Volunteer Fact Sheet |
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Volunteers are the heart of the USO. Their commitment and support of our men and women in uniform allow the USO to carry out its mission 24 hours a day, seven days a week, worldwide.
A volunteer is any person who gives his time, skills, and interests so that USO services may be more widely extended to service members and their families.
Celebrity entertainers have always provided the USO's most visible volunteer contributions, but it’s the efforts of everyday Americans that have provided direct, tangible support day in and day out for our service members.
The duties of USO volunteers vary, depending on location and need. Whether serving snacks and refreshments with a smile, distributing care packages, providing travel assistance, staffing USO centers or welcoming home troops from deployments, USO volunteers play a vital role in the success of the USO. Their mission has remained the same, to improve the quality of life of service members, boost their morale and serve as a link between them and the American public.
- In the organization’s first five years, dedicated citizens logged more than 160 million hours at 3,000 USO centers worldwide.
- During World War II, USO volunteers numbered more than one and one-half million.
- In the early 1950s, more than 100,000 volunteers worked to support service members in the Korean War.
- From rural America to the farthest reaches of Southwest Asia, volunteers continue to deliver the programs and services that have made the USO such a vital part of military life.
Volunteer Stats (Number of Volunteers in 2007)
- Today, more than 44,000 volunteers are carrying on the USO’s legacy.
- In 2007, volunteer hours totaled 644,173.
- Stateside: 36,999 Volunteers - Volunteer hours 573,390
- Europe: 2,203 Volunteers - Volunteer hours 20,623
- Pacific: 4,958 Volunteers - Volunteer hours 39,567
- Southwest Asia: 592 Volunteers – Volunteer hours 10,593