Category Archives: USO Warrior & Family Care

Marine Corps Trials Build More than Just a Team

Posted on February 21, 2012 by | Leave a comment

More than 300 wounded, ill and injured Marines are currently competing in seven Paralympic sports at the 2nd Annual Marine Corps Trials in Camp Pendleton, Calif.

The Marines are hunting for 50 of their best to represent them at the Warrior Games in Colorado Springs later this year.

Travis Greene, a Marine veteran, serves the ball during a semi-finals seated volleyball match at the Marine Corps Trials at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Feb. 19, 2012. USO photo by Joseph Andrew Lee

The Corps won the Games for the last two years, beating out all other branches of the service.

“This year it’ll be no different,” said Col. Jay Krail, Executive Officer of Wounded Warrior Regiment. “The first year we didn’t even bring a complete team and we won. Now there’s more interest, and with more interest comes better athletes.

Krail realized right away the benefit of holding trials, and participation doubled this year.

“With trials we’re not only able to build our best team possible,” he said, “We’re also able to provide eight days of clinic where athletes get instruction from world-class coaches.”

The Marines even invited veteran athletes from seven allied countries to challenge them even more.

“We fight together and we recover together,” said Michael Wieger, Germany team coach.  “It’s good to get the experience from other countries, because things they are doing to recover are things we can do back home in Germany.”

Wieger was also impressed by the presence of USO San Diego, with more than 50 hard-working volunteers handing out protein bars, water, energy drinks and other snacks at each competition venue.

“Americans do it right. Troops are finding support by their families, by the communities, and volunteers who are doing this mostly on their own expense. That is a real good morale-booster. There are other countries who sure can learn from it.”

The trials conclude tomorrow, and the All-Marine team should be finalized and announced within a week. For results, information and photos, follow the Wounded Warrior Regiment on Facebook. - Joseph A. Lee, USO Staff Writer

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Get Some Oxygen—Don’t Let Your Marriage Become a Casualty of War

Posted on January 30, 2012 by | 6 Comments

In an interview with Army SGT Philip Romero about the invisible wounds of war, he told the USO that it’s difficult to explain complex wartime emotions to his wife.

Romero suffers from post-traumatic stress.  “My wife asks me … ‘Why don’t you talk to me about it?” he says.  “How am I supposed to tell my wife that I’m sorry I didn’t die and two younger guys could have made it home? How do you explain that?”

Romero’s silence and bouts of anger are not uncommon in military marriages, particularly those where a spouse is dealing with PTSD.

“There is a level of stress on wounded warrior couples that seems ten-fold what a normal marriage bears,” said Noel Meador, Executive Director of Stronger Families, creator of a marriage training program called Oxygen.

A military couple learn to communicate more effectively at a recent Oxygen Seminar

The USO recently teamed up with Stronger Families to provide the workshops free to wounded, ill or injured troops.  It’s a way to tackle tough issues in a non-threatening environment.

Stronger Families coaches work with groups of about 25 couples, teaching them practical skills for improving communication, resolving conflict, rekindling romance and finding new hope.

“The ability for a spouse to empathize is tremendous,” said Meador, “and that’s really what we’re trying to reinforce… If we can help give couples the tools they need to communicate how they are feeling, we can help them attain a mutual understanding of the problem and work together to diffuse the anger safely.  Eventually couples can come up with an action plan to move forward in their relationships.”

In partnership with Stronger Families, the USO hosted three Oxygen seminars last year and plans to host six more this year.  The workshops are held near military hospitals, warrior transition units and wounded warrior battalions. -  Joseph Andrew Lee, USO Staff Writer

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Posted in Families, Support, USO Warrior & Family Care

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A New Home

Posted on January 26, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Once I started working for the USO my friends in the service began sending me text messages whenever they stopped by   a USO Center.  Usually they are just passing through an airport and only have  time to grab a cup of coffee, but the texts usually read something like “volunteers were so friendly!” or “everyone was so helpful, tell them thank you!”.  Having visited many centers through my work with the USO, this never comes as a surprise.  Our volunteers and staff are known for providing outstanding service to our nation’s men and women in uniform and their families.  Yet, on a recent trip alongside a military family, I had the opportunity to witness first-hand how our centers go above and beyond to make America’s heroes feel at home wherever they are.

The Harris family gets a look around after being greeted by Ty Pennington as the Extreme Makeover Home Edition provides a house for the Shilo Harris family outside of Floresville, Texas on January 21, 2012. Photo: Express-News, TOM REEL / © 2012

The Texas family of four was traveling to Germany as part of a special Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that will air later this year.  The mother works as an Army advocate for wounded service members and the father is an Iraq war veteran with burns covering 60% of his body.  As a result of his injuries, the father tires easily and has problems regulating body temperature which makes traveling across multiple time zones and varying climates challenging, especially with a two year old son and nine year old daughter in tow.

As part of the television production we were treated to many amazing sights, smells and tastes that Germany has to offer.  Yet, where I saw the family the happiest and most comfortable, was the final day spent at the USO Warrior Center located adjacent to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC).  With a fire “burning” in the fireplace (it’s a faux fireplace), a movie playing, spaghetti cooking on the stove, garlic bread in the oven and homemade carrot cake being cut on the counter, it felt like home.  The staff and volunteers immediately embraced the family, enlisting the daughter’s help to serve spaghetti and swapping Army wife stories with mom.

