Connecting With Loved Ones Half a World Away

By Andrew Doud
Reporter
Published: November 21, 2008

The holiday season is just around the corner but many military families here in the east have loved ones serving overseas.

So today, one business helped bring some of those families a little closer together.

At first glace, it looks like any other corner cubicle, but a desk at the Chrysler dealership in Havelock served as a gateway to Iraq for families of Marines who won’t be home for the holidays.

Nolan Kirkpatrick who is stationed in Iraq said, “Any time you get to see your family is good and being away for the holidays is definitely a bummer but this helps pick the spirits up.“

Kirkpatrick is on a seven month deployment to Al Asad, an airbase in Iraq. For him and his wife Callie, this half hour helps them catch up and lets him see his three children.

“I got three good boys and a wonderful wife by my side. I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’m the riches man in the world,“ Nolan said.

Callie said they try to keep in touch as much as possible through email but when opportunities like these come up, they jump at the chance to sit down face to face.

She said, “It helps the children be able to talk to their parents and it gives everyone a sense of happiness.“

The Kirkpatrick’s were one of five families who got to sit down with their Marines via satellite.

Mellisa Scheid who works at the dealership said, “It’s amazing for them to see each other and speak to each other when they’ve been away for so long and it’s holiday time, family time and to be apart of that is just awesome.“

This was all made possible through a non profit organization called, “Freedom Calls.“

They have call centers set up at five camps in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. Organizers say they are going to try and put another one together around Christmas and at least one a month after that.

Chrysler was chosen as the site for the donations they make to Freedom Calls.