Ways to Communicate With a Soldier in Iraq

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  Using VoIP in Iraq

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  Semi-Rugged Laptops

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Ways to Communicate With a Soldier in Iraq

There are a number of ways to stay in contact with a deployed soldier overseas. Some methods that utilize the Internet are non-secure from a security standpoint and so may not be allowed at a particular location in Iraq.

Postal Mail

You just need to know the APO AE address of the soldier in Iraq. Letters and packages sent to an APO AE address actually go to New York, which means you pay domestic mail rates instead of international rates. Mail is then sent via the Army Postal Service once it leaves the country. Expect packages to take from 10 - 20 days to arrive, depending on the time of year.

For more information on sending a package to Iraq, see How To Ship a Package to Iraq and US Postal Service APO Shipping FAQ.

For something different, send a postcard with your favorite digital photo printed on it for 85 cents. For more information, see NetPost and upload your photo.

Email

You simply need to know the soldier's AKO (Army Knowledge Online) email address that ends in @us.army.mil to send email. Family members can also get their own AKO account in order to instant message a soldier in Iraq. There are a number of Internet cafes throughout U.S. bases in Iraq, some free while others charge a small fee for higher connection speeds.

Quite a few soldiers also bring their personal laptops to Iraq. Because of the heat and dusty conditions in Iraq, a semi-rugged laptop is more reliable during longer deployments. Same applies to digital cameras in Iraq, the ones designed as water-resistant, shock-resistant and dust-resistant work longer. For more info, see ruggedized electronic gear for Iraq.

Instant Messaging

You will need to use the instant messaging feature in AKO, which means you need to have a soldier sponsor you and get a guest account. This is usually reserved for family. Soldiers used to be able to use Yahoo, AOL and MSN IM programs to communicate with families back home but that is being restricted in more locations now due to security concerns.

Phone

There are a number of DSN (Defense Switched Network) phone centers and AT&T phone tents located throughout U.S. bases in Iraq. A soldier is allowed free 15-minute "morale calls" to call family back home. How it works is that the call is placed to an Army base nearest to the family, which is usually a local call. Soldiers can also use low-cost prepaid phone calling cards to call back home.

In addition, soldiers may also be allowed to use a personal GSM cell phone or satellite phone to call back home. Since the per-minute charges can be pretty steep, soldiers often quickly call family back home and then the family member uses a cheap international prepaid phone card to call the soldier back on his cell. Often there is no charge for incoming calls if using a local cell carrier such as IraqNA.

VoIP

VoIP (voice-over Internet protocol) offers a really low-cost way to communicate back home. The MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) centers often provide "Spawar" setups which are USB Internet phones or headsets plugged into computers running Skype to call a phone (or a computer if so equipped) back home. For more info, see Using a VOIP Internet Phone in Iraq.

Video Teleconferencing (VTC)

Secure, dedicated video conferencing systems are available at Family Readiness Centers on U.S. posts to allow family members to engage in real-time video calls at various times. These are sophisticated setups that run on secure military networks. You need to live next to an Army post to use these.

Webcam & Video Instant Messaging

Soldiers used to be able to use Yahoo, AOL and MSN IM programs to setup video chat sessions with webcams on either end to communicate with families back home but that is being restricted in more locations now due to security concerns. For more info, see Setting Up Video Instant Messaging in Iraq.

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