AAFES Complimentary Messaging System Ideal for Reaching Troops

DALLAS Delivering a message to local military communities is easier than ever before thanks to the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) Radio Network. Thoughts of appreciation and gratitude, an announcement welcoming deployed troops home, information on upcoming base or post activities and much more can be communicated through the proprietary in-store radio.

In addition to being an extremely valuable marketing tool, AAFES Radio can also relay complimentary command information to troops and their Families. By leveraging this outlet, local and regional commanders can communicate directly with their installation simply by calling in and recording a message. Other on-base organizations, such as Family Readiness Groups and Family Support Centers, may also submit a copy of a proposed message to their local General Manager, who will work with AAFES Radio to have it recorded.

“Since virtually everyone on the base or post frequents the BX/PX at some point, AAFES Radio is a terrific avenue to reach an extremely wide and diverse audience,” said AAFES Chief Marketing Officer Richard Sheff.

Base/post officials can record announcements by simply sending the following information to radio@aafes.com:

Support for America’s Troops Surges in 2007

DALLAS – The American public rallied in support of America’s troops in 2007, delivering more than $1.7 million in aid through Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) troop support initiatives.

Calls home were a priority, as everyday Americans sent $1,257,956 in communication support through AAFES’ “Help Our Troops Call Home” effort. With average contributions topping $104,000 each month, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen and their families who received 550-minute Military Exchange Global Prepaid Phone cards through the program enjoyed 551,731 minutes of complimentary communication every month in 2007.

“Phone cards through ‘Help Our Troops Call Home’ offer calls from Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait for as low as 19 cents a minute,” said AAFES’ Senior Enlisted Advisor Chief Master Sgt. Bryan Eaton. “Troops and the American public understand that Military Exchange Global Prepaid Phone cards offer compelling value when placing calls from the Middle East. Because of this, AAFES has seen the telecommunication effort gain momentum year after year since its inception in April 2004.”

To help offset the expense of keeping the home front connected to the front lines, the American public has now sent 249,107 phone cards totaling nearly $6M through the “Help Our Troops Call Home” campaign. 

AAFES’ “care package” initiative dubbed “Gifts from the Homefront” also saw increased interest last year as contributions of individual certificates jumped more than 10 percent with the American public sending 20,474 Base and Post Exchange certificates worth $487,345. The certificates, which can be redeemed at exchange facilities worldwide including more than 50 BX/PXs throughout Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, make it easy for any American to leverage the exchange benefit of behalf of troops and their families.

“Since its inception in March 2003, troops have redeemed 62,648 “Gifts from the Homefront” gift certificates for movies, snacks, magazines and more,” said Eaton. “Besides the ability to personalize their care package, troops tell me that gift certificates are especially handy because, unlike chocolate bars and electronics sent through the mail, they don’t melt or break before reaching the contingency theater.”

Available through www.aafes.org and toll free numbers (800-527-2345 for “Help Our Troops Call Home” and 877-770-4438 for “Gifts from the Homefront”), both gift certificates and phone cards can be sent to specific military families or routed to “any service member” through a number of charitable partners including  the American Red Cross and Fisher House.

America sends more than $5 million to help troops call home

DALLAS – It started simply enough in April 2004 as a program in which the American public could provide an avenue for Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and Sailors in deployed areas to stay connected to loved ones back home. Just three and a half years later, the contributions to “Help Our Troops Call Home” have totaled $5,004,556.

“With contributions of more than $5 million, America’s outpouring of support for this program has been nothing short of spectacular,” said the Army and Air Force Exchange Service’s Senior Enlisted Chief Master Sgt. Bryan Eaton. “And, with the holiday season rapidly approaching, there is no better time to show our support for the brave men and women of our military than by sending the means to connect with loved ones back home.”

“Help Our Troops Call Home” allows anyone, even non-authorized exchange shoppers, to send Military Exchange Global Prepaid Phone cards to individual service members (designated by the sender) or to “any service member” through a variety of charitable partners.

Since the program’s inception, 129,912 individual orders for more than 214,000 phone cards have been purchased. More than 24,000 have been earmarked for “any service member” and distributed via charities such as the American Red Cross, Air Force Aid Society, Fisher House Foundation, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, Soldier & Family Assistance Center and USO.

By simply logging on to aafes.org or calling 800-527-2345, friends, family members and even civic groups can take part in the “Help Our Troops Call Home” effort by sending any one of three Military Exchange Global Prepaid Phone cards, including a 550-minute denomination card capable of providing more than two hours of call time from any of 69 phone centers in Iraq, Afghanistan or Kuwait to the United States.


Supporting Our Troops With Military Phone Card Donations

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      Without support, our Troops morale level would be slim to none. Since September 11th the Soldiers of our Great Nation have been fighting for a cause so noble that they are mentioned every day in the news. Articles on September 11th are all over the Internet. It is extremely sad that something like this was the cause of the increased recognition, but Soldiers deserve support in any way we can provide it.

     You do not have to send our Soldiers expensive care packages or write long support letters to show that you support them. Give them something that they really need like discount international military phone cards or some stamps so they can communicate with their loved ones without delay. There are many non-profit organizations that offer discount international military phone cards that can be donated to the Soldiers overseas. Since September 11th, many non-profit organizations have lost publicity because of the big phone card companies trying to get their piece of the pie. These non-profit organizations exist to support our troops and most provide better services than the big names in the phone card industry. These organizations are trying to build something positive in memory of September 11th.

     Most of the care packages our soldiers receive contain candies and personal hygiene items they either already have, or they can easily obtain at the PX. The PX, or Post Exchange, has a motto, We go where you go. If you can get something at the local WalMart, the Soldiers can probably get at the PX. Something you may want to keep in mind is that items like discount military phone cards can be purchased at the PX but they only carry big named cards that have hidden rates. If you could send Soldiers a quality phone card or personal card to support our troops, they would have much better use for it than a box of broken cookies, or a letter like thousands of others saying how much you appreciate them.

     Whether your military donation is in the form of a discount military phone card, a book of stamps or just a simple letter attempting to boost their moral, you have supported the war on terror in one way or another and you should be proud. If you are not able to make a donation like this, maybe you could just compose a heart felt letter in memory of September 11th reminding our warriors that their fight is for a noble cause. To all of those murdered in the attacks on September 11, 2002, their family members who have to deal with their loss every day and the countless number of Soldiers, Sailors and Marines that have given their lives for a more peaceful world, our hearts go out to you and we thank you all for your enormous sacrifice.

 


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While your soldier is overseas; whether it be Iraq, Kuwait, Korea, Germany or elsewhere family and friends need to know that calling him or her does not have to be an expensive or stressful ordeal, nor should it be. Over the years the U.S. Military has deployed to several locations overseas and many soldiers have enjoyed low rate Military International phone cards. It is important for you to know that there are companies out there that really do care about our armed forces and want to provide them with the lowest possible international phone card rates during their deployment. More


Calling Cards For Soldiers Using Cell Phones

 If you or your spouse have ever been deployed overseas, you know the importance of finding a quality phone card provider that offers cheap rates to those who serve.

Whether you have been, or you plan to deploy to Iraq, Germany, Korea, Kosovo or any of the many other locations our Military goes, you know the importance of cheap military calling card rates. With the extremely fast pace of the modern United States Military, cell phones for Soldiers are a necessity. With so many choices of phone cards for Soldiers, it is important to find one that you can use with your cell phone, that does not carry hidden charges and one that has cheap card rates for the Military. More

 
 

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