Alisha Grieme

Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and those of us with loved ones in the military aren't sure if they can talk to their loved ones. Alisha Grieme has the story.

For students at Texas State, as well as people all over the world, communication is key in day-to-day life. This could include texting, being on Facebook, and of course talking face to face, but for men and women in the military, these luxuries are not always available.
Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Murel Miller works in the Veterans Affairs office. Miller says that in boot camp, soldiers don't get to talk to their families a lot. There are time limits and long lines for the phones. Some services even take phones away until boot camp is finished. Miller says being able to talk to family and loved ones is invaluable for the troops because it helps lower stress.
Brandon Simons agrees. He's a multi-channel systems operator for the Army. Simons says he got lucky with his job when he was deployed to Iraq, because he got to talk to his family more often than others.
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Simons says that he got to talk to his family through Facebook and other multimedia outlets, not like Air Force Major JoAnne Finan. She didn't have these luxuries during her first deployment.
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Finan says that her most recent deployment was easier because she got to see and talk to her family -- thanks to Skype.
Air Force Master Sergeant James McCall says that when he was in Afghanistan, he bought an Afghan cell phone, and it was very expensive to use it. He also says that it was hard to talk to family because of the time change. He likes that Skype is an option, even though his wife and parents don't know how to use it.
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All of these new ways to communicate don't replace talking face to face.
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No matter how soldiers talk to their families and friends, the message is always the same.
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"You love them, they love you and you're safe. You know, that's the main thing, is you're safe." Despite distance and location modern technology is helping soldiers and their families stay connected and communicate this Valentine's Day. For Bobcat Update, I'm Alisha Grieme.