Photo By Spc. William Addison | Left to Right: Staff Sgt. Jesus Barrio, Lt. Col. Robert Jarvis, Sgt. First Class Tracy...... read more read more
By Sgt. Bill Addison
Joint Area Support Group - Central Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Three New Jersey Soldiers were given the gift of connectivity with friends and family back home when Newark-based utility company Public Service Electric and Gas provided them with free laptop computers.
The trio, all of the Joint Area Support Group-Central, received the donation via Lt. Col. Robert Jarvis, JASG-C Installations deputy director and PSE&G employee.
According to the Hainesport, N.J. native, the company has a fairly robust computer infrastructure and is rotating new equipment into the line regularly.
"They realized when they take a computer out of service that there's still some good life left in it," he said of the company's computer donation project, which regularly donates computers to schools and other needy organizations.
Jarvis said the effort was initiated by Chip Gerrity, president of IBEW Local 94, representing employees at PSE&G. Gerrity was invited by PSE&G to attend the Enlisted Support of the Guard and Reserve boss lift trip to Fort Bliss, Texas, where the members of the JASG-C and the rest of the New Jersey National Guard's 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team were training for mobilization to Iraq.
"During the trip, he found that there was an opportunity to aid Soldiers in communication with their families and suggested that PSE&G donate computers to the Soldiers through the company's computer donation project," said Jarvis.
The lucky Soldiers were Sgt. First Class Barry Douglas and Staff Sgt. Jesus Barrio of the JASG-C's Badging section and Sgt. First Class Tracy Cianfrano, logistics NCO for JASG-C.
"The first night I got it, I e-mailed my wife, and then I went on iTunes and downloaded a bunch of songs," said Douglas, of Vernon, N.J. Douglas said that the computer has made it much easier to communicate with his wife and son.
"I'm going to be getting a webcam, so I can talk to them and they can see me. I couldn't do that before," he said.
"Thank you very much PSE&G," he added.
Barrio said that he also planned on getting a webcam, a far cry from the letters he was sending home before.
"I'm very happy that I'm able to communicate and see the videos my family has sent me," he said.
"I'd like to thank whoever was involved at PSE&G for donating these laptops to us," he added.
For Browns Mills, N.J. resident Cianfrano, the donation gives her not only connectivity back home, but to other parts of Iraq as well. Her husband, 1st Sgt. Nicholas Cianfrano, also deployed with the 50th IBCT, and is stationed at Camp Cropper. Now she can communicate with her husband in Iraq, and her step-son back home with ease.
"I set my step-son up on AKO so we can communicate and he sent me a birthday card to my e-mail. I wouldn't have been able to see it if I didn't have the laptop," she said.
"I would thank them from the bottom of my heart. I think it's absolutely wonderful that they thought of everyone over here," she said.
While Jarvis was moved by the company's efforts, he wasn't at all surprised.
"It's actually pretty common for folks in the company to do things like this," he said, noting the efforts of his co-workers to support a number of local charity groups. Jarvis said that since 9/11, a number of employees have been called to active duty, and so the company has heightened its awareness of the needs of Soldiers.
Jarvis said he's hoping to receive more donations from the company, and has already made arrangements to branch out and help out other Soldiers in the brigade who could benefit from these laptops.
"If we can continue to get equipment for them, we'll continue to get them set up," he said.
| Date Taken: | 10.18.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 10.18.2008 02:16 |
| Story ID: | 25163 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 478 |
| Downloads: | 377 |
This work, New Jersey Utility Company Gives Power of Communication to Soldiers, by SPC William Addison, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
