Military life has historically revolved around soldiers forming strong bonds with the men and women they served with; however, through frequent relocations, many service members lose touch with the close friends made along the way.
One unique Facebook application has been designed to close the gap and bring veterans and service members together on a single platform. The free app, called Veterans United Connect, lets military members and families find and reconnect with old friends and make new ones based on a shared history of service.
Connecting With Old Friends
Users access the app through their Facebook accounts and will need to input when and where they served. After including this information, the app will automatically generate friend suggestions and personalized matches based on the specific user’s service history.
For instance, a soldier who served with the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart or any other installation can find and reconnect with friends, upload photos, share their stories, and catch up on the community they previously knew as home. In addition, the app isn’t limited to military bases on U.S. soil, you can find friends from installations worldwide.
“My husband has a common name, which makes it tough for his old buddies to track him down through the typical social networking sites,” said Adrienne May, an Army spouse active in the online military spouse communities. “This app makes it easy to find people based on where they served or even through something as specific as boot camp. It’s going to make finding old friends and staying in touch so much easier.”
Connect With New Communities
Veterans United Connect isn’t only for veterans, but for active duty personnel and their families as well. Active duty members are using Veterans United Connect to bond with new communities, find friendly faces, and build support networks after they PCS.
All military families are encouraged to use Veterans United Connect to share information on schools, housing, base life, along with many other topics that will make soldiers and families new to the community feel welcome.
“The goal is to foster even stronger ties and communication among a community that’s already given so much to our country,” said Rob Stretch, social media manager for Veterans United, a financial services firm that’s sponsoring the application. “The bonds they forge can be life-long. We want to enhance their experiences during and post-service as much as possible.”
A pilot version of the app launched in 2009 and was featured in Stars & Stripes. The new version will officially launch July 25, and features many important upgrades. Veterans United Connect is expected to have more than 500,000 users by the end of 2011. Join now and reconnect with friends everywhere!
Matt Polsky is the Senior Content Manager for VAMortgageCenter.com, the nation’s leading provider of VA home loans.
Comments
It will be great to try to reconnect with old friends.