Lorrie McCullers has been scrapbooking since 1999 and has loved every minute of it. She is a tutor, specializing in high school English and test prep. You can learn more about her by visiting her at her blog.
Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) has secured an earmark of $5 million in Defense Department funds to be used to create digital scrapbooks for military units.
Remember My Service, a program currently being rolled out by the U.S. Army and the Salt Lake-based company Storyrock, compiles photographs and records to tell the stories of individual National Guard units.
Bennett and supporters of the program say that the digital scrapbooks are a morale-booster. Some even go so far as to say that the DVDs will even encourage troops to re-enlist.
The program is not without critics, however. Though the $5 million being used to pay for the program is a very small percentage of the overall Defense Department budget, many have pointed out that it is money that could be used for troop training or supplies.
Storyrock, the company chosen to provide the service, was started in Utah in 1998 as a digital yearbook company. The company has since added digital scrapbooking, as well as the military scrapbooks. Storyrock company officials have been reluctant to call the “Remember My Service” products “scrapbooks”, preferring instead to call them “historical records”.
Yay to Lorrie as a guest blogger! I’d be interested in a follow up on this story.
Huhmh. I don’t think it’s a bad idea, but I don’t think it should cost $5 million. Maybe $500,000.
I agree $5 million? Seriously? It’s digital scrapbooking why on earth is it costing so much? And I really don’t see how they can claim that it would encourage troops to re-enlist, maybe they should spend that money on increasing the wages for our troops instead!
I would do this for free minus printing costs, I’m sure I could get that donated or even the family would be willing to pay for the book printing. Being a military wife, 5 million? That’s just crazy, you get people to reenlist by offering incentives, not a book.
How can a scrapbook store get in on this project.
[...] Military Digital Scrapbooks Get Government Boost (scrapbookupdate.com) [...]
I agree with many of the coments. Why use tax dollars to do something that we could get company’s to donate!!! I thought digi scrapping was supposed to be cheaper? I don’t have a problem with the program in general because keeping our guys and gals connected to their families back home is important to their morale. But… why not use the money to provide computers, or computer time, or phone or phone cards so they can communicate on a regular basis? I don’t see how making a scrapbook of their service would help their morale. If the wives or parents of these vets, or the vets themselves, want a book, then make the pics available on line for them to chose. I was a military wife for quite a number of years. I would rather have had good communication. Or for my spouse to have had better, safer gear, than a scrapbook of his time in service.
Really folks…..5Million!! What are they thinking?