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TechnographSight for sore eyes
Bridging the gap between soldiers and families
By Wes Anderson
Posted: 7/9/08 Section: News
For one hour on Wednesday afternoon, the 7,000 miles separating Spc. Gregory Regan Jr. from his family back in Illinois was reduced to insignificance.
Thanks to the "See Your Solider" program, Regan, a young soldier in the U.S. Army stationed at Camp Taji in Iraq, spoke face-to-face - via videophone - with a group of his family through the "See Your Solider" program at the University of Illinois Extension Center in Champaign. At first, Regan's family was told that technical issues had delayed their scheduled videoconference 40 minutes, but 10 minutes later, a picture of an empty chair came up on the conference room screen. Soon, a baby-faced 20-year-old with a buzzcut and wearing fatigues appeared and sat down.
"There's Gregory!" a voice hollered, and a rush of cheers and applause followed. On the screen, a smiling Regan waved and greeted individual family members as the webcam panned around the room. For the first time in nine months, Regan and his family were able to see each other.
An uninterrupted stream of questions and comments followed. Despite the circumstances surrounding the event, the conversation sounded little different than one between family and a college student away at school.
"How are you doing?" "Are you eating well?" "Is it hot there?" "Did you get our packages?" "You're looking good!" "We'll go fishing when you get back!"
The ongoing war seemed to fade away from everyone's mind.
"It was great to actually see him, to know that he's OK, and that he still has his sense of humor," said Peggy Zachary, Gregory's mother. "He's still a kid at heart, but he has tremendous responsibilities."
The program, facilitated by the University and the Freedom Calls Foundation, allows families to see loved ones in the armed forces deployed to Iraq via an IP-based videophone. The service is available on selected dates at University of Illinois Extension Center locations across the state. In Champaign, some 40 families have participated, according to Dennis Bowman, an Extension educator and site coordinator.
Thanks to the "See Your Solider" program, Regan, a young soldier in the U.S. Army stationed at Camp Taji in Iraq, spoke face-to-face - via videophone - with a group of his family through the "See Your Solider" program at the University of Illinois Extension Center in Champaign. At first, Regan's family was told that technical issues had delayed their scheduled videoconference 40 minutes, but 10 minutes later, a picture of an empty chair came up on the conference room screen. Soon, a baby-faced 20-year-old with a buzzcut and wearing fatigues appeared and sat down.
"There's Gregory!" a voice hollered, and a rush of cheers and applause followed. On the screen, a smiling Regan waved and greeted individual family members as the webcam panned around the room. For the first time in nine months, Regan and his family were able to see each other.
An uninterrupted stream of questions and comments followed. Despite the circumstances surrounding the event, the conversation sounded little different than one between family and a college student away at school.
"How are you doing?" "Are you eating well?" "Is it hot there?" "Did you get our packages?" "You're looking good!" "We'll go fishing when you get back!"
The ongoing war seemed to fade away from everyone's mind.
"It was great to actually see him, to know that he's OK, and that he still has his sense of humor," said Peggy Zachary, Gregory's mother. "He's still a kid at heart, but he has tremendous responsibilities."
The program, facilitated by the University and the Freedom Calls Foundation, allows families to see loved ones in the armed forces deployed to Iraq via an IP-based videophone. The service is available on selected dates at University of Illinois Extension Center locations across the state. In Champaign, some 40 families have participated, according to Dennis Bowman, an Extension educator and site coordinator.
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