Google Offers Free Calls Home To U.S. Military

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Google has just announced that it is offering free calls home to all the men and women of the armed forces that are currently stationed abroad.

We understand that it’s not always easy or affordable for our troops serving overseas to call friends and family at home, so starting today we’re making it completely free for all uniformed military personnel with valid United States Military (.mil) email addresses to call the United States, right from Gmail.
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"Give us one more bit of personal info about yourself and we will give you free calls".


Snarkiness aside, this is a really great thing Google is doing. As ex-military myself, in situations like this little things make a huge difference. I just couldn't resist the privacy jab. :D
 
I was unaware it cost anything to use your google account to make a phone call in the first place. I've never tried to call overseas though, so maybe I'm just not educated in this.
 
complexx said:
I was unaware it cost anything to use your google account to make a phone call in the first place. I've never tried to call overseas though, so maybe I'm just not educated in this.
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All calls in the states are free, international is rate based.
 
When I was in the Navy, all we had was MARS.

How far we've come...
 
TwistedAegis said:
Perhaps I'm ignorant, but why not setup Mumble/Ventrilo/Teamspeak, etc?
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Then get your spouse, kids, parents, grandparents and anybody else you would want to call to connect to it? That'd be worse of a nightmare than just trying to make a phone call from a calling card.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
"Give us one more bit of personal info about yourself and we will give you free calls".


Snarkiness aside, this is a really great thing Google is doing. As ex-military myself, in situations like this little things make a huge difference. I just couldn't resist the privacy jab. :D
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and its not like the majority of the men fighting make a decent wage. In our country, most low level soldiers in Afghanistan have their wives working part time to make ends meet. I kind of wish Corporations who benefit from our guys fighting over seas, should contribute what ever they can to the soldiers for free instead of free loading off of them. Google and free calls is a start, giving the soldiers free smart phones would be even better to show signs of support.
 
TwistedAegis said:
Perhaps I'm ignorant, but why not setup Mumble/Ventrilo/Teamspeak, etc?
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Because that would be difficult for the non-technical people out there to use it.

Gmail has the phone feature built in and is extremely easy for anyone to use.
 
Uncle said:
and its not like the majority of the men fighting make a decent wage. In our country, most low level soldiers in Afghanistan have their wives working part time to make ends meet. I kind of wish Corporations who benefit from our guys fighting over seas, should contribute what ever they can to the soldiers for free instead of free loading off of them. Google and free calls is a start, giving the soldiers free smart phones would be even better to show signs of support.
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Who's going to pay for those so called smart phones? Plus do they even have the infrastructure in Afghanistan to support that?

I think what google is doing is great and simple for those who are overseas.
 
TwistedAegis said:
Perhaps I'm ignorant, but why not setup Mumble/Ventrilo/Teamspeak, etc?
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Your expecting the wives, children, and family of military personnel to set this up, as well as the military personnel?

would be much easier for them to use Skype, it's free, has video feed, and doesn't cost anything.
 
Not to mention they have to talk to each other to get the IP address of Ventrilo, or Teamspeak, no idea about Mumble, never used it.
 
Like I said, forgive my ignorance. For some reason I was thinking of only contacting spouse/significant other and would only have to set it up one time, bookmark the connection. But of course, as you've all shown, that's not the case and I see the error of my ways. :D
 
wiseoracle said:
Who's going to pay for those so called smart phones? Plus do they even have the infrastructure in Afghanistan to support that?

I think what google is doing is great and simple for those who are overseas.
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"Who's going to pay for those so called smart phones?"

The soldiers that have already given up their lives for the benefit of the Corporations making money off of the war.
 
Which corporations exactly have made money off of the war (besides the obvious weapons contractors)? Or is this one of the vague comments that are completely unverifiable but sounds good?
 
Eisenblut said:
Which corporations exactly have made money off of the war (besides the obvious weapons contractors)? Or is this one of the vague comments that are completely unverifiable but sounds good?
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There are literally dozens of companies contracted by our government to do things as varied as supply gas, water, translators, vehicle maintenance, provide bodyguards, food craft services, training local militia/security, etc. Halliburton, Xe, ABT Asoc., KBR Inc., DynCorp Int., Washington Group Int'l, IAP Worldwide Services Inc, L-3 Communications Holdings Inc to name but a few that are making damn good money over there. These companies are providing personnel needs that in the past were filled by the military and have now been pushed over to the private sector. I am not saying that they should or should not be paying for smart phones, rather, I am just pointing out that there are in fact corporations making money off of our wars.
 
Yup, a buddy of mine from way back in middle-school updated me that he was working in Iraq for Halliburton.

