Hi Gracy, congratulations on your Panasonic Toughbook and welcome to the forum. Glad you decided to join us here at Android Tablets. Enjoy your tablet and the forum!
Hiya Gracy and TammyLynn, welcome to the forum (newbie myself)!
Sharing and learning are pretty decent endeavours
As for free tablets - the only way I can imagine getting one free is by entering as many competitions as possible (where a tablet is a prize) but I wouldn't recommend it as this would usually involve supplying personal details to potential ne'er-do-wells. 0_o
That, or - technically - get a tablet with 3G/LTE capabilities subsidized to 'free' with a data contract, I know here in the UK that can occasionally be possible.
I know Samsung were giving away Galaxy Tabs at one point with one of their Smartphone releases, so if you're also in the market for a new smartphone keep an eye out for deals like these.
Currently, The Toronto-Dominion Bank, up here in Canada has a promotion, whereby if you open an account with them, they'll give you a free Samsung tablet. I know it's a long way from Texarkana to the Canadian border, but maybe there are similar deals in your neck of the woods. That's all that comes to mind, right now.