Sent in by Veterans News and Information Services
Secretary of Defense William Cohen and his wife, Janet Langhart Cohen, will
participate in a pre-holiday visit to deployed American military members in
the Gulf region.
The three-day tour, co-sponsored by the military exchange
services and United Service Organizations, starts Dec. 22, 1998.
Accompanying the Cohens on their visit are recording artists Carole King,
Mary Chapin Carpenter and David Ball. King's remarkable recording career,
spanning three decades, includes a string of No. 1 hits and the landmark
solo album, Tapestry, which was the best selling female solo album for over
25 years. She recently completed recording "Anyone at All," the end title
song to the new film You've Got Mail, which King co-wrote with Carole Bayer
Sager. Carpenter's best selling hits date back to her musical debut in
1987, and include the triple-platinum album, Come On Come On. Country
singer David Ball also has several albums to his credit, including the 1994
Grammy nominee, Thinkin' Problem.
Secretary Cohen will be taking gifts for deployed service members from a
number of private firms, which are also providing gifts for U.S. service
members deployed elsewhere.
Approximately 34,000 American military members on ships in the Persian
Gulf, and at bases in Bosnia, Croatia and Hungary will receive $10 AT&T
Global Prepaid Cards for the holidays, thanks to a collaborative effort by
AT&T, the Defense Department, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service and
the Navy Exchange Command. In addition, service members at other bases in
the Middle East will be able to call home for half the regular rate using
AT&T's Global Military Saver Plus calling plan.
Two Chicago firms are teaming to send pizzas and cheesecakes. Luigi
Stefani's Pizza committed to send 1,000 frozen pizzas to Bosnia, while
Eli's Cheezecake Company is sending 250 frozen cheezecakes. Sports
Illustrated is donating 2,000 copies of their Sports Man of the Year Issue.
Other corporate donors include the M&M Mars Company, Sees Candy of San
Francisco, Tootsie Roll, and Blockbuster Video.
For more details, contact Lt. Col. Vic Warzinski at (703) 697-3189.
