DoD studies social media’s impact on deployment

DoD studies social media’s impact on deployment
By Mike Chalmers - The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal
Posted : Tuesday Nov 22, 2011 10:28:28 EST
In previous deployments to Iraq and South America, Master Sgt. Clifford Snyder relied on letters and brief phone calls to keep in touch with his wife and three children back in Camden, Del.

“The kids grew so much during those times,” Snyder said. “You felt when you first got home like a visitor in the house.”

But during his most recent six-month deployment to Iraq in 2009 and 2010, he checked in with them on Facebook and video-chatted with them on Skype almost daily.

“I got to see the kids, and they were able to give me updates on how school was going and stuff,” Snyder said. “I felt like I was there for the whole time.”

That nearly constant connection made his deployment with with Delaware Air National Guard more bearable and eased his homecoming transition, Snyder said. It’s having the same effect for thousands of service members and their families around the world.
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