-5001
(202) 782-3501
National Naval Medical Center
8901 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
(301) 295-4611
Source: US Department of Defense, National Rifle Association (NRA)
