PV2 Liebig
We are very excited to announce that PV2 John Liebig and PFC Andrew Kwawu of the 101st Airborne Division are the first two soldiers to be equipped with e-reader technology thanks to contributions to E-Books for Troops! PV2 Liebig and PFC Kwawu are currently deployed to Afghanistan, and were part of our pilot program which was coordinated at Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, by SGT Andre Corbin.
They both describe themselves as big readers who have never used electronic readers before but see the advantages of the technology for the military. “It is an easily portable device with a lot of memory for more than one book,” PV2 John Liebig wrote in answer to questions designed to guide EB4T as it moves beyond the pilot phase. PFC Kwawu agreed, writing, “I think e-readers are a good solution for deployed servicemen and servicewomen because of its handy nature and the fact that unlike the traditional book you can carry more than one book at a time.” They plan on using their Kindles as time restrictions and available downtime allow.
PFC Kwawu
PFC Kwawu reported that he sees most of his fellow soldiers using downtime to surf the Internet, watch movies, sleep, and call home. “I also see a significant number of people reading,” he added. PV2 Liebig wrote that soldiers order traditional books online and take advantage of Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) activities.
PV2 Liebig hails from St. Robert, Missouri, and is currently assigned to Warehouse Supply. His unit is 96 ASB, 101 CAB, and he has been deployed to Afghanistan for three months. He enjoys reading science fiction and fantasy, and his favorite book is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. He has served in the Army for just over a year, and he decided to join because of the educational benefits.
PFC Kwawu originally came to the U.S. from Ghana in West Africa and now lives in the state of Georgia. He works in the Aviation Warehouse, and his unit is 96 ASB, A Company, SSA Platoon, 101 CAB. He has served in the Army for 18 months and has been deployed to Afghanistan for three months. He enjoys books by John Grisham and others about legal drama and crime solving, as well as the occasional romantic book. Why did he join the Army? PFC Kwawu replied as follows:
“The honor in serving the nation as well as all the opportunities the Army gives you in order to better your life and to take good care of your family.”
PFC Kwawu added this:
“I would like to say we the service personnel do appreciate all that the diverse organizations including our families are doing to support us while we are away from home. It really does give us the encouragement that out here we are not on our own. Thank you very much.”
E-Books for Troops is proud to be part of this overall support for U.S. troops who are deployed overseas defending our country. Ken and I are very grateful to those who have already donated to make this start possible, and we encourage you to consider making a contribution today to enable us to expand the work beyond the pilot phase.
It gets us totally fired up to see these photos of PV2 Liebig and PFC Kwawu with their new Kindles still in the original packaging. In each box that I shipped to them from Denver we also included an Army camouflage jacket and an e-Luminator2 booklight, donated by our partner M-Edge Accessories – much appreciated!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
My wife and I would like to thank you for supporting our soldiers by providing them with the Kindle, I can remember when our son, PV2 Liebig, received his Kindle, he was really excited about it. We had never heard of a Kindle and wondered what this thing was. When our son came home on R&R he immediately got his Kindle out. Charged it up and started down loading books. Our son loves to read and the Kindle will make it easy for him to continue enjoying reading while being deployed. It is very easy to carry around, all he had to do was put it in his back pack and he was ready to go. I think he has down loaded arounded ten books, so far.
I was in Vietnam and we had nothing to keep us entertained, we were lucky to get one letter a month. We would like to thank you for supporting our soldiers and providing them with EB4T. It really does help boost the soldiers morale and provides them with entertainment.
James & Savina
James & Savina,
Thank you so much for the kind words. We really appreciate it, and it is so great to hear of the impact E-Books for Troops has made for your son.
Len and I are very excited to expand E-Books for Troops over the upcoming months and hearing feedback like this is so motivating and reinforces to us that what we are doing is making an impact on the lives of our deployed soldiers.
Thank you to both you and your son for your service to our country.
–Ken Clark