Barbecue for the Troops: Bob Hope’s Favorite Lemon Pie

Posted on May 20, 2013 by | Leave a comment

If you’ve signed up to host your own Barbecue for the Troops this summer, you probably very excited to have fun with loved ones while supporting our troops!

To help you get started, we here at the USO, as well as our partners and friends, will be sharing some of our favorite recipes for you to make for your summer BBQ!

Bob Hope’s Favorite Lemon Pie

Screen Shot 2013-05-20 at 12.07.45 PMIngredients:

  • 1 Cup of Sugar, plus two Tablespoons
  • 1 Cup of Boiling Water
  • 2 Tablespoons of Butter
  • 1 Pinch of Salt
  • 3 Tablespoons of Corn Starch
  • 4 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
  • 4 Egg Yolks
  • 3 Egg Whites
  • 1 Pie Crust
  • 1 Grated Rind of Lemon (Zest)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Bake pie crust according to directions
  3. Mix 3 egg whites, beaten stiff, and two tablespoons of suger to make meringue
  4. Combine corn starch and cup of sugar in a sauce pan. Add water slowly, starring constantly, until thick and smooth
  5. Add slightly beaten egg yolks, butter, lemon rind and juice, and salt
  6. Cook  3 minutes on medium high heat and then pour into baked pie crust
  7. Cover lemon pie with meringue and bake in oven for 15 minutes or until light brown

Stay tuned for more great recipes you can make for your Barbecue for the Troops!

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2013 Warrior Games Highlights

The fourth annual Warrior Games has come to a close in Colorado Springs, and though it was close competition with the Army in every event, the Marines brought home the Chairman’s Cup once again.

“Congratulations to all of the 2013 Warrior Games competitors,” said Charlie Huebner, chief of Paralympics for the U.S. Olympic Committee, during the closing ceremony. “While we celebrate medals, this competition is really an example of how sport can change lives. We hope these service members and veterans don’t stop here. The goal is for them to return home and get involved in sport programs in their communities.”

The competition formally ended Thursday night at the U.S. Air Force Academy in a ceremony honoring the nearly 200 wounded troops and disabled veterans who represented their services in the inaugural Warrior Games.

Troops and veterans from the U.S. and Britain competed in a week-long series of paralympic-type events at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and at the academy. They were challenged as individuals and as teams in shooting, swimming, archery, sitting volleyball, cycling, wheelchair basketball and track and field events.

The USO and all of the volunteers from Colorado were proud to stand by the side of these elite athletes throughout the week of Paralympic competition. Please enjoy this montage of footage from the past week of Warrior Games competition.

–Video and story by Joseph Andrew Lee, USO staff writer

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Posted on May 18, 2013 by in Troops, USO Warrior & Family Care, Warrior Games

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USO of Pioneer Valley Shows Solidarity with Troops in Afghanistan

Posted on May 17, 2013 by | 1 Comment
From left, Brian Willette, Dick Burgess, Jim Bouchard, Steve Jimmo and Kevin Willette walk during the USO of Pioneer Valley's USO Pat Tillman Center 5K Shadow Run on April 21 on Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass. Photo courtesy of Brian Willette

From left, Brian Willette, Dick Burgess, Jim Bouchard, Steve Jimmo and Kevin Willette walk during the USO of Pioneer Valley’s USO Pat Tillman Center 5K Shadow Run on April 21 at Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass. Photos courtesy of Brian Willette

Brian Willette was curious what was going on at Bagram Air Base.

It’s not something you’ll hear from many Americans these days, with the perception that the wars in the Middle East have all but wrapped up. But Willette isn’t exactly from a normal American family. A veteran of the Afghan War, the USO of Pioneer Valley board member was wounded by an improvised explosive device Sept. 13, 2010, in Afghanistan. He spent a week at Bagram recovering from TBI and “a lot more time,” as he describes it, at the USO Pat Tillman Center.

Nearly seven months after the retired Army staff sergeant was hurt, his son, then-Army Spec. Kevin Willette, was wounded in the same country. His daughter, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Christine Luppachino, volunteered for the USO during her 2009 deployment to Iraq.

So when the patriarch of a family with strong ties to a region eight time zones away heard there was a 5K race at Bagram on April 21, he snapped into action.

“My concept was to ‘stand with Bagram by running with Bagram’” Brian Willette wrote in a recent email about the shadow 5K that USO of Pioneer Valley put on April 21 at Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass.

