[caption id=“attachment_3649” align=“aligncenter” width=“500” caption=“This troop used the Private Telephone Network to make a call from the Pat Tillman Memorial Center in Bagram, Afghanistan, July 2009. (USO photo by Dave Gatley)”][/caption]

Today the USO announced that for the month of August, Cisco would host as the official sponsor of talk time for the Private Telephone Network under the USO Operation Phone Home® program at the USO Center in Balad, Iraq.  Cisco’s contribution will cover more than 100,000 minutes of talk time home for Troops stationed there.  Thanks, Cisco!

Established in 2003, USO Operation Phone Home delivers prepaid international phone cards to deployed service members free of charge. As one of the most requested items from deployed service members, the prepaid international phone cards continue to be a hit with service men and women. Currently, more than 2.75 million phone cards have been distributed.

In 2009, Operation Phone Home introduced the Private Telephone Network at USO centers in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait.  The Private Telephone Network provides expanded Internet access and crystal clear calls back home at no cost. Since its launch, more than 200,000 calls per month have been made on the system.  Thank you to everyone who has made these calls possible!