Deployments aren’t easy, whether it is to a combat zone or to another country, but with the information age in full swing communications with your deployed service member is easier than ever.  The Internet has brought us communication tools such as e-mail, instant messaging, Skype, and Facebook, and with these tools the amount, type, and quality of communications has increased.

However when you are planning on communicating with your deployed service member via one of these methods, there are a few factors to consider.

First of all, yes there are Internet and phone centers on almost every base, no matter how large or small.  Typically the size of the base will dictate how big the center is and how many computers and phones are available.  These centers pretty closely mirror any Internet café you have seen in the States, except for the large amount of dust and dirt, and everyone in there has a gun of some sort.  Also the service member will not have to pay for the Internet, but will be charged for the phone service.

It is a nice gesture to want to send your service member phone cards; however these aren’t the most cost efficient methods for calling back to the States.  Typically the deployed Internet and phone centers will be what is called SPAWAR and run off of a special PIN# the service member has to buy, activate, and keep charged.  All of these transactions can only be done on line . I know this sounds like a monopoly and before you call Teddy Roosevelt and his Trust Busters, consider that a $10 phone card got me through 4 months of a 7 month deployment making two to three thirty minute phone calls a week, averaging only a few cents a minute.  Plus SPAWAR has what they call “Free Call Days” where as long as you have the PIN# you can call for free on a specified date such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Independence Day, just to name a few.

Finally, you have to remember that whether your service member is calling you or using the Internet to e-mail or IM, he is in a public place with limited resources.  Typically the Internet and phone centers have a 30 minute time limit for their use, and it is not uncommon for your service member to have to wait in line for his or her turn.  Additionally, it is a public place and for the most part everyone in the immediate area can hear the phone conversations or see what is on the computer screen.

Keeping these few simple pointers in mind can easily keep the lines of communication open between your family for the duration of the deployment.