DONATE elderly ThinkPads to the troops..?

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#1 Post by **BillMorrow** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 3:31 am

OK, guys..

How about this thought..

instead of selling older but useable and good running thinkpads for $100 or sticking them in a closet, give them to various troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and other hot spots..?

The world has changed and now the internet lets troops stay in contace with their families and friends..

better your old friend thinkpad take the bullet than an expensive laptop..

OK, gentlemen and ladies, flesh this thought out..

i have a few army personnel i can contact in Iraq and if they have (finally) rotated out of the war zone, they can most likely still help find deserving GI's who can use our old thinkpads..

ian · #2 Post by **ian** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 1:52 pm

Seems like a good idea to me - however the only machine I can 'donate' at present is a dell (I hope people 'guess' what I mean) latitude cpi - sorry, but the Thinkpads are being used at present. Here's hoping I can mail it over cheaply...

#3 Post by **BillMorrow** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 2:00 pm

i think that postage to here and then baghdad or kabul is a waste..
as long as it works, perhaps you can send it direct..
though i'm not sure if you CAN send it to a US address that is a military address.. i.e. an APO post office address..

thanks for the kind offer, i will email some people in baghdad and we shall see what we shall see..

Edward Mendelson · #4 Post by **Edward Mendelson** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 10:44 am

Took me a while to find this thread - and I'm sorry to have come late to the party. I just wanted to say that if anyone can find an organized way of getting laptops to the trooops easily - if there's some organization out there where you can send a laptop knowing that it will get to Iraq or thereabouts very quickly - please let us know here. I'm fairly confident that there would no trouble getting this written up in PC Magazine, where the people who organize the news sections are people I've worked with for many years.

This is definitely something that a lot of people - whatever their political views - would want to use if it were available. And if anyone gets inspired to organize such a thing, please let us know here as soon as possible.

Edward Mendelson
Contributing Editor
PC Magazine

Guest · #5 Post by **Guest** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 11:32 am

One thing I know that people are sending is cell phones. A few kids just got honored for setting up that program. They may have come from my state. If you talk to them they may be able to help you. Google

esquire · #6 Post by **esquire** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 6:27 am

The US military is the richest in the world. Surely they can afford their own computers and internet access.

Surely it would be more productive to donate old computers to Iraqis or Afghans', or a host of other developing countries. I'm workin in Nigeria at the moment and know plenty of people who would love to have any kind of computer if only to do basic word processing on, let alone email. A cheap $300 or less computer is more than most make in a year in places like these. But I digress...

edelrc · #7 Post by **edelrc** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 11:42 pm

I am afraid I am sharing esquire's opinion on this issue.

It is absurd to consider that with a budget of 1/3 of a trillion US $ per year, the US army does still need to have its soldiers not only with cell phones and laptops but also with clothing or canned beans.
This is a PR program more designed in making a stronger connection between the soldiers and the general population than interested in addressing any need for the military personnel.

(PS: I have donated 8PCs to low-income people on the Detroit area during the last 3yrs. There is where it is really needed, and unlike the military personnel, they did not chouse their situation. It is ironic, two of these families with the PCs, NOW can contact their son serving in Afghanistan)

#8 Post by **BillMorrow** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 2:47 am

i have sold several thinkpads to soldiers in iraq..
at and below my cost..

it is not the army that gets these it is the individual soldier who, in one case, comtinues his software development activities while flying in combat..
he also communicates with his family..

regardless of how you feel about the war in iraq it is the individual GI's who carry the load and get paid very little..

you do what you want to do and i shall continue to do what i can do..

p.s. it seems pretty moot at the moment since i have had no replies to my emails to iraq and no offers of working thinkpads for the trip to the fertile cresent..

pkirk618 · #9 Post by **pkirk618** » Wed Aug 18, 2004 4:17 pm

The Army may have trillions but the average Private with a family does not.

This is an admirable idea; hope it works.

#10 Post by **BillMorrow** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 12:35 am

still no word from iraq..

had one inquiry for a new thinkpad..
offered one at cost and free postage..
no reply since..

it IS a tough place over there..

JimmyD · #11 Post by **JimmyD** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 7:35 am

I have two functioning IBM TP 755CS's, fresh install of win.95, all function's work. They would need a modem card.
I would be happy to donate them. Really don't know if their worth the shipping cost's though !

J.D

#12 Post by **BillMorrow** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 8:37 am

just got an email from one of the "guys" who is on leave..

will know more, i hope, soon..

more, later..

Deb Suran · #13 Post by **Deb Suran** » Tue Oct 05, 2004 3:59 pm

I know a reservist who's there now, she says she knows soldiers who could use them if we have them, although the sand there is a problem. Do we have any? I can get a mailing address if so. They should be fully functional and internet-ready.

Steve007 · #14 Post by **Steve007** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 7:36 am

Bad idea. US troops have trouble shooting straight. I fear they may drop their ThinkPad's on the floor as their hand-to-eye coordination is severely below the human average

califas · #15 Post by **califas** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 4:48 pm

I think what would be more usefull would be networking gear. From friends I have stationed overseas, there are lots of people who have computers but theres only ONE CONNECTION.

DONATE elderly ThinkPads to the troops..?

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DONATE elderly ThinkPads to the troops..?

Donation of TP

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