USO Camp LSA had no shortage of holiday cheer, as service members posed for Christmas pictures at the USO Camp LSA and MWR sponsored tree lighting party.
Camp LSA also stuffed thousands of greeting cards that were sent to us from all over the US with AT&T calling cards and handed them out as part of Operation Phone Home. Altogether, USO staff and volunteers handed out over a thousand cards. As Duty Manager Duane DeVorak (also the photographer for the events) sais, “These photos show how we put a smile on their faces.” Wonderful!
While many have been enjoying time home over the past couple of weeks, there are some Troops who spent Christmas preparing to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan. At the Jean R. Amos USO Center at Hartsfield-Jackson, though, the mood was positive and hopeful. Deployment is never easy, but homemade Christmas cards, the support of volunteers, some delicious food, and Santa himself made the day a little bit better for those deploying out of Atlanta.
As Bill Liss of NBC 11 in Atlanta reported, “The troops were gathering at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport USO above the Airport Atrium. And there to bring a festive holiday spirit were 63 USO volunteers and 8 top Metro Atlanta chefs serving up a festive holiday banquet. Many of the troops were heading into active war zones on Christmas day for the first time.”
MyFox Atlanta interviewed Mary Lou Austin, the CEO of USO Georgia, whose sentiments reinforced the importance of the USO’s mission to families this time of year: “Today’s a very special day. We try to make it as much like home…home for the holidays.”
UPDATE! The City of Jacksonville USO made Christmas dinner possible for 1300 Marines from Camp Lejeune. Check out the video below and read the full story from Eyewitness News 9. “Gunny Claus” himself (their terms, not ours!) traveled 3,000 miles from the North Pole to provide encouragement
Today, the USO is serving troops and their families all over the world. Our top priority is to support those serving in harm’s way, those who have been wounded as a result and their families. But advances in communication, aviation and medical technology means that thousands of wounded troops who would have died in earlier wars are now able to survive.
When an American troop falls on the battlefield, he or she is usually picked up by a med-evac helicopter within a matter of minutes and flown directly to an aid station or combat support hospital. From the moment the first medic or corpsman reaches him, he will receive the absolute best medical care available on Earth. Those seriously wounded will receive emergency surgery for stabilization and then be transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, and on to Walter Reed or Bethesda here in DC, or to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
There, the long journey of putting body and life back together begins. But there is one thing that no hospital stay or rehabilitative process can completely provide, and that is closure. You see, when many of our troops are wounded in combat, they are evacuated so quickly that when they regain consciousness, they are in a hospital, separated from their unit, from their friends, and not yet in the arms of their families.
For some of these warriors, it is important for them to be able to retrace their steps, back to their Forward Operating Base, to the roads they patrolled, to the places where their lives were forever changed. This retracing brings closure, and closure aids healing.
We’ve seen this with veterans of World War II retracing their steps to the beaches of Normandy and Iwo Jima. We’ve also seen this with veterans of other wars. Many of these men had to wait decades before they could return and achieve closure.
Americans often ask, “What else can we do for our troops that would be really special and meaningful?”
Operation Proper Exit is a great answer.
With USO support, the Troops First Foundation has begun taking some of our wounded veterans back to Iraq. The first group, all amputees with new prosthetic limbs, recently retraced their steps.
Their mission was to answer one question: Was it worth it?
Of course, this ultimately is a personal question for each of these brave troops. We cannot experience what they have. We hope you’ve enjoyed this short video that lets us tag along on their journey.
The USO is doing so many things to make life better for our troops and their families. We could tell you these stories all day, but we think it’s better to let you hear from the troops and families who were the recipients of those programs.
We’d like to introduce you to Army SSG Blake Hayden. He wrote us to thank us for the amazing new connectivity he experienced at the USO in Iraq. You are all familiar with the use of phone cards for the troops, and it’s true that for years the USO has provided a place for troops to be able to call home for free. But this year the USO introduced something very cool. A new private Satellite Telephone Network. This new technology has been installed in all the USO’s throughout Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, so for troops there, every call from the USO is free, and they can talk as long as they’d like (if there’s not a wait.) It’s been a tremendous surprise to the troops there who can hardly believe it is actually, totally, free. And as you can hear in this letter, he particularly appreciates the internet service. Here’s the letter:
“My name is SSG Blake Hayden and I am currently serving in Basra, Iraq. I am assigned to the Quick Response Force with the 34th Military Police Company. This is my second tour in the last 4 years. Last tour I was in Tallil escorting convoys throughout Iraq for 14 months. I volunteered for this tour to help the younger soldiers by training them and having them complete the mission.
