P&G and Walmart Team Up With the USO to Connect Military Families During the Holiday Season Through 'Operation Family Connect'

CINCINNATI, Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) and Walmart (NYSE: WMT) are teaming up with the USO to help connect deployed members of the U.S. military with their families during the holiday season with the launch of "Operation Family Connect."  Today, there are more married service men and women who are deployed since the Civil War, and in addition, the U.S. is experiencing the longest deployment of troops in history.  This means that a simple call home to a loved one makes a world of difference to the men and women in uniform, and connecting them with their families during the holidays is invaluable.  

"Operation Family Connect" (www.operationfamilyconnect.com) is helping families connect by bringing much-needed improvements to communications technology and resources overseas. P&G and Walmart's support will allow the USO to provide increased talk time for troops and families. The program not only provides troops with pre-paid phone cards, but is also increasing the number of phones that are available and improving the satellite-based phone network at USO centers in Southwest Asia. On average, 192,000 satellite-based calls are made each month from troops to their families.  

Beginning on December 1, people can visit www.operationfamilyconnect.com for the debut of "Operation Family Connect: Road to Reunion," a series of six web videos that chronicle three military families as they anticipate the return of their family members from Iraq. People can also follow each family's compelling story and share in their exciting moments through home videos and personalized blogs. For those who want to help connect deployed soldiers with their family members during the holiday season, there is also an opportunity to donate to "Operation Family Connect".

"We are delighted to partner with P&G and Walmart this holiday season," said Sloan Gibson, president of the USO.  "And with the help of both companies, we were able to increase public awareness of USO programs, substantially improve the ability to provide family connection through talk time and continue our mission of lifting the spirits of our troops and their families around the world."

P&G and Walmart are committed to bringing families together this holiday season, both overseas and at home.  In addition to helping connect deployed troops with their families, they are also launching an uplifting family made-for-TV movie, "A Walk in My Shoes," which focuses on how a military family comes together in the face of adversity.  "A Walk in My Shoes" will air on December 3 at 8/7c on NBC.  

About USO

The USO (United Service Organizations) lifts the spirits of America's troops and their families millions of times each year at hundreds of places worldwide.  We provide a touch of home through centers at airports and military bases, top quality entertainment and innovative programs and services. We also provide critical support to those who need us most, including forward-deployed troops and their families, wounded warriors and their families and the families of the fallen.

The USO is a private, non-profit organization, not a government agency. We rely on the generosity of our volunteers and donors.  In addition to individual donors and other corporate sponsors, the USO is supported by Worldwide Strategic Partners: American Airlines, AT&T Inc., BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Gallery Furniture, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Procter & Gamble and TriWest Healthcare Alliance. We are also supported through the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381).  To join us in this patriotic mission and to learn more about the USO, please visit www.uso.org.

About Walmart

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), or "Walmart," serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 8,400 retail units under 55 different banners in 15 countries. With fiscal year 2010 sales of $405 billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million associates worldwide. A leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity, Walmart ranked first among retailers in Fortune Magazine's 2010 Most Admired Companies survey. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting www.walmartstores.com and on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/Walmartnews. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com and www.samsclub.com.

About P&G

Four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®. The P&G community includes approximately 127,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

For over five decades, P&G Productions has produced more than 50 movies of the week, 35 years of "People's Choice Awards," 20 soap operas and a number of beauty pageants and variety shows.

SOURCE P&G

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