by Tech. Sgt. Vernon Cunningham455th AEW
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - Deployment is hard on a family. It is even harder for a service member who would normally read their children a good night story, but are not around to do so. However, the Pat Tillman Memorial United Services Organization at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, offers a service through its United Through Reading program to help close the gap and allow deployed service members to read to their families from abroad.
The program is a cooperative effort between the USO and the federal non-profit organization United Through Reading. It allows overseas personnel to read to their loved ones back home through recorded video.
Pictured: Two children in the United States watch a video recorded by their deployed father who used the United Services Organization’s United Through Reading service at Bagram Air Field, Aghanistan. The USO records deployed service members reading to their loved ones and sends the DVD and book back to the member's home.
Cathe Ganley, United Through Reading coordinator for Bagram, said the mission of the USO is to lift the spirit of the troops overseas or away from their family.
USO patrons can bring their own book or choose from the selection provided. The USO has children's books for young readers and chapter books for older kids. They can read for up to 30 minutes while being recorded. Afterward, USO personnel will package the book and disc and send them to the address provided by the service member.
Ganley said the Pat Tillman Memorial USO sends 60 to 100 packages to families in the U.S. every three days.
Master Sgt. Daniel Fish, deployed from the 673rd Logistics Readiness Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, is a first-time user and took the opportunity to read to his two daughters.
"It's a little more personal than me just reading a book over the phone," Fish said. "My youngest daughter is in an accelerated reading program, so now I have a good reason to use the program and read with her. I know that my daughters will enjoy it."
Master Sgt. Santiago Belen, deployed from the Puerto Rico Air National Guard, read to his son, Justin, and daughter, Gabrielle. He read one book in English and the second book in Spanish.
Belen has shipped DVDs through the United Through Reading program several times.
"It's another way which the USO has given us to reach out to our families back home," Belen said. "More than phones and more than letters. I and my family definitely appreciate it."
The Pat Tillman Memorial USO is open for reading on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 4 p.m. It's also available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. All other USO services are available from 8 a.m. to midnight.