More than 130,000 Americans sent messages of gratitude this week to the nation's troops through the "Giving Thanks" text messaging initiative.

The initiative is part of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

"The 'Giving Thanks' text message campaign has been a wonderful example of how Americans are still passionate about supporting the troops and saying thank you for their service," said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communication and public liaison. "Hopefully, our troops serving in 177 countries will have a renewed sense of just how much the folks back home support them."

Major mobile wireless providers, including AT&T, Verizon, Sprint Nextel, and T-Mobile, will provide access to the Giving Thanks program. And, while carriers' regular text messaging rates apply to every message sent through the Defense Department program, there are no additional costs to send a message of thanks.