Military Families Visit With Loved Ones In Iraq Without Leaving Home

Jennifer Skinner and her daughter Katelyn, above, visit via teleconference with her husband, Sergeant Robert Skinner who is serving in Iraq.

By Laura Calverley

Jennifer Skinner had not looked into her husband Robert’s eyes for three months, but in December she got an early Christmas present. She was able to talk to the Marine sergeant — stationed in Iraq since September — face to face for 30 minutes during a special video teleconference.

Two nonprofit organizations, Operation America Cares and Freedom Calls Foundation, made the connection possible by providing the technology and arranging the satellite hookup. Video conferences are new in San Diego but have been conducted in cities across the country.

“I heard about it through our Key Volunteer Network, a group that communicates to all the spouses and families of Marines in the Command,” Jennifer Skinner said. “My daughter and I went to a meeting room at Pacific Marine Credit Union, on Camp Pendleton, on Dec. 4 and there was a small camera, a microphone and a TV monitor there and we could see and hear Bobby. It was great.”

Sergeant Robert Skinner Photo by vondel Stevens

The teleconference, which lasted from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., allowed 10 families, each with a 30-minute slot, to communicate with loved ones stationed overseas. The Skinners’ teleconference was arranged via e-mails between the couple and the coordinators.

Jennifer Skinner and her 2-year-old daughter arrived a few minutes before the pre-arranged time and were left alone in the room. Volunteers were on hand, offering food and drink and any other support needed. The Skinner family was able to speak privately, without interruption, except for a cue to let them know when their time was almost up.

The experience is frequently emotional for both the family members and the military personnel. Skinner said she started crying when they were given the 1-minute cue.

Although Skinner talks to her husband weekly by phone and receives frequent e-mails, many military personnel are not able to communicate as often with loved ones. The opportunity to see as well as hear her husband made this experience special, Skinner said.

“I liked the ability to make eye contact. It’s great to get an immediate visual response,” she said. “And my daughter loved it. Bobby played peek-a-boo with her. She’s already asking, ‘Can we see Daddy on TV again?’ ”

Operation America Cares was started in 2004 by Gunnery Sgt. Michael Hanson, an Internet technology specialist for the Marines, who arranged a system so that he could connect with his wife Toni in Minnesota. The Hansons then made it available to other military personnel in Iraq.

Freedom Calls Foundation arranged the satellite link and since 2003, has installed state-of-the-art video conferencing systems at three military bases in Iraq: Camp Fallujah, Camp Taji and Al Asad Air base.

Dick Bartlett, a retired civilian, is the contact person in San Diego, and he helped get the program rolling here.

“I was asked to act as point of contact for the first video conference, that took place in September at the San Diego Chargers headquarters, which connected 14 families with military personnel in Iraq” Bartlett said. “I asked, ‘With the thousands of military families we have here, why aren’t we doing it regularly?’ ”

Through the efforts of Bartlett, Operation America Cares and Freedom Calls and the support of local businesses and volunteers, more video conferences are planned. Coordinators hope to conduct at least one every week, at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar or Camp Pendleton, or possibly both.

More business sponsors are needed, as well as volunteers to help the day of the teleconference.

“As long as the business is willing, and has the facilities and technology, we’d love to hear from them,” Bartlett said.

Being apart for any length of time can be stressful and lonely, and the video conferences offer families a chance to connect with loved ones in a more personal way.

“One of the best things about it is that it keeps you motivated,” Jennifer Skinner said. “It helps get you through the humps of deployment.”

For more information on registering for a video teleconference or sponsoring one, contact Bartlett by e-mail at bartvtc@cox.net; include your phone number and the unit number of the military service member you want to connect with. Operation America Cares’ website is www.operationamericacares.org.