Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Company Gives 3,600 Calling Cards So Guard Members Deployed Overseas Can Call Home
OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin today applauded AT&T Oklahoma for its gift to members of the Oklahoma National Guard’s 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) who are deployed overseas to Afghanistan and Kuwait. AT&T is donating 3,600 calling cards so members of the Guard who are serving in Afghanistan and Kuwait can call home to visit with family and friends. The governor joined AT&T representatives and members of the military at a ceremony this morning to present the cards.
“We owe a tremendous amount of thanks to the members of the Oklahoma National Guard for their sacrifice and service to our great nation. Being away from family and friends is always challenging, especially during the holiday season. I want to thank AT&T Oklahoma for their generosity and support of the members of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and their families. This gift will allow service men and women to connect with their families during the remainder of their deployment,” Fallin said.
AT&T Oklahoma President Bryan Gonterman said, “Because our troops sacrifice so much, we owe them more than we can ever really offer. And while we can never truly pay back our troops for the sacrifices they make protecting our freedoms, we hope that by providing them with a means to stay connected with the ones they love that we can make their deployment – and their time away from family and friends – a little bit easier. It is our sincere honor to provide these calling cards to the brave men and women of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. We can’t thank them enough for all that they do, but hopefully this will demonstrate our appreciation for their service.”
Maj. General Myles Deering, adjutant general for Oklahoma, said, “During this holiday season, we are all grateful for the support we have received from members of our community and local businesses like AT&T. The men and women of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and their families will make great use of these calling cards throughout the remainder of the 45th’s deployment.”
More than 3,000 members of the 45th IBCT were called up to active duty in Afghanistan and Kuwait, the largest deployment of the Oklahoma National Guard since the Korean War. The 45th is expected to return home in spring 2012.