OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- All servicemembers, DoD civilians and their families are able to call home for 60 minutes a month on the government's dime under the Morale Call program. 

"This program is a great way for anyone stationed here to stay in touch with people back in the states," said Tech. Sgt. Matthew Melvin, 51st Communications Squadron voice network systems craftsman. 

Under the program, servicemembers may go to Bldg. 949, Room 232, to sign for and pick up a phone card and access number, he said. 

"The reason we have people come to us is so they can write down the information in their handwriting to make sure it's clear to them," he added. 

Once someone is issued a calling card they may use the calling card to call back to a base stateside and have an operator connect them to any number they need as long as a toll charge isn't created. The card may be used to talk to friends and family or take care of personal business, like dealing with their banks. 

Each family member is eligible for a card, though their sponsors should be the ones to pick up the card because the system is run off that individual's DEROS. 

"One really important thing to note is morale calls are governed by whichever base you call," Sergeant Melvin said. "For instance, if you call Andersen (AFB, Guam), the operators won't connect morale calls until after 6 p.m." 

Immediate family members living in the states are also eligible for morale calls under the Airmen and Family Readiness Center's Hearts Apart program, but those calls cannot exceed 15 minutes. 

For more information, call the 51st CS voice network systems office at 784-3215.