This week, I am spending with the Soldiers at FOB Hammer. We have a remnant there and I wanted to be with them for Christmas–so I’m doing services here.
So, when I need to get on the computer…my only outlet is the MWR computers. They run off of a good internet service called SPAWAR.
As you can imagine, these computers are used 24 hours a day in a harsh environment, for at least a solid year now–the letters on the keys are almost rubbed off and after all of the dirty and grime from daily use the keys stick. It makes writing difficult.
But, I am thankful that soldier have the opportunity to contact their families through the internet. It is amazing how the internet has changed the life of the Soldier.
In Desert Storm (pre-internet) some Soldiers were only able to call home once during that deployment. Thankfully, things have changed–even if the keys stick.
Chaplain Andrews says
Mark–
Thank you for responding about the keys! This goes to show the wonderful spirit that is out there to help Soldiers down range.
Thank you for all that SPAWAR does for us!
Mike Hartman says
If someone can contact oifsupport@spawareurope.net, and let them know the cafe identifier (e.g. MWR-IRQ-101) our tech support folks, who are in country, can replace those sticky keyboards. This goes for any other cafes out there, in either Iraq or Afghanistan.
Happy Holidays!
Mike Hartman
Program Manager, SPAWAR MWR Internet Cafés
Kerri says
I’m a Desert Storm era wife and I still have all of the snail mail letters from my guy! Snail mail and very limited phone calls were cherished. We lived in Germany at the time, too, so our only family was our squadron friends. But we were so blessed!! Our awesome chaplain wasn’t deployed with the group and we learned that we could get a big hug from him after Sunday Services. (Awesome chaplain is now Senior Chaplain at Arlington National Cemetery and still gives out big hugs!) It’s amazing how far technology has come since Desert Storm time…and that you can stay in touch with your family so much easier. But it still doesn’t make the distance any easier. Praying for you and your family….blessings to you!
Stephanie says
That gives a new perspective. Not only has technology changed but that it is being used to help our Soldiers stay in contact with family and friends while deployed. It kind of makes me happy that the keys stick because that means our Soldiers are in touch with the people they care about. I hope those sticky keys provide some comfort during the holidays.