USO of Pioneer Valley President David Jubinvile runs during the 5K.

USO of Pioneer Valley President David Jubinville runs during the shadow 5K on April 21.

He credited USO of Pioneer Valley President David Jubinville and fellow board member and Air Force veteran Dan Ernst for their support in jumpstarting the event, which demonstrated “our support for deployed troops, USO overseas centers, Pat Tillman as well as all of our fallen comrades.”

The 5K attracted local veterans groups including Fairview American Legion Post 438, VFW Hampden District 7 and the Military Order of the Purple Heart Western Massachusetts Chapter 875. Active-duty and reserve personnel assigned to Westover also ran in the event.

–Story by USO Story Development

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USO Brings Mother’s Day Treatment to Kandahar-Based Troops

Posted on May 16, 2013 by | 1 Comment

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Mom doesn’t get much thanks downrange.

The USO Southwest Regional Team understood this, and went out of their way to give a special thanks to the women of Kandahar Airfield’s Role 3 Trauma Hospital with a spa day on Sunday.

“These ladies work long hours on their feet and have little time to pamper themselves,” USO Southwest Asia wrote on its Facebook page.

The spa experience included manicures, pedicures, facials and massages. More than 100 treatments were provided.

Check out USO Southwest Asia’s Facebook page for more details.

-Story by USO Story Development

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Posted in Centers, Southwest Asia, Troops

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Are You A Rugged Maniac? Series of Obstacle Races Support Team USO

Posted on May 15, 2013 by | 1 Comment

How far are you willing to go to support our troops?

Would you leap over burning coals? Low-crawl through the mud under barbed wire? Traverse cargo netting, hop through a series of tires and navigate a balance beam over a pit?

The USO was well-represented at the May 4 Rugged Maniac 5K Obstacle Race in Richmond, Va. USO photos by Joseph Andrew Lee

The USO was well-represented at the May 4 Rugged Maniac 5K Obstacle Race in Richmond, Va. USO photos by Joseph Andrew Lee

If you want an opportunity to challenge your endurance and reach physical goals you never thought possible in support of troops and their families, then you should join Team USO this year in the Rugged Maniac 5K Obstacle Race.

“We’re very excited about the good things we can accomplish together,” said Rugged Races CEO Bradford Scudder. “The USO’s mission aligns with that of Rugged Maniac by recognizing and supporting our troops and their families.”

Rugged Maniac – which has announced 22 events in 2013 and expects more than 200,000 participants – hopes to raise $1 million in support of the USO.

“It’s a realistic goal,” Scudder said. “If each of our participants donates $5, we’ll get there. And this is a wonderful cause, so of course there will be individuals who’ll go above and beyond that $5 donation.”

As an official Team USO fundraiser, each participant’s goal is to raise $300 for troops and their families. In turn, the USO will deliver free training designed to fit each runner’s lifestyle, a fully customizable personal fundraising webpage, coaching, mentoring, registration to the event of your choice and a Team USO T-shirt to wear at the event.

From boot camp to battlefield back home again, the USO is the only organization that always stands by the side of troops and their families.

“Being able to stop in just about any airport in the United States and around the world … in every country I’ve ever been deployed to, there’s always a USO there that’s set up,” said Fort Lee NCO Academy 1st Sgt. Charles Badgley after the Rugged Maniac 5K in Richmond, Va. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a trailer, or if it’s a tent, or whatever the case may be, it gives us that touch of home, and we know that it’s almost 100 percent volunteer effort to give back to the soldiers so, it’s a really great thing.”

Team USO will enter teams in Rugged Maniac races around the country from now through December.

Team USO will enter teams in Rugged Maniac races around the country from now through December.

Team USO members are crucial to supporting that cause. On race day, they get VIP treatment including free parking and race photos from the official photographer. All the money raised by Team USO participants goes directly to their local USO.

“We’ve run in a couple of these and for us, because fitness is such a big deal, you know, and you have to make it exciting for yourself, this is one of the best ways to do it,” Badgley said. “It’s good to get out here and bang your knees up a little bit but also get a good run in at the same time.” – Joseph Andrew Lee, USO Staff Writer

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Posted in Fundraising, Support, Troops, US

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Military Children Create Patriotic Artwork

Posted on May 13, 2013 by | 1 Comment
A young girl points to her award winning artwork

A young girl points to her award winning artwork.

