The USO Celebrates 67th Anniversary |
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DoD photo by Cpl. Brian M. Henner, U.S. Marine Corps.
The USO, a nonprofit, charitable organization dedicated to providing morale, welfare and recreational services to U.S. military personnel and their families, is celebrating 67 years of service to the men and women of the armed forces. The United Service Organizations, or USO, was born and incorporated in New York Feb. 4, 1941 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who believed it was important for private citizens to take responsibility for the on-leave recreation needs of service members.
“As we celebrate another anniversary, it is our greatest honor to continue the tradition of providing a ‘touch of home’ to our men and women in uniform and their families, even if ‘home’ is thousands of miles away,“ said Edward A. Powell, USO president and CEO. “I offer my sincerest gratitude to the countless number of USO employees, volunteers, celebrity entertainers, corporate partners and individual donors, whose tireless work will continue until every one comes home.”
The USO has expanded its programs and services to help meet the increasing needs of today’s military personnel and their families. The USO has opened eleven new centers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Texas, New York, Virginia, California and on Guam. The organization has distributed more than one million Operation USO Care Packages and two million phone cards, letting America’s troops know their service and sacrifice have not been forgotten. USO entertainment tours average one show per day annually. The Mobile USO program deployed three “USO centers on wheels” across the country, bringing morale-boosting programs and services to troops stationed in remote and isolated areas.
The Operation Enduring Care program has expanded and is offered in more locations worldwide, continuing to help meet the recovery needs of injured service members, their families and the medical personnel who care for our wounded. USO CarePages was launched, providing wounded troops an innovative service to stay in touch and share health updates, photos and supportive messages with their families and friends while recovering in the hospital and at home. The USO piloted a new program, USO in a Box, which sends USO programs and services to forward deployed areas where there is no fixed USO center, providing a relaxing atmosphere and distraction to the stress and loneliness associated with deployment.
To donate to the USO, visit www.uso.org/donate.
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