USO'S BLOG
-
The mission is crucial... so is your support
- Posted on 04.13.09
Related causes: Community
You're on patrol on the Afghan-Pakistan border. You keep your head on a swivel and your eyeballs clickin'. When you return to the FOB (Forward Operating Base), you still can't let your guard down.
There's no place to relax... no chance to get away from the war... no way to call home — to tell your wife you love her — to hear the magic sound of your kids' voices.
Until now...
The USO has just invented a new kind of USO Center. It's portable. It can be trucked or airlifted anywhere on Earth, even to the smallest FOB on the most remote mountaintop. It's really a "ruggedized" container (like you see on the back of a trailer-truck), designed especially for combat service.
In less than 20 minutes, it converts to two comfortable rooms, offering wireless internet access, two computer stations, a flat screen TV with DVD player and three Xbox® 360 game consoles. Best of all, soldiers can call home and talk as long as they like, free of charge. All in a fully air-conditioned un...Read More -
USO Ready to Serve 35,000 More with New Center In South Korea
- Posted on 04.09.09
USO Daegu, the organization’s 138th center, will open to a military population of more than 35,000 on March 31. Located on Camp Walker, the newest center also will serve troops and their families stationed at Camp Carroll, Camp George, Camp Henry and other installations including Busan, Kunsan, Chinhae and Kwangju. USO Daegu is the fifth South Korean center, opening less than two months after the new Osan Air Base USO Center.
“This new center on Daegu will allow us to better serve troops and their families in the southern region of the Korean peninsula,” said Sloan Gibson, USO president. “We are delighted to bring USO services and programs back to this area, lifting the spirits of service members and their families. We thank our sponsors and the Daegu community for helping us open our doors once more to those who unselfishly serve our country."
Visitors of the 5,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art hub will enjoy a relaxing lounge area and fully stocked snack bar. Computer work s...Read More -
A lonely soldier needs a Valentine from you!
- Posted on 01.28.09
In Iraq, they don't send Valentines... what they deliver every day is far more sinister. It's not just the immediate danger of a rocket attack; it's the constant stress of combat that slowly steals away the chance to feel human... to reach out and touch another. The simplest pleasures are crowded out by stress, and danger, and fear. Combat leaves no room for quiet moments.
Think of the warm comfort you feel when you open a Valentine from someone far away. Think of the simple pleasure it gives you... the chance to reflect, the chance for a happy memory to dance through your thoughts. It's just one small moment that most of us take for granted; and yet when you can't have such a moment, it's something to cherish.
For us at home, unless we've had a friend or loved one in combat, this war has little touched us. We have not given as they have. We have not sacrificed.
That's why we, the USO, are writing to you. We're asking that you support us, and our men and women on the front ...Read More -
Let’s make sure a soldier’s Christmas is not a silent night.
- Posted on 12.12.08
In Iraq and Afghanistan, home can seem so far away. But you can help it seem closer by donating to the USO. Every Holiday season, we hand out thousands of prepaid phone cards to our troops. Each card means a free call home and a chance to replace loneliness with the voices of loved ones. There’s no nicer Holiday gift for our brave troops overseas.
Donate Now.
-
They don't hang stockings in Iraq...
- Posted on 12.09.08
Related causes: Community
It's Christmas Day in the desert. You're on patrol. It seems Santa's been kidnapped by the Air Force.
Back home it's morning... your wife and kids must be opening their presents without you. As you return to base, you're in a bad mood.
Surprise! The USO is handing out pre-paid phone cards so you can call home and for FREE! Tomorrow you'll actually be able to share Christmas with your kids, even if it's by phone and a day late.
There's something else... a USO Holiday e-card from someone you don't even know. It says "Thanks." Hey - it's nice to know someone besides your family knows you're stuck over here and appreciates what you did for them today.
For most of us at home, it's hard to imagine what it must be like to be stationed overseas for the Holidays. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, it's the loneliest time to be at the Front.
At the USO, it's our job to deliver some Holiday cheer to our young men and women in combat. But we need Americans lik...Read More