The family knew several people at the center as the father had been treated at LRMC following the IED explosion that wounded him in Iraq.  Yet, being in the room, you would have thought you had walked in on a family reunion.   That is what the USO does.  Whether you are in a USO Center in Europe, the Pacific, Afghanistan or the states, the USO creates an atmosphere of home, inclusion and support for our nation’s heroes and their families.  Thank you, USO team – especially USO Georgia and USO San Antonio, for making this family’s journey truly a special one. - Andrea Sok, USO Communications Manager

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Posted in Centers, Europe, Support, Troops, US, USO Warrior & Family Care

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USO | Hire Heroes USA Workshops & Career Opportunity Days

Posted on January 25, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Springfield, Virginia, USA - June 10, 2011: Hiring Our Heroes veterans jobs fair for wounded warriors. Photo by Ian Wagreich / © U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Through USO Warrior and Family Care programs, the USO is building a continuum of care from the battlefield to the community to provide our wounded, ill and injured troops, their families and caregivers a broad array of programs to help them. The USO has partnered with Hire Heroes USA and the Chamber of Commerce to assist in the transition from troop to employed civilian.

Through the year, OEF/OIF veterans and wounded warrior-led workshops are held at various military installations. They focus on resume writing, mock interviews with actual employers, professional work practices and translating prior military experience into a civilian career – invaluable tools for transitioning service members!

Career Opportunity Days (COD) are another transition program for wounded, ill and injured troops, spouses and caregivers. A COD is a non-traditional career fair where employers connect with seven to 10 troops based on interest and background. Employers conduct mock interviews and provide feedback, providing an additional level of support for transitioning service members to meet with employers offering jobs. These CODs are limited to 25 employers and 100 service member attendees to maximize impact and ensure the attendees don’t get overwhelmed.

“They’re small… but to us that’s an advantage. It means putting employers that want to hire transitioning service members and unemployed veterans in a room. With just a small number, but typically better prepared, soldier, marines and veterans, the effectiveness of this type of venue has been very good,” said Nate Smith, Executive Director, Hire Heroes USA. “Typically we see participants walking away with a 25% job offer rate. So its good for the companies, its good for the participants and this is helping to solve one of the significant problems in America right now.”

Learn more about the USO’s many programs and services at USO.org and find upcoming events and resources at Hire Heroes USA.

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Posted in Support, Troops, USO Warrior & Family Care

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The Invisible Wounds of War

Posted on January 19, 2012 by | 8 Comments

As 2012 begins, many of our troops and their families will be looking forward to a new year with new opportunities. But for some, a challenging task awaits them – tackling the invisible wounds of war.

Often difficult to detect and negatively stigmatized, these invisible injuries can cause longterm or permanent damage if overlooked. Hundreds of thousands of troops are living with post traumatic stress (PTS) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) and many more will be diagnosed over the next few years.

A handful of brave troops have shared with the USO their deeply personal stories and how their conditions have impacted their lives. We ask you to become educated and join us in making a difference.

Watch more videos and learn more at USOInvisibleWounds.org and join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #InvisibleWounds. Get educated. Get inspired. Get involved.

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Posted in Support, Troops, USO Warrior & Family Care

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Wizards’ Blatche Donates $10,000 to Operation Enduring Care

Posted on October 18, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Andray Blatche presents his foundation's donation to the USO during the evening's festivities. (Credit: USO)

On Sept. 30, Washington Wizards forward Andray Blatche entertained 16 wounded warriors and their families on the U.S.S. Sequoia Presidential Yacht in Washington, D.C. The dinner reception and evening was conceived in coordination with the USO and the USO of Metropolitan Washington to honor the sacrifices made by the troops and their families.

Blatche and his Andray Blatche Foundation presented a $10,000 check to the USO’s Operation Enduring Care for use in the construction of a game room that is planned for the Wounded Warrior and Family Center currently being built in Ft. Belvoir, Va.

Blatche began his foundation in 2009 and lives by its motto of “providing an assist whenever and wherever we can.”  Although the focus of Blatche’s foundation is primarily children, Andray has extended and expanded his sizeable charitable reach to the wounded warrior and family centers because he recognizes the need for sanctuaries from the stresses and hardships of war not only for our wounded troops but for their families and children as well.

“Professional athletes, although very good at what we do, are not heroes,” Blatche said. “We don’t ‘go into battle’; we compete in sports.  Our military fights in real battles, laying their lives on the line to protect us, our families, and our friends — giving all of us the chance to live long and happy lives.  Our military warriors are America’s heroes.  The families who watch them deploy — knowing they will be in harm’s way — are heroes.”

Blatche posed for pictures and presented each serviceman and woman with a special commemorative autographed basketball and made lifelong fans of the event’s attendees.

“You hear so many bad things about athletes, but many of them, like Andray, are doing great things,” said 14-year Army veteran Rendell Long, a guest at the reception who recently has recovered from a knee injury. “It can be hard to transition from being deployed to returning home.  Most soldiers have a lot to deal with, reconnecting with family and having to rehabilitate from a serious injury. [Operation Enduring Care] allows us a chance to heal mentally and physically.” – Christian Pelusi

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Posted in Donations, Troops, USO Warrior & Family Care