Soldiers stationed in Panama during World War II, anticipating an attack on the Panama Canal, spent much of their time writing letters home, listening to radios, and watching movies, if they were accessible.(1) Today, writing letters continues as a major source of communication for forward deployed soldiers with families back home,(2) but it is slow and provides only one-way communication. Speed is introduced by the instant, two-way global communication offered by the revolution in telecommunications technology, a revolution that is affecting soldiers' experience of war and leadership processes. Telecommunication traditionally includes telegraph, radio, telephone, and television. New telecommunications media include computers, video tapes, voice mail, and facsimile (Fax) machines, new electronic media that are becoming commonplace in contemporary life.(3) Some previous research has addressed the social psychology of telecommunications.(4) For example, conversation analysts discovered the utility of telephones in the subtle maintenance of turn-taking and social order.(5) In a military context, however, interest in telecommunications has been limited to strategic issues of command, control, and information communication,(6) and few studies have addressed the social dimensions of telecommunications. The present investigation examined an unexplored area of inquiry-the use of telephones and television by U.S. soldiers at the intersection of units, families, and society during and immediately after Operation just Cause (OJC), the U.S. invasion of Panama.
