Sometimes Sailors and their families had to wait weeks before hearing from each other. This year, staying in touch with families and friends is as easy as knowing their e-mail address or dialing a phone. No longer limited by traditional land lines, Tarawa Sailors can now contact loved ones via the latest technology in satellite-assisted communications. Now the folks at home don't seem as far away. Despite being thousands of miles from the nearest shore, a crew member can pick up one of 10 Sailor Phones aboard Tarawa and call anywhere in the world for about a dollar per minute using a prepaid phone card or calling card.
Some Sailors remember the steep cost of phone bills during the ship's last deployment.
My phone bills were outrageous. In addition to the Sailor Phones, crew members can send letters and photos via electronic mail. The letter that once took days or weeks to arrive now zips home in minutes or hours. You can have e-mail daily from family and friends. I can't brag enough about it.