'Operation Best Wishes' visits LFCU

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Military families throughout Hampton Roads sent special webcast messages Monday to their deployed loved ones as Operation Best Wishes visited Hampton Roads. The free service was offered at a Langley Federal Credit Union location in Newport News.

Operation Best Wishes is a national program traveling the country. Monday's Hampton Roads appearance was its 2009 kick-off event. The program will visit 15 more states before the end of the year.

The service allows military personnel or family members to record and send special greetings of up to 10 minutes in length. Families or a deployed loved one can either watch the webcast message live or access the archived recording over and over again from a secured website.

Hampton Roads Navy spouse Michelle took part, sending a message to her husband Benjamin who is halfway through a six-month deployment in Kuwait.

"I have not seen him since the beginning of July," Michelle told WAVY.com.

While today's technology makes it easier for military families to say in touch, Michelle has sympathy for those who used older means.

"Before e-mail, everyone communicated by letter," she said. "So I have mad respect for everyone who did it before e-mail."

In her webcast message to her husband, Michelle ended with "I look forward to when you come home. I love you, honey. Bye!"

Military families and personnel interested in taking advantage of this offering during the 2009 tour are encouraged to sign up and register for a webcast recording session at www.operationbestwishes.com.

Using state-of-the-art webcast technology, Operation Best Wishes has connected thousands of military family members and friends with their deployed loved ones since its launch in 2004.

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On the Net: Operation Best Wishes

http://www.operationbestwishes.com/