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Verizon to Offer Free Calling to Troops in Iraq during the Holidays
TMCnet Contributing Editor
Verizon ( News - Alert) Business announced on Monday that it will again allow families to connect with their loved ones who are currently serving in Iraq for free this holiday season. The telecom will provide free phone calls during the holidays for the U.S. Armed Forces personnel stationed in that country.
Verizon Business will provide the free calls from November 22 through the 28 and from December 22 through January 2. The telecom has been offering free holiday calling to Iraq for military personnel and their families for four years now. In order to enable military personnel to make the calls, Verizon Business deployed a mobile communications facility equipped with phones in Iraq.
"For our troops stationed far away from home, hearing the sound of a loved-one's voice can go a long way to lift the spirits during the holidays,'' said Jerry Edgerton, group president for Verizon Federal in a statement. "Verizon Business has made it a tradition to help the troops stay connected during the holiday season as a gesture of appreciation for the sacrifices they make daily."
Verizon Business is not the only telecom making it easier for families to communicate with their loved ones who are currently serving in the military during this holiday season. Indeed, AT&T ( News - Alert) also announced today that it has joined forces with United Service Organizations (USO) to distribute an additional 10,000 free prepaid phone cards to U.S. military members currently stationed overseas in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The move will enable these dedicated military men and women to communicate with their family members here in the United States during this holiday season.
The organization and AT&T have been making these cards available to the military groups, and this is the third batch donated and sent overseas this year. The batch is comprised of more than 30,000 prepaid phone cards valued at $270,000. This holiday phone card donation follows ones made during Father's Day and the Fourth of July.
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Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet and Internet Telephony magazine. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit Johanne's columnist page.
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