My girlfriend Sara and I were expecting a child the beginning of September and I was able to work with representatives at the USO in Basra to help me view the birth online. They let me connect to a hard line internet connection and stayed open late just for me. I was on Skype for about 5 hours while I was in the delivery room with Sara. I was able to talk with her before she went into hard labor and let her know I would be there the whole time. I was in the back of the room but still had a good view of what was going on. Sara was in labor for about 3.5 hours before Connor was born.
It was a wonderful feeling to see Connor come into the world within seconds after he was born. I can’t believe that being thousands of miles away that I would be able to experience Sara giving birth to our first born child. Connor William Hayden was born on September 12, 2009. He weighed 8lbs. and 3 oz. I can’t thank the USO enough for allowing me to watch my son come into the world. Sincerely, SSG Blake Hayden”
On this Christmas Day, we celebrate this family connection, and all the other ones made possible by the USO. They mean so much to the men and women bravely serving our nation.
Donna Miles of Air Forces Press Service has been reporting on holiday homecomings for the past two days: “’This is a nice, quite place, where they let you take a load off your feet,’ said Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Nao Lewis.”
The USO Lounge at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport offers military travelers a respite from crowded airport terminals, particularly during the holiday season. DoD photo by Donna Miles
He’s speaking, of course, about a USO Center, in this case the one at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. And other Centers around the country continue to see huge upticks in the number they serve.
As Troops stream through airports on Block Leave, USO Centers continue to adapt to their needs. The USO at Philadelphia International Airport slept 100 on Saturday night, as snow blanketed the East Coast. Things had calmed down by Wednesday afternoon, though the staff continued to meed unique requests.
“Do you have a refrigerator?” one Troops questioned as he entered the Center. After the staff confirmed that they did, and that he could use it, he unloaded a knapsack with nearly 60 pounds of deer meat it in, bound for Christmas dinner at points south. Just another day at the USO!
The BWI USO was running with a staff of three…augmented by 230 volunteers!
Miles reports, “Airman Ronald Carr, who just finished Air Force basic training, grew up in a military family that taught him to appreciate the USO. ‘It’s good to know that this is basically an all-volunteer operation, with a volunteer staff and donations that keep it running,’ he said. ‘It makes me feel good about my service, knowing that people care about what I do.’
Army Pfc. Taylor Walther, a California National Guardsman returning home for a holiday break from training at Fort Eustis, Va., said he’s already had the chance to check out several USO facilities, and never walks away disappointed. ‘They’re all good. When you go there, they’re all friendly, they all tell you to help yourself and make yourself at home,’ he said.”
A recap of December events from our USO Center in Stuttgart. Enjoy!
December 4, 2009 – USO Stuttgart participated in the Garrison’s tree lighting festival. Volunteers manned a booth where they handed out program and event information and free wrapped Disney DVDs for the kids!
December 8-9, 2009 – Santa visited the Stuttgart USO three times over two days to take pictures with kids and give them each a gift! He made a special appearance at our Time 4 Tots event this week and read the book, “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” to 19 children! In total, over 250 children were able to spend a few minutes with Santa, tell him what they would like for Christmas, and let mom or dad take a photo! USO Stuttgart uploaded all of the pictures to a free photo website so that those who did not bring a camera can download their own pictures.
December 13, 2009 – Eight single service members were treated to a free tour to the Stuttgart Christkindlmarkt including round-trip transportation, a concert in Stuttgart’s Old Castle, a hot beverage with souvenir mug, and a bratwurst.
December 16, 2009 – Eighty single or unaccompanied service members were treated to a full holiday meal of turkey, ham, and all the fixings plus dessert! A Christmas gift trading game kept the evening lively and everyone went home with a gift from the USO! The USAG Stuttgart Command Sergeant Major attended this special event and was very pleased with the turnout and how well the USO Stuttgart and its volunteers wokred together to bring a touch of home to our local community members! A wonderful evening was had by all!
December 17, 2009 – Donations of homemade cookies were collected from local Girl Scout Troops and the German American Womens Club and then distributed to the barracks around USAG Stuttgart and mailed in care packages to Stuttgart members who are deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Georgia. Approximately 400 service members were treated to this small touch of home for the holidays!
December 21-23, 2009 – USO Stuttgart provided free gift wrapping outside the main PX during PX opening hours each of these days. Hundreds of festively decorated gifts will be under trees throught the Stuttgart community this year thanks to our dedicated volunteers!
December 24-25, 2009 – USO Stuttgart provided over 400 holiday goody bags to service members who “kept the watch” over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the Stuttgart community. This event was made possible by the generosity of the Stuttgart Community Spouses Club and our many volunteers who packaged the goodies and drove around the garrison on Christmas Eve to deliver them!
