Red Cross Chat

Technology makes such a difference in the lives of service members over here. When they have access to the Internet (and phones), they can use a Web cam to chat face-to-face, chat real time via the Internet, view important family events, and more.

We have an Internet café attached to the office. It was installed by the military, and we oversee it.

It has five computers with Internet access and three phones. They send emails, do live chats, use the Webcam at Station 1 when it’s available. I’ll see guys and gals sitting out there at Station 1 just quietly chatting away.

There are at least two other Internet cafés on post, also open 24 hours. They’re large, where ours is small and cozy. And we have coffee, water and snacks in our canteen. Since I work the night shift, I see a bunch of regulars who use the facilities as often as every night to stay in touch.

We also have The Legacy Room. The primary purpose of the room is for service members to be able to see things like the birth of a baby or a child’s birthday party and interact with the people involved.

The other morning in the wee hours, an airman came in to see his brother’s wedding reception. The brother is going to send a tape of the wedding. But being tuned in to the reception allowed the guy to talk to family and friends while they were all gathered in one place. He said it was a lot of fun, although I thought I detected a slightly wistful note in his voice, too. I imagine it’s tough to be away from home on days like that. Still, I’m sure he’d rather have access to the technology than not.