0004133373@mcimail.com (Donald E. Kimberlin) (01/22/91)
Much is being said about "high technology" changing the way war is
conducted. We're all hearing things about how generals and admirals
have new tools for their conduct. But how about the individual
soldier or sailor? The following press release from AT&T indicates the
latest at the front ... almost a payphone in the foxhole:
************
PRESS ADVISORY: AT&T calling volumes
MORRISTOWN, N.J., Jan. 18, 1991 -- Despite current hostilities in
the Middle East, United States military personnel continue to use
AT&T's USADirect(R) Service to call home at a rate of approximately
13,000 calls a day.
Service people are making the same number of calls today as they
were prior to the start of the conflict on Wednesday evening.
Nearly 1,000 special USADirect phones are installed close to
front-line troops in Saudi Arabia. Troops can use this service to
call the United States or Germany to talk with their family and
friends.
AT&T installed these phones in November specifically for the use
of Operation Desert Storm troops. AT&T will continue to offer
USADirect Service throughout the conflict.
# # #
USADirect Service is a registered trademark of AT&T.
************
...Wonder how Bill Mauldin's famous "Willie and Joe" of WWII would
react to a direct USA payphone out there in Belgium or New Guinea?
[Moderator's Note: Well, this war is high-tech in all respects, isn't
it? I wonder how Douglas MacArthur and Dwight Eisenhower would react?
I bet they'd love every minute of it! Not the war per se, but the
tremendous leaps in technology which have made war so much different
than it was nearly a half-century ago. This is first war in history
covered live on television from start to finish. In Eisenhower's era,
one only saw what was presented in the theatre news reels.
And yet some things never change: at a forum Sunday in the Chicago
Temple auditorium Mayor Daley spoke of the sacrifices 'we may be
called upon to make in the weeks and months to come' and the
importance of supporting the troops. In addition to the Star Spangled
Banner (*four* stanzas, mind you! -- I don't think anyone would
remember the second and third stanzas if the words had not been
printed in the program), the program closed with everyone singing
"Eternal Father Strong To Save". It could have been 1941 as easily as
1991 except for the references to CNN and a short video which was
included. :) PAT