CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — One of the defining sounds of war for soldiers in the Baghdad area these days is something unexpected: the jingle of cell phones.
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| Hawai'i Guard Sgt. Stanley Asejo of Hilo says having a cell phone to talk to family while he's in Iraq has been reassuring.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
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They ring in barracks, and give off an LED glow at night as homesick Hawai'i soldiers phone home.
"Just about everybody purchased a phone so they could keep in touch with their family," said Sgt. Alex Bersamin, 52, a 2nd Battalion, 299th Infantry soldier with the Hawai'i National Guard out of Maui.
The soldiers buy phones through Iraqna, the cell phone provider in central Iraq.
1st Sgt. George Gomes, 39, from Hilo, said his wife loves the fact that he has a cell phone.
"The first month I was here I would call her maybe every three days, and she would tell me, 'Call me often,' " said Gomes, a full-time National Guard employee in Hilo and the father of four kids ranging in age from 13 to 19.
"Now that I have a cell phone, she calls me anytime she wants," Gomes said. "I leave it on 24 hours a day, so if she needs to get hold of me, she can call."
Gomes bought his Nokia phone for $130 from an Iraqi vendor who comes on the Victory base complex, which has 15,000 soldiers. Among those based there are more than 600 soldiers with the Hawai'i National Guard's 2-299th Infantry.
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| Sgt. Stanley Asejo holds the cell phone with SIM card that he purchased in Iraq. He said when his family in Hilo sees news about a bombing, they can call "and I'll let them know we're OK."
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
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Soldiers pay up to $200 for the phones, which have subscriber information modules inside.
They also buy scratch-off cards with codes for $10, $20 and $30 that give them minutes.
"It works good. I hear it clear like any other cell phone in Hawai'i," Gomes said.
It's also an indication that Iraq's infrastructure is improving in some ways.
Because a call from Gomes to his wife costs about 45 cents a minute, his wife buys calling cards, and she calls him for about 15 cents a minute.
"Sometimes I just call her and say, 'Hey, I'm available. Give me a call right back,' " Gomes said. The call to him doesn't count against his minutes.
Sgt. Stanley Asejo, 52, from Hilo, who like Gomes is with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, bought a Siemens phone in Iraq. Mostly, he got it so his family can have some peace of mind.
"They see things in the news like a bombing. They can call and I'll let them know we're OK," said Asejo, who is married and has two sons ages 29 and 31 who live in Hilo.
Following the start of the deployment to Iraq in late January, Asejo's family sent him an AT&T phone that was supposed to have an international plan. But an Iraqi operator would come on the line when he was attempting to make a call saying he wasn't registered with Iraqna.
"It's something good," Asejo said of his Iraqi cell phone. "It's reassuring."
