2008 Year in Review

Sign Up Now for “See Your Soldier” Video Visits

Dozens of Illinois families will have the chance to visit face-to-face with their soldiers in Iraq on Wednesday and Thursday, July 9 and 10, via University of Illinois Extension’s videoconferencing system.

Soldiers at Al Asad Airbase (Air Force), Camp Taji/Cooke (Army), Camp Fallujah, Camp Taqaddum and Camp Victory will be able to see and talk with family members in private 30-minute “See Your Soldier” sessions hosted by U of I Extension offices in 16 communities. There is no charge to participate.

Families must register online at See Your Soldier no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24 to be eligible for a time slot, and reservations will be made on a first-come, first-served basis.

The live audio/video linkages are being offered in collaboration with the Freedom Calls Foundation, which provides the videoconferencing equipment and satellite connection in Iraq.

When a family has registered, the military will alert the service member about the opportunity to visit with friends and family, and the time and date of the Internet transmission. If the soldier’s duty schedule can accommodate the visit, family members will be assigned a time for their 30-minute session.

The program is limited to military personnel stationed at Al Asad Airbase (Air Force), Camp Taji/Cooke (Army), Camp Fallujah, Camp Taqaddum and Camp Victory

Locations of the July “See Your Soldier” videoconferences will be:
- Amboy, Lee County Extension Unit, 280 W. Wasson Road
- Bourbonnais, Kankakee County Extension Unit, 1650 Commerce Drive
- Carbondale, Carbondale Extension Center, 148 E. Pleasant Hill Road, Suite 106
- Champaign, Champaign Extension Center, 801 N. Country Fair Drive, Suite E
- East Moline, Northwest Regional Extension Office, 4550 Kennedy Dr., Suite 1
- East Peoria, East Peoria Extension Center, 727 Sabrina Drive
- Effingham, Effingham Extension Center, 1209 Wenthe Drive
- Galesburg, Knox County Extension Unit, 180 S. Soangetaha Road., Suite 108
- Grayslake, Lake County Extension Unit, 100 S. US Highway 45
- Macomb, Macomb Extension Center, 480 S. Deer Rd.
- Morrison, Whiteside County Extension Center, 100 E. Knox St.
- Mount Vernon, Southern Regional Extension Office, 4202 Williamson Place, Suite 2
- Princeton, Bureau County Extension Unit, Becker Professional Suites, 850 Thompson St.
- Rockford, Rockford Extension Center, 417 Ware Ave, Suite 102
- Springfield, Springfield Extension Center, Illinois State Fairgrounds Building #30
- Yorkville, Kendall County Extension Unit, 7775B Illinois Route 47

To start the process of requesting a visit, a family member must submit information through the “See Your Soldier” website at See Your Soldier by the June 24th deadline. Visitors to the website will be able to indicate their preferred location for the video visit, and must follow all instructions.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, please contact the host Extension office.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
June 6, 2008