December 14, 2005: The AMVETS veterans organization and the Motion Picture Hall of Fame are trying to collect a million donated DVDs to send to the troops overseas. Laptops and DVD players are common items the troops take with them overseas. When off-duty, these two devices become popular sources of entertainment. There's limited television availability in combat zones, and even Internet access has to be rationed. But given enough DVDs, the troops have an excellent off-duty recreation. The DVDs will be distributed through the USO (United Service Organizations) and (for those aimed at children) the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (which has branches at many overseas bases where military families are allowed.)

You can mail DVDs or monetary donations to: Operation DVD, Box 1300, Palm Springs, Calif. 92263-1300. More details can be found at: www.OperationDVD.us. Organizations or businesses willing to provide drop-off sites for Operation DVD may arrange this by calling J.P. Brown at (330) 726-2552.

Operation DVD will be a year-round program. The monetary donations are needed to help pay for the 100,000 collection boxes that will be located throughout the United States, as well as making bulk purchases of portable DVD players for the troops.

The troops also find DVDs useful gifts for Iraqis or Afghans that help them out. Even though the DVDs are usually only in English (many have French or Spanish voice tracks as well), Iraqis and Afghans are used to this, and particularly enjoy the action oriented movies, even if they can't understand the dialog. Moreover, in both countries, there are illegal DVD copying operations, that make copies dubbed or subtitled in the local language.