U.S. troops stationed overseas were able to give their sweethearts back home a special gift this Valentine’s Day—a phone call, free-of-charge. The VFW Department of Minnesota and KSTP-TV 5 Eyewitness News sponsored this VFW Operation UplinkTM “Free Call Day.”
Troops and hospitalized veterans in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait could call the U.S for free for a full 24 hours on Valentine's Day. Unlike with pre-paid phone cards, troops are free to talk as long as they’re able.
Tim Church posted on VFW’s Facebook page, “As a vet of both Iraq and Afghanistan, I want to say thank you for all the calls I was able to make due to Operation Uplink.”
Church is just one of the thousands who have taken advantage of the chance to speak with his loved ones at no cost. By the end of Valentine’s Day, hundreds of thousands of free minutes had been used by troops and hospitalized veterans.
Gee Bailey commented on VFW’s Facebook page, writing, “What a wonderful thing for our courageous men and women. THANK YOU!!!”
Free Call Days are offered at more than 800 MWR Internet cafes using SPAWAR located at various military installations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. The program is the only one of its kind, providing two designated days each month when deployed service members can make phone calls to the U.S. at no cost.
Recently, Free Call Days surpassed 5 million free connections.
For a complete list of scheduled Free Call Days, click here.