Doyle’s sentiments were echoed by John B. Harlow II, co-founder and executive director of the Freedom Calls Foundation. Harlow said that his mission “is not about policy, it’s about family. These are people who made a commitment to their country; we’ve enabled them to keep their commitments to their families while they do so.”

The Foundation was created “about a year ago, because we found out that soldiers were passing the hat, trying to build their own network to call home,” Harlow said.

Freedom Calls provides American soldiers with free 24-hour access to telephone calls, e-mail, internet and video conferences.

Harvard will be a part of Operation Hometown Link, a new Freedom Calls program through which universities, corporations and other institutions open their video conference facilities to local families. Though the program is expected to grow to include 2,000 sites across the United States by January, Harlow said that the involvement of the two Harvard schools is of special importance because they are the only sites in Cambridge and have high visibility. “Everybody knows Harvard University, and their participation helps to create awareness of the Homeland Link program, which leads to others offering their facilities,” he said.

Harlow said video conferencing has had the biggest impact out of the many types of communications offered by Freedom Calls. “It’s totally changing the way that families interact during wartime,” he said.

Harlow said servicemen have attended their children’s first birthday parties, seen their kids take their first steps, and have even been married by video link. “It’s awesome stuff,” he said.