He said he made $75K, and I was thinking, well that's good but not THAT great. Then he clarified, he MADE $75K, as in actual net profit for that year after expenses/taxes/yadayada, not gross income. Yeah, I was jelly.
 
Eisenblut said:
Which corporations exactly have made money off of the war (besides the obvious weapons contractors)? Or is this one of the vague comments that are completely unverifiable but sounds good?
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http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Glob...ead-waste-and-corruption-in-wartime-contracts

The US government’s over-reliance on wartime contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan has resulted in as much as $60 billion in waste and fraud – and it’s likely to worsen without reform.
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Another good link:

http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/08/3...medium=site-features&utm_campaign=most-active
 
"The soldiers that have already given up their lives for the benefit of the Corporations making money off of the war. "

This comment, what I was referring to, makes it sound like all of these corporations are responsible for the wars' continuation because they have a vested interest in pushing it along. Grossly cynical.
 
Eisenblut said:
Which corporations exactly have made money off of the war (besides the obvious weapons contractors)? Or is this one of the vague comments that are completely unverifiable but sounds good?
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Are you from the midwest,from a town with a population of 22, no tv, radio, phone or internet unless you go to the big city of 2000 and use the library.:D
 
Ducman69 said:
Yup, a buddy of mine from way back in middle-school updated me that he was working in Iraq for Halliburton.

He said he made $75K, and I was thinking, well that's good but not THAT great. Then he clarified, he MADE $75K, as in actual net profit for that year after expenses/taxes/yadayada, not gross income. Yeah, I was jelly.
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Plus danger pay and a bonus if you stayed for the life of your contract.
 
Eisenblut said:
"The soldiers that have already given up their lives for the benefit of the Corporations making money off of the war. "

This comment, what I was referring to, makes it sound like all of these corporations are responsible for the wars' continuation because they have a vested interest in pushing it along. Grossly cynical.
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Your statements are so true,I don't know how you can disagree with yourself.:)
 
I used gmail call a couple months ago over there, it was free back then, I don't know what has changed but when I used it, it was already free.
 
ultraviolent said:
I used gmail call a couple months ago over there, it was free back then, I don't know what has changed but when I used it, it was already free.
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Sometimes news stories don't make the rounds to everyone and gets regurgitated as new later on.:)
 
Google are getting desperate. Probably will sell the info to the Al-Qaeda.:)
 
:)

Oh dear. Well, that' s nice of Google. I guess they're trying to be nice, and that's good. Nothing wrong with being positive and using power for good. And

there is no doubt that Google is a power.

But it rather recalls this recent article from Foriegn Policy ~

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/08/29/the_black_hole_of_911

Among the most important events in the last 10 years was not the impact of 9/11 .. but rather the impact of Facebook and Twitter ?

Well ok then. So that's where that stands in the scheme of things.
 
Papa-Ming said:
:)

Oh dear. Well, that' s nice of Google. I guess they're trying to be nice, and that's good. Nothing wrong with being positive and using power for good. And

there is no doubt that Google is a power.

But it rather recalls this recent article from Foriegn Policy ~

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/08/29/the_black_hole_of_911

Among the most important events in the last 10 years was not the impact of 9/11 .. but rather the impact of Facebook and Twitter ?

Well ok then. So that's where that stands in the scheme of things.
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Uhh.... ok.

OTOH, I didn't even know you could call from Gmail! :eek:
 
ultraviolent said:
I used gmail call a couple months ago over there, it was free back then, I don't know what has changed but when I used it, it was already free.
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Exactly. I was wondering how this wasn't free already, and you have apparently already used it free.

You could just be slick, and use a USA proxy if it was "international" anyways... lol.
 
Wolfie said:
Where's the "Like" button on the HardOCP page?
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Please god, No facebook crap on this website.... please... please.... please no. There already is a [H] facebook page apparently, that should be well enough facebook crap for the horde
 
That is really nice of Google but there's no need. Obama said he was going to end the wars (except Afghanistan) so the solders will be home in no time :)
 
Dylan80 said:
Exactly. I was wondering how this wasn't free already, and you have apparently already used it free.

You could just be slick, and use a USA proxy if it was "international" anyways... lol.
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Is it still long distance if you're using a VOIP server hosted in America to call a number in the United States?
 
Dekoth-E- said:
"Give us one more bit of personal info about yourself and we will give you free calls".


Snarkiness aside, this is a really great thing Google is doing. As ex-military myself, in situations like this little things make a huge difference. I just couldn't resist the privacy jab. :D
Click to expand...

they only require a .mil email address, does not bother me as the base im at is getting shut down and the address will not exist in a few months.

 
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