Posted on Mar 18, 2015
Were you supported well by the USO? Share your experiences
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During my tour in Afghanistan, I was a volunteer at the USO. I personally thought the USO provided great support to the troops offering communication services, recreational gaming, and care packages for troops. It was nice to get a little downtime and reach out to my family back home. Enough about me, what's your USO story?
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 9
Most definitely!
I have stopped by the USO center at Atlanta International Airport several times during my career.
While on R&R from Iraq (1st deployment), when I arrived at Syracuse Airport, I didn't have a phone with me to call my wife, but one of the USO volunteers let me use her personal cellphone, and even offered to drive me home to Fort Drum (appx 70 miles north).
During my time in Afghanistan (2nd deployment), the USO center was great. They had an actual (small) movie theater, you could check out DVDs, there was free wifi, etc. An oasis of relaxation in a hectic place.
Due to a screw-up with arrival times, my daughter and I were at Raleigh-Durham International Airport 3 hours before my mother was due to arrive for a visit. So I took my daughter to the USO center there, and we had donuts and juice (she was thrilled) and then we both used the computers there.
Here in Korea, the USO offers free books, computer access, sodas/water, big screen TV, free lunch on every other Wednesday, has a mobile phone provider right inside the center, and is the location for the charter bus service that goes to Osan and Yongsan.
Because the USO has been there for me everywhere I have been all over the world. So each time I use USO facilities, I always donate as much spare cash as I can afford, because it is used for all of us. I also highly encourage everyone I know to donate to the USO, as, again, that money is put directly back into supporting us, the troops.
I have stopped by the USO center at Atlanta International Airport several times during my career.
While on R&R from Iraq (1st deployment), when I arrived at Syracuse Airport, I didn't have a phone with me to call my wife, but one of the USO volunteers let me use her personal cellphone, and even offered to drive me home to Fort Drum (appx 70 miles north).
During my time in Afghanistan (2nd deployment), the USO center was great. They had an actual (small) movie theater, you could check out DVDs, there was free wifi, etc. An oasis of relaxation in a hectic place.
Due to a screw-up with arrival times, my daughter and I were at Raleigh-Durham International Airport 3 hours before my mother was due to arrive for a visit. So I took my daughter to the USO center there, and we had donuts and juice (she was thrilled) and then we both used the computers there.
Here in Korea, the USO offers free books, computer access, sodas/water, big screen TV, free lunch on every other Wednesday, has a mobile phone provider right inside the center, and is the location for the charter bus service that goes to Osan and Yongsan.
Because the USO has been there for me everywhere I have been all over the world. So each time I use USO facilities, I always donate as much spare cash as I can afford, because it is used for all of us. I also highly encourage everyone I know to donate to the USO, as, again, that money is put directly back into supporting us, the troops.
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There have been many times that the USO has been a welcome relief while traveling through airports and while I've been deployed. When I was stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis I would regularly volunteer at the Norfolk airport USO to show my appreciation and to pay it forward.
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