Staying Connected Before and Now
To connect with a loved one is an essential need for all. Miles and miles of distance from a beloved is painful, especially when it entails limited means of communication. For military families, this is usually the case, at least, before the advent of technology. Today, distance is easily covered through a variety of digital communication means. Technological development has enabled us to instantly connect with our loved ones.
However, long before mail was easily typed onto a screen, delivered with one click, received in less than a second, the process of sending and receiving mail was gruesome. Long before the immediate access and cheap services of internet-based networks to any part of the globe, calling someone overseas was a difficult, complicated, and costly procedure.
In the 1970s, military families had to settle with postal service which was alternatively and aptly called snail mail due to the long period of time it took to be delivered. At that time, for soldiers deployed in other countries, especially in the Middle East, snail mail would reach them months after it was sent by their families. Today’s postal mail would take only days and a maximum of a few weeks still depending on the location. In the past, the mail delivery or letter delivery would take weeks and up to months depending where the soldier was deployed.
The other ways soldiers could contact their families and vice versa during those years would be through mail and care packages sent by a plane, and cargo shipments. Evidently, photos weren’t sent as attachments to an e-mail before. Military families had to send actual photos in their letters. Today, one can easily attach a photo, audio file, or videos to an e-mail. It has indeed become easier to feel connected today.
It is entirely a blessing how things are easier these days for military families. A homesick soldier could easily call his family after a few dials on the phone. When allowed, they could talk for hours. There are a lot of online platforms and software too that primarily offer unlimited hours of free video calling whatever part of the globe the other party may be. However, the old-fashioned handwritten letters prove to be far more valuable than the intangible digital ones. You could reread them anytime and keep them for the longest years. They could serve as palpable endearing keepsakes of memories from long ago. However, while a taste of nostalgia is good, it is a far better duty to see and appreciate how technology has further developed our communication methods of today.
Over the years, communication has been made easier for military families. We are blessed with today’s technology, with God making it known to mankind how technology can be best cultivated for our comfort. Times have indeed changed. The long agonizing wait for a letter that may or may not come no longer exists. Waiting has been rendered an unnecessary concept in this era of instantaneity. What used to take up days and huge amounts of effort now only take up seconds and a few clicks. What a great difference indeed—a great difference that shouldn’t go unappreciated.
Have a few thoughts to share about the communication between militaries and their families then and now? Let’s discuss in the comments section below or send me a tweet @AuthorNancyHale!
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