Military

Free Phone Cards For Troops Deployed During The Holidays

By Beth Ford Roth / Home Post Blogger

Published November 18, 2014 at 6:46 AM PST

This story was published more than 10 years ago.

Boatswain's Mate 1st Class Manuel Arevalo makes a call on a Sailor phone on the forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46).

Continuing an annual holiday tradition, the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) will provide Sailors and Marines deployed overseas during the holiday season $10 phone cards.

Thomas Harris, NEXCOM Afloat Personal Telecommunications Service Program, said of the phone card program:

"NEXCOM has been giving away free phone cards to deployed Sailors and Marines for many, many years.

"This is just one small way that we can thank these service members and their families for their service to our country."

Sailors and Marines can use the $10 AT&T prepaid phone cards with the Afloat Personal Telecommunications Service system, their ship’s Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) system, or on dry land - as long as AT&T provides service there.

NEXCOM estimates it will hand out 36,250 free phone cards this year to the more than "70 deployed units away from their homeports and those forward deployed to overseas ports."

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San Diego-based sailors and Marines on the following ships will receive a phone card:

-USS Makin Island (LHD 8)

-USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70)

-USS San Diego (LPD 22)

-USS Milius (DDG 69)

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-USS Gridley (DDG 101)

-USS Sampson (DDG 102)

-USS Sterett (DDG 104)

-USS Dewey (DDG 105),

-USS Gary (FFG 51)

For a complete list of all the ships and submarines receiving free phone cards, click here.