A new program called “Giving Thanks” will allow civilians to show their appreciation to military personnel overseas through a simple text message.
The program starts November 17 and ends on Thanksgiving. During this time civilians or corporations can text whatever they want to military men and women. The specific number they have to use in order to initiate the text session is 89279. The best part about the program is that in most cases the service member being texted will be able to send a return message.
Almost all of the major cell phone companies will be participating in the Giving Thanks program. These include Sprint, T-Mobile, Nextel, Verizon and AT&T. Participants using these services would text in the same way they would any other cell phone. In some cases they may even be able to send a text online.
Civilians or corporations who participate in the program will be given a chance to visit the American Supports You website. Here the participants will be able to see several sets of text samples that others have sent. This will give them an idea of the types of messages that are best to send. Additionally, participants will also be given an opportunity to see what the troops themselves have to say.
Giving Thanks is also available to individuals who speak Spanish as their native language. They simply text what they want to say in Spanish instead of English. By including Spanish text messages, non-English speaking Hispanics also get a chance to receive the recognition they deserve from members of their community.
