BOISE, Idaho -- Albertsons here said it was shipping 185 computers to Iraq to help connect soldiers deployed overseas with family and friends.
The computer donation was made in response to concerns by the U.S. Army that too few computers were available at Camp Anaconda, the main Army base in Iraq, which resulted in limited Internet access and hundreds of troops in line at any given time waiting to communicate with home.
"After learning that our troops in Iraq often waited hours in line to send e-mail home to their loved ones, it became evident we could make thousands of Americans' lives easier by simply providing these military personnel better access to e-mail and the Internet," Larry Johnston, chairman, president and chief executive officer, said.
An Army spokesman said the computers will be used in the Soldiers' Education Center, at various study centers and at various Internet cafe sites, as well as to augment battalion computer capabilities at peak periods.