Seabee Families Get Free Computers

On Oct. 28, Operation Homelink distributed 100 refurbished computers to families of Seabees in pay grades E-1 to E-5 who are stationed at Naval Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport. Northrop Grumman donated the PCs — valued at more than $30,000 — to provide links between deployed Seabees and their families. Allocations went to families impacted by Hurricane Katrina, with emphasis upon those with a member facing deployment. Each command on base received a percentage of the computers based on the command’s size. A master list of eligible personnel was generated, and each Seabee had only to fill out an application form before picking up a computer. Operation Homelink, a non-profit organization based in Chicago, was founded three years ago in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It has linked more than 1,100 families with their troops overseas.