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Skype helps soldiers keep up with the kids
By James Rogers
A DUNDALK father-of-three currently serving with the 102nd Irish battalion in Chad has praised internet services such as Skype for helping him keep in contact with his children while serving abroad.
Cpl John Pepper was one of over 420 Irish soldiers, many of whom serve in Aiken Barracks in Dundalk, who travelled to the war-torn African country at the end of January for a four month tour of duty.
Despite desperately missing his children, however, Cpl Pepper told The Dundalk Democrat that he was still able to read his daughter Fainche stories at night because of Skype and said that seeing his family every day made being apart from them that little bit easier.
“Things are going well,” he said. “It was hard at first to settle in because it's a lot different than back home and all you can see is desert for miles and miles.
“The initial thing that hits you is the heat and it's hard to get used to drinking eight litres of water a day but you get used to it after a while.
“Everyone misses their loved ones back home but Skype is a great system and we get 20 minutes on it every day. I didn't know what it was or how to work it before I came out here but because of it I can read a bedtime story to my child every night and it makes me feel as if I'm not missing out on things as much,” he said.
Cpl Pepper and the rest of the Irish troops are currently involved in long range patrols where they are attempting to find people to reunite them with their families. He admits it is heartbreaking to see the conditions in Chad at first hand but said all of the troops were keeping each other motivated when things got tough.
“We’re all in the same boat out here really because everyone is missing home and you do have days when you're down but then someone else is usually in great form and they bring you out of it.
“On the whole the time is going very fast. There's no time to sit around and think really because there's always something to be at and even when we do have some spare time we try to keep ourselves occupied.
“We have bingo on a Saturday night and we get to see most of the football over here and there are quiz nights as well so all of those things help to keep the morale high.
“It's harder for those who are at home but the facilities we have now mean that it's not as hard to be away from home as it used to,” he said.
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Thursday 17 May 2012
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