In honor of April’s ‘Month of the Military Child,’ the USO of Hampton Roads and Central Virginia (USO HRCV) held a unique contest to engage local children and raise awareness of the USO’s mission.

For the third year, the USO HRCV called on all school-age children in the area to compete in an art contest that turns the winning artworks into panels that will be displayed in the Richmond International Airport.

The children, ages 5 to 18, were instructed to create illustrations that incorporated a patriotic theme. On Monday, April 29, USO HRCV announced the winners of their contest. This year, winners were from Hampton, Chesterfield, Prince George, Henrico, and Hanover counties.

See the slideshow below for a look at some of the winners as they display their beautiful and patriotic creations.

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– Sarah Camille Hipp, Communications Specialist

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Posted in Centers, Families

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Moms Find Another Way to Give Back at USO

Posted on May 10, 2013 by | 1 Comment

We’ll all be thinking of, calling and thanking our mothers Sunday.

But that doesn’t mean they’re taking the day off.

Hundreds of moms will be clocking in volunteer hours at USO centers across the globe this Mother’s Day. Some do it as a hobby. Others out of a sense of duty. And some give countless hours at USO centers to repay the treatment given to their families.

Here are the stories of two such volunteers – Pam Horton and Michelle Bajakian – in their own words:

Pam Horton, USO of North Carolina volunteer

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USO of North Carolina volunteer Pam Horton

My dad was career Army. I was raised to be patriotic, to have a strong sense of pride and love for our country. I still get choked up when I hear the national anthem! My dad retired when I was 16. Thirty-five years later, my youngest son enlisted in the Army.

We moved to Apex, N.C., just as our son finished up his training. He had been assigned to a unit that was already deployed!  We were at [Raleigh Durham International Airport] putting him on the plane, knowing we wouldn’t see him again until he returned home from Afghanistan, when we were approached by a woman from the USO. She thanked him for his service, thanked us for our sacrifice, told us about the USO center, asked if she could give him any snacks to take on the plane, thanked us again and went on her way. After my eyes stopped dripping, I thought, ‘I can do THAT!’ and went in search of her.

I enjoy talking with the people that come through the center, to find out where they’ve been, or where they’re headed. I try to be upbeat and chatty, to help pass the time for them. I’ve even learned to play a mean game of Crazy Eights! Sometimes, they don’t want to talk, so I respectfully give them their privacy. It’s all about making them comfortable and happy while they are in the center.

I thoroughly love that I can help ease the minds of moms who come into the Center with their children who are about to go to basic [training] or deploy. …

It sure sounds like I volunteer for me, doesn’t it?  It helps that I enjoy it, but it really is all about our military and their families. They sacrifice for us and we should show our appreciation for that.

Michele Bajakian, USO Fort Drum volunteer

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USO Fort Drum volunteer Michele Bajakian

“There are a lot of good reasons to volunteer with an organization like the USO, but I am a volunteer today because four years ago, the USO was there for my family when we needed them the most.

My husband was deployed to Afghanistan while we were living in Germany. I took my two children, who were 9 and 11 years old at the time, to visit their grandparents in Texas. I received a phone call from my husband, saying that he was being medically evacuated to Landstuhl, Germany, because a mass was discovered in his neck.

Needless to say, I was very concerned and needed to get back to Germany fast. One of the flights from Texas was to New Jersey and we spent a sleepless night in their terminal. The next morning, we caught an early flight to Boston and had to wait several hours before our flight to Germany.

The kids and I were exhausted from a sleepless and stressful night. I saw the USO sign in the terminal and I felt so relieved. This was the first time that I had ever entered a USO. The people working at the center were so kind and thoughtful. There was a quiet room there and comfy couches to sleep on. My children and I were able to get some much needed rest and felt ready to continue on our trip after spending time with Boston’s USO.

The two years that followed were pretty tough, but my husband is now in remission from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He is doing so much better now and we have a lot to be thankful for.

Every time I see the USO sign, I think about that trip that my children and I made and who was there waiting for us in Boston four years ago. I completed my training at Fort Drum to become a volunteer [in March] and I am so happy every time I walk into the center. I volunteer for the USO because I want to be there waiting for some other soldier or their family who needs a little extra TLC, a cup of coffee, or a smile.

–Story by USO Story Development

Visit USO Wishbook to give troops a gift for Mother’s Day like a phone call home or a program experience for a family of a wounded, ill or injured service member.

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Posted in Families, Troops, Volunteers

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