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
Win
an hour worth of Free Phone Calls Now!
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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