Sign up now for "See Your Soldier" video visits with troops in Iraq

PRINCETON — Dozens of Illinois families will have the chance to visit face-to-face with their soldiers in Iraq on Jan. 12 and 13 via University of Illinois Extension’s videoconferencing system.

Soldiers at Al Asad Airbase (Air Force), Camp Taji/Cooke (Army), Camp Fallujah, Camp Taqaddum and Camp Victory will be able to see and talk with family members in private 30-minute “See Your Soldier” sessions hosted by U of I Extension offices in 13 communities. There is no charge to participate.

Families must register online at www.seeyoursoldier.uiuc.edu no later than 5 p.m. Dec. 23 to be eligible for a time slot, and reservations will be made on a first-come, first-served basis.

The live audio/video linkages are being offered in collaboration with the Freedom Calls Foundation, which provides the videoconferencing equipment and satellite connection in Iraq.

When a family has registered, the military will alert the service member about the opportunity to visit with friends and family, and the time and date of the Internet transmission. If the soldier’s duty schedule can accommodate the visit, family members will be assigned a time for their 30-minute session.

The program is limited to military personnel stationed at Al Asad Airbase (Air Force), Camp Taji/Cooke (Army), Camp Fallujah, Camp Taqaddum and Camp Victory

Area locations of the January “See Your Soldier” videoconferences include:

• Amboy — Lee County Extension Unit, 280 W. Wasson Road.

• Morrison — Whiteside County Extension Center, 100 E. Knox St.

• Princeton — Bureau County Extension Unit, Becker Professional Suites, 850 Thompson St.

To start the process of requesting a visit, a family member must submit information through the “See Your Soldier” Web site at www.seeyoursoldier.uiuc.edu by the Dec. 23 deadline. Visitors to the Web site will be able to indicate their preferred location for the video visit, and must follow all instructions.

Anyone needing a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program should contact the host extension office.