Library webcams to keep far-apart military families close

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Mar 25, 2008 by Catherine Smith Deseret Morning News

OREM -- Jennie Taylor and her children haven't touched or played with their husband and father, Utah National Guard Lt. Brent Taylor, in nearly a year. But they have at least seen him.

Brent Taylor is stationed in northern Iraq with the National Guard. The Taylors own a webcam and talk to Brent about twice a week, depending on his schedule.

And although their conversations generally aren't long, they do get to see him.

"It's a life saver," Jennie Taylor said of the webcam. "We have a 1-year-old and a 2 1/2-year-old, and it's the only way they know who their dad is."

Now, the greatest thing to happen to military families, as Taylor calls it, is coming to libraries throughout Utah Valley, specifically for the use of families of deployed soldiers.

Kraig Thorne, district four senior vice commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, started a program to deliver webcams to every library in Utah County.

Numerous families of deployed soldiers who don't have either a computer or a high-speed Internet connection to keep the video streaming, can go to their library and talk and see their deployed family member.

Taylor, who is also the Family Readiness Group Leader for the 116th Convoy Security Company, says she was surprised at the number of families she knew who couldn't talk with their deployed loved ones through a webcam and is excited for other families to experience the interactive phone calls.

"Libraries have been willing and receptive," she said. "They recognize there's a need for those families to stay in touch that way."

Thorne said he stumbled upon the idea for the webcams last year. The VFW was giving out phone cards when the thought occurred to him.

"For the cost of two of those cards you can buy a webcam," he said.

He wrote letters to several libraries and asked if they would be willing to accept a webcam and set it up on a computer specifically for military families to use.

So far, the VFW has given the webcams, provided by donated funds from Mountain American Credit Union, to Pleasant Grove, Lehi and Orem libraries and intends to give one to every library in the county.

Both Thorne and Taylor said they hope the webcams will catch on with other divisions of the VFW throughout Utah. Their next focus will be in Weber and Davis counties, Taylor said.

The VFW does its best to help and support veterans and the families of serving military men and women. "Our motto is, 'Veterans helping veterans,'" said Charles Edwards, district four commander for the VFW.

With the help of technology they help in more ways.

"I had four uncles and cousins in World War II, and they were lucky to get a letter home once a month," he said.

Kristi Seely, director of the Lehi library, said the library is excited to help out the troops and their families.

"It's just a great service for those who are serving," she said.

E-mail: csmith@desnews.com