Valley Soldiers to Receive Fourth of July Greetings From Family Members

Fourth of July is a time to celebrate our nation’s freedom, but as the holiday draws closer the distance between some Valley families remains far apart.

“I thank him for his bravery and courage and I am proud of him,” says 15-year old Luis Pena whose older brother has spent the last three years serving overseas. “To me he is like a father figure.”

Both Luis and his mother Elvia say they miss their close family member but appreciate his sacrifice.

“I admire his bravery and his courage and I am proud of him for his service,” says Elvia Alvarado.

On Thursday the pair decided to show their appreciation by participating in the “It’s a Great Day to Love a Soldier” video recording event.

The special event allows Valley residents to communicate with troops overseas by sharing their own personalized message.

“And since there are a lot of families here in the Valley who have either family members or friends who have been deployed,” says AT&T spokesperson Lisa Marie Gomez. “We thought that it would be a good thing to do here in the Valley.”

AT&T used the same service in other areas of the country for this past Valentine’s Day. Gomez says the free interactive service has been greatly appreciated by both the soldiers and their families.

The videos will be electronically transmitted to deployed soldiers, and will begin airing on July 4th. There is no cost to record the greetings. AT&T extends the opportunity for area residents to show support for our Soldiers with video greetings. Each 10-30 second greeting will be seen by potentially 10,000 deployed troops.