Category Archives: Southwest Asia

The USO <3s Paul Wall

Posted on February 2, 2012 by | 3 Comments

Paul Wall performs during his 2009 USO Tour at the Boardwalk at Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan.

When asked to think of USO entertainers, many people imagine Bob Hope or, more recently, country music superstars such as Toby Keith. Grammy-nominated rapper Paul Wall may be less expected, but, having recently come back from his 5th USO tour to the Middle East, is definitely one of the biggest supporters of the USO and our nation’s troops!

How did you get started touring with the USO?

There was a guy in Texas, his name is Mattress Mack and he owns a huge furniture store in Houston and he did a lot of events and stuff for the USO and he suggested I go out on a tour. And then my good friend Jamie Kennedy and I went out on a USO variety type show. He did stand-up and I performed for troops. It was a great experience and I really appreciated the opportunity to perform for troops.

What was your most memorable experience over the years?

The thing that sticks out the most is one time in Afghanistan, there was so much activity in the air terminals and we ended up getting stuck there. Our USO tour manager stayed up all night trying to arrange a way for us to get out, if he hadn’t done that we may have been stuck there for more than just a day. The whole time I was thinking about my family and getting home to them and I knew that this was nothing compared to what the troops must feel. I was only away from my family for a week but these guys are gone for months and a year at a time, I could only imagine how long an extra day might feel to them, if they were trying to get home and something like this happened. It just made me appreciate them even more for all of their hard work and sacrifice.

Hip-hop artist Paul Wall brings members from the 380th Expeditionary Wing on stage during his USO concert on Jan. 18.

How have things changed since your first USO tour?

With the drawdown in Iraq this time I had the chance to visit different areas of the Middle East. We Went to Kuwait, Djibouti and an undisclosed location in the Middle East. I almost experienced kind of a role reversal in Djibouti because many of the troops there had never been to Iraq or Afghanistan and they were asking me questions about what it was like over there. It really just made me realize how versatile our troops are and even though they may not be serving in theater they are still sacrificing time with their family, friends and loved ones and that they care about their fellow troops who are on the frontlines.

If you could say one thing to the men and women serving this country what would it be?

Thank you and I’ll see you when you get back or on my next USO tour!

Wall, whose latest album “Politics as Usual” was released last year, says, “My family is the most important thing to me and being apart from them, for any amount of time, is always hard. I can’t imagine how it must be for our troops. Most of them haven’t seen their family in months, that’s why I make it a point to go on tour with the USO whenever I can. Our troops need to know that we appreciate them.”

See images from his recent tour full of meeting the troops and five performances at USO.org.

→ 3 Comments

Posted in Celebrity Entertainment, Southwest Asia, Troops

Tagged , , , ,

Our Troops Say Thanks

Posted on January 13, 2012 by | 2 Comments

Thank you so much. As 2011 drew to a close, you stepped up along with thousands of others just like you to support our troops. Your generous donations and support allowed the USO to bring a touch of home to troops stationed around the world.

Because of the generosity of supporters like you, we were able to lift spirits at the more than 57 forward operating bases and combat outposts near Kandahar where our brave men and women are working hard to protect our freedom. But instead of hearing all the good you provided from me, I wanted to share this special message of thanks direct from the front lines in Afghanistan.

Please take a minute to see the faces and hear the words of the brave men and women whose spirits you lifted.

Many of our troops returned from Iraq in 2011, and we are honored by their service. Our commitment to them and their families is ongoing. So is our dedication to the thousands of troops stationed around the world, making incredible sacrifices to protect our freedom.

We couldn’t do all that we are able to do for our troops were it not for you. Thank you for everything you do to support our service men and women and to remind them that they are always at home in our hearts. – Sloan Gibson, USO CEO & President

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Southwest Asia, Troops

Tagged ,

USO President Visits Afghanistan

Posted on December 23, 2011 by | Leave a comment

In December, USO President Sloan Gibson and SVP of Operations Alan Reyes visited the Middle East, including a NATO hospital and Southwest Asian USO Centers such as recently recognized USO Kandahar! Check out some of the great pictures here and read more about the Christmas Convoy at USO.org!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Centers, Southwest Asia

Tagged , ,

USO Kandahar Recognized for Quick Thinking

Posted on December 20, 2011 by | 1 Comment

It’s pouring rain.

There seems to be no end in sight to this storm, and you’ve got tons of electronics and furniture inside what amounts to little more than a field tent in the middle of Afghanistan.

The water starts creeping in. Everything could be ruined. What do you do?

The waters rose and rose and rose.

“Jesse Boyles and Jillian Ferron were on shift as the water came into the center,” said USO Kandahar center manager Richard McCarty, in an email response to USO President Sloan Gibson, explaining what happened after a recent storm flooded the Center.

“They took quick and important steps to ensure the safety of the customers in regards to electricity and the protection of the center’s valuable furniture and electronics by cutting breakers as needed to provide safety,” he added. “But also minimizing the inconvenience to the people stuck inside still watching TV’s and on phones.”

"We quickly moved as much as we could to the highest point in the tent, pushing most of the furniture to the middle of the tent. "

Boyles and Ferron, along with the rest of the staff and volunteers of USO Kandahar, were recently presented the President’s Award for performance above and beyond the call of duty when they experienced the unfortunate reality of operating in a field environment – in a third-world country – in a combat zone.

The President’s Award is presented to individuals whose contributions have had a significant impact on their department and the organization. Ferron’s contribution alone, by quickly rounding up a work detail to get 30 cloth La-z-Boy chairs in the theater stacked on the high end of the room, saved the USO more than $4,500.

According to Gary Bibeau, regional vice president, the entire floor of the Kandahar USO center was underwater for a period of time. The flood ran through the entire center, depositing mud on the both the floor and on the furniture.

“By the time I got there, the staff and volunteers had taken the furniture and electronics out and put it all in storage, limiting any damage,” wrote Bibeau in follow-up documentation.

The it was time to clean up!

The clean-up effort that began the following morning would take two-and-a-half days to complete, but employees Penn Walker, Blair Ciccocioppo and Randy Montesi all joined Boyles and Ferron first thing in the morning to start the arduous work of removing 8,000 square feet of ruined flooring and carpet and sweeping out the excess water and mud.

Unfortunately it wasn’t just water the team was stuck cleaning up. Several of the outdoor port-o-johns were also tipped over, adding some sewage to the soaking mess. Because of concerns about mold and toxic material in the water, Bibeau had the local Navy medical unit come in to do a health inspection after the site was cleaned up, and it has since been cleared for safe occupancy once again.

“I would like to make special recognition of Erin Mintmier, who was at the center during the flooding and took the leadership of the clean up and volunteer coordination,” said McCarty. “We faced a tremendous amount of work and … the first difficult steps were to organize … how we can direct the volunteers to help,” he added. “It was in this aspect that Erin really shined as a leader.”

Through their teamwork and excellent leadership, USO Kandahar weathered the storm, and for that, we as an organization now stand that much stronger beside them. Congratulations on your recent recognition and keep up the great work! – Joseph Andrew Lee, USO Staff Writer

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Centers, Southwest Asia, Troops

Tagged , ,

Packers Fans