There are many ways to support our troops, actions more effective than putting a sticker on your car’s bumper. For example, you can support the USO by donating money or your time. Organizations like the USO are America in action.
The USO is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the troops by providing morale, welfare and recreation-type services to our men and women in uniform. The original intent of Congress – and enduring style of USO delivery – is to represent the American people by extending a touch of home to the military. The USO is one way the American public supports the troops.
The USO opened in 1941 in response to a challenge from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to handle the on-leave morale needs for members of the armed forces. While the USO has diversified and changed over time, the mission remains unchanged: to bring a touch of home to our men and women in uniform, until every one comes home. The USO is the link between the American people and military personnel. Through the USO, Americans can show their appreciation and express their gratitude.
What is the USO?
- The USO is not a government agency. It is a nonprofit, charitable organization and relies on donations from private citizens and corporations.
- More than 25,000 volunteers donate their time and talents.
- Service members and their families visit USO centers 5.3 million times each year.
- The USO runs more than 130 centers in 21 states and overseas in Germany, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Qatar, Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Guam, and Kuwait.
Click here for more information about the USO. Click here to learn more about what they do to support our troops.
To support the USO
To make a donation by check, by telephone, or online, click here. Donations are tax-deductible.
Just as valuable as donating money is donating your time. You get a unique perspective by working in your local USO. For example, watching a group of tired young men and women dropping at 1 am to the USO at Los Angeles airport, grateful for place to relax, eat (free), and call home – hanging out until their 11 am (or 9 pm) flight out.
Whether helping a soldier with a connecting flight, distributing a Care Package, serving snacks with a smile, providing local information, or “welcoming home” troops from deployment, USO volunteers are vital to the success of the USO’s mission. While the duties of a volunteer may vary, the goal is always the same – to improve the quality of life of service members, to boost their morale and to serve as the link between service members and the American people.
If you are interested in becoming a USO volunteer, please visit the locations directory to contact the USO center nearest you.
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Thanks so much for this post.
I have been volunteering with the USO for years and it is the most rewarding positive experience I can imagine. I can’t say enough good things about the organization. If anyone is looking for a great place to volunteer you can’t find a better place than with the USO.
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Fabius Maximus replies: Thank you on behalf of all Americans for donating your time to support our troops.
It’s good to read your encouraging words. I felt especially good since we wrote out a check to the USO yesterday, and it’s sitting in our mailbox waiting to be picked up today. It’s good to help good works!
Thank you for this reminder.
It’s hard to understand why the US Military forces need to get popular support from American people. Have you ever been to
the Arlington cemetery? Go there and have a look at the records. As far as I know very few American soldiers have lost
life defending the American people from a foreign invasion.
On the other hand American soldiers have fought wars all around the world trying to conquer places that belong to other people. It’s high time American soldiers start wondering exactly what they’re fighting for. It’s also high time that American people stop supporting their soldiers blindly out of superstitious patriotism.
Supporting American soldiers today is conceptually the same as supporting Nazi Stormtroopers while they persecuted the
Jews. Instead you have American military forces persecuting Muslims around the world.
World Development (Poster #5), thank you for your insights, and for providing us with the Al Quaeda point of view. I especially liked the part where you analogize my son (a Captain in Iraq) to a “Nazi Stormtrooper.”
You are clearly one of the most intelligent Democrats out there. I would put your IQ right up there with that of Cynthia McKinney.
As for me, I had a great year, so I’m stroking a check for $1,000. Thanks for the post, FM. Cheers.
I am a security contractor in Iraq and have witnessed what the USO does for the troops first hand and they are fantastic. I flew home a short time ago. I flew MilAir into Baltimore and when we got off the plane thier were a hundred people there cheering and each and everyone wanting to shake hands with the soldiers and thanking them for thier sacrifice. I was stunned. You could hear the cheering all the way across the terminal.
B.Lowe
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Fabius Maximus replies: Thank you for this comment!
“I would put your IQ right up there with that of Cynthia McKinney.”
And I would put the IQ of Cynthia McKinney (and her pal Danny Glover) right up there with that of O. J. Simpson. A gang of genuises indeed.
Happy New Year.
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Fabius Maximus replies: My apologies to World Development for not catching and deleting that insult. While I do not agree with his comments, speculating about IQ’s (his, McKinney’s, Simpson’s) is not legitimate rebuttal on this site. Let’s start 2009 with a higher tone to the debate, please.