To a young mind, nothing says Daddy or Mommy is OK like a video of him or her. This reassurance, while parents are on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, can be a remarkable feeling - for both the parent and the child.

While this wasn't necessarily the key reason behind initiating the USO United Through Reading Program, it's been an underlying benefit for many families. The program allows service members to book a 30-minute recording session, where they can read a book to their child and record personal greetings. The session is burned onto a DVD and mailed in a big manila envelope that includes a copy of the book.

Ideally, the service member's spouse will make another recording of the child watching the DVD and send it to the deployed soldier.

"It's a pretty popular program," said Tracye Kakely, McChord USO manager. "It's a great morale builder."

One soldier wrote: "This is going to ease my little girl's suffering."

The program is so popular, in fact, that Kakely recommends service members set up their appointments prior to deployment. Soldiers may make the videos while waiting to get on the plane to head overseas as well, but demand could mean flights leave prior to having the opportunity to make the video.

Volumes of books are available for different age groups - from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" to "Hungry Caterpillars."

Sgt. John Argaso is preparing to leave for Iraq for his second tour. It's been tough to know he's losing another year of his girls' lives. They are 9, 6 and 4 years old.

"I didn't know about this program, but I'm definitely going to take advantage of it," he said. "It's not that easy to be so disconnected from them, and phone conversations just don't do it. I want them to remember my face, my voice, my mannerisms, my laugh. I don't want them to forget anything about their daddy."

At times, Kakely said, these DVDs can see children through an especially tumultuous transition. Often, if service members are deploying for 18 months or more, their families are also leaving to return to their home state.

"Children are always excited to get their own mail, but these packages can also help them through the transition of moving away and shipping their dad off," Kakely said.

Several businesses have signed on to support the program, including Amazon.com, Office Depot and Best Buy. The USO supplies the equipment, volunteers to administer the program and the postage to mail the items.