Holiday Spirit

Today in my First Year Seminar my classmates and i wrote in Christmas cards to send to soldiers on active duty and/or wounded. It was a pretty simple and quick process of writing a short "thank you, have a happy holiday" sort of message in a Christmas card but it felt much bigger. although letter have been around for a very long time and were one of the first types of communication soldiers could have with their family, they are still used today. They might not be as effective for communicating with loved ones as newer technology but I think a combination of both is the best route, because while its nice to see your loved ones face in real time and be able to communicate face to face when they're so far away, its also nice to have a tangible thing you can hold on to sent by a loved one. Even though the soldiers who will receive our letter don't know us and probably never will I know from my cousins that just receiving mail puts a smile on their faces. Over thanksgiving I talked to my cousins about communication and what they thought about it while they were away. My cousin Dan said that "not getting a letter on mail day was the worst thing about being away. Any kind of mail was better than none at all." With that in mind, sending letters to the soldiers currently serving felt really good and that's why when I saw this commercial on television the other day I knew I had to incorporate it into my blog. This commercial is a Hallmark advertizement introducing their new recordable book. In the commercial a soldier overseas receives a book that contains his sons voice reading the book to him. I felt this was a really touching example of how much communicating with family means to soldiers. This new book is another example of the way technology is advancing the tools of communication between families and their service member.

Times Are Changing

Cpl. Frank Buckles 1917

      I recently read an article commemorating the life of the last living WWI veteran who died in February of this year. Cpl. Frank Buckles was 16 years old when he joined the First Fort Riley Casual Detachment of the U.S. Army and sailed for Europe on the HMS Carpathia in 1917.   The article describes Buckles experience overseas as an ambulance driver during WWI and of becoming a prisoner of war during WWII. A couple of years ago some one got the notion that they ought to get as many WWI veterans together to tell their stories while they still had a chance and as they were conducting interviews they lost 4 men before having the chance to tell their story and another 5 shortly after telling theirs. I think this shows just how important it is to learn from people and to listen to people while you have a chance because one day they will be gone and their stories lost forever. one thing I thought about when reading this story is whether or not this will still be an issue in another 100 years from now. In 100 years from the people who are reaching the age of Mr. Buckles will have had technology their entire life. Will it still be necessary to ask for their life stories or will it already be posted for the world to see, will nothing be private anymore? 

Frank Buckles December, 2009

      When I think about the life of Cpl. Frank Buckles and all he has done for this country I feel proud. Proud to know that there are people in the world who are willing to risk and give their lives for the freedoms we have today.  I know that this post is a little off the topic of technology but I strongly felt it was important to commemorate the story of Cpl. Buckles and all the soldiers who have given their service to the U.S. armed forces. On another interesting side note: that boat that I mentioned that Cpl. Buckles took over to Europe; the Carpathia. This is the very same boat that had rescued the survivors of the Titanic in 1912, just 5 years before Buckles sailed to Europe on it. That's pretty cool.


source: http://www.army.mil

A Brief History

source:http://www.documentingreality.com

      War is and will always be a dangerous and frighting thing that is inevitable in our society, but i am grateful for the technology that has changed the battlefield and brought the number of soldiers killed in battle drastically down. Less than 100 years ago during WWI when technology was minimal and man power was plentaful the casualties of war were much much higher. It is estimated that nearly 117,465 American soldiers and civilians were killed in World War I over the course of the 3 years that the United States was involved. In modern war where technology is much greater, such as the War on Terror, the casualties have been much lower. Even including the people who who died on 9/11 the casualty number for the War on Terror to date is approximately 8,800 over the course of 10 years. Whether this dramatic decrease in war causalities is due to technological advancements is up for debate, although technology is one of the only changes that have been made to the incredibly traditional U.S. armed forces.
      The amount of casualties during WWI may be attributed to the military strategies of the era. One particularly dangerous strategy was the way that the battle lines communicated with one another. During battle, a few soldiers were designated as "runners". these runners would run or ride a horse back and forth along the lines to receive and transmit messages from soldier to soldier. To be a "runner" was a job no soldier wanted for the odds of making it off the battlefield became much slimmer. In today's war fare the risky job of a messenger has been eliminated with the creation of satellite radios.
      Although it is pretty widely known that a vast majority of the deaths that occurred in WWI were due to the conditions of the battlefield and trench warfare, this to can be connected to the development of technology. With the creation of technology the way that wars are fought has changed and  trench warfare has become obsolete. War today is fought almost entirely if not completely with the use of modern technology. from the radios on their hips, to the guns in there hands and the vehicles they ride in technology is a major player in the way soldiers communicate and handle situations in conflict today.

Happy Thanksgiving

Dan; just home from the airport.

Staying connected with family in the military has become increasingly important in my life since my cousins joined the navy and my brother and cousin my age have plans to enlist after college. I am commonly the only girl among my five guy cousins and my family is very close so it is more similar to having five big brothers than cousins. when I found out that my cousin Dan who is currently living on base in San Antonio, Texas was going to be able to come up here to Minnesota for thanksgiving  I was ecstatic. A close family friend Alea and I drove out to the airport here in MSP and held up our handmade signs to greet him from the terminal. it was great to see his face. I am frequently texting him and finding out how his training is going and it was great to be able to stay in contact with him from across the country. my cousin Eric who is currently living on base just outside Chicago, Illinois recently got married and has a baby on the way so it is great to get to stay in contact with him via Facebook. Facebook has allowed our entire family to see updates on how the boys are doing as well as see updates on the new baby. it gives you relief to know that your loved ones are only a click away.

homemade welcoming sign

While other technology outlets  like Skype are essential for communicating with soldiers while overseas, Facebook is a great way to stay connected with your family in the military who are still on U.S. soil. My family in the military say that while they cannot update and communicate well over Facebook when they are overseas because of the lack of free time and resources, on base it is the most useful tool for exactly that. Although it is nice to be able to communicate with family through new technological resources when it is not possible to see them face to face, holidays like Thanksgiving are always welcome and you can see the joy on everyone's faces just to be together in one big household for a few days. I certainly know what I am thankful for this year.

Family Connections

The ways in which soldiers communicate with family and loved ones has shifted parallel to technological advancements. I recently read an article where a National Guard soldier tells the story of how technology has changed the way he can communicate with his wife back home. In 1991 he talks about having to write letters that took three weeks to be received, by the time they were read they were already old news. Now on his third tour, he is able to stay in touch with his wife via emails, instant messaging, Facebook, cellphones, and video chatting through Skype. The advancements that have taken place in just the last 10 years have allowed for incredible opportunities in technological resources. Social media tools have helped families to stay connected to their soldiers and  maybe even help decrease the stress of their absence as well as act as reassurance that they can still check up on their soldier. Many soldiers have said that staying in touch with family while away is very important to them and can be a sort of therapy when away from home. In a Missouri newspaper a parent tells of checking his soldiers Facebook every time he hears of an American soldier being killed overseas. As with my family (pictures above) my cousins are both Navy corpsmen and it is helpful whether they are on base or overseas to connect with them through social media and cell phones to check up on them and make sure they are doing okay.  In this way social media acts as a reassurance to loved ones that they still have the ability to assure the safety of their family. Social media may have its downfalls but it certainly allows for a clear mind when it comes to connecting soldiers with their families.