Before the technology age and the advent of Skype, there were love letters. They were the only way soldiers could keep in touch with their sweethearts back home and they were treasured by anybody who received one.

Last week, married and single soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 94th Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Brigade learned about "The Art of Love Letters" and were given tips on how to keep romance alive through the written word, even when they're downrange.

The class, which was one of 15 classes offered May 31 during the Deep Steel Readiness Boot Camp at North Fort Chapel on JBLM North, had a much larger turnout than expected and an audience comprised of soldiers and spouses.

"The point of the class is to ask ‘when have you last connected personally?' with that individual who is most important to you, whether it's your spouse, your child or your best friend," explained Tina Fortner, who created the class because of a moment she shared with her own 20-year-old daughter who told Fortner she'd kept every last note and card from her mother.

"I was surprised to hear she had them all and how much they meant to her," she said. "It really made me realize how important it is to reconnect with a personal touch and not just text things or post them online, but to write them."

Fortner, who also taught the class, has been married to a soldier for 24 years and actually works as a FRSA with 17th Fires Brigade, though she has taken some time off to develop and teach the class she believes is vital.

"Going in, I didn't know what to expect," admitted Command Sgt. Maj. Dwalyn Dasher, who has been with the 17th Fires Brigade since 2012. "But I am newly married and I wanted to learn."

"She (Fortner) really elaborated on the technology age and how it has eclipsed the personal note and personal communication," he said. "Texts and voicemails can be deleted or lost, but that card you wrote out might be treasured forever."

Attendees were told to write down on an index card the person that is most important to them and then list three great qualities about the person. They were then instructed to carry that with them whenever they were apart.

"My wife, Sarah, loved it and wants to go back for more classes," said Dasher, who got married in Sept. 2011. "In fact, a lot of the comments we received after the boot camp indicated that soldiers who came along wish they'd brought their spouse."

For many of 17th Fires soldiers, who are gearing up to deploy in December, this class was a great way to remind the soldiers this is important before they go.

"If nothing else it gave the married couples some added resiliency," added Fortner. 

Though nothing is scheduled yet, the feedback from soldiers and their families has been nothing short of positive and the command team plans to definitely hold future classes and boot camps. "To the other command teams I'd say definitely use the resources that are out there and available through the Army," he said. "We took one day to focus on this and it was so worth it. We had a big response and people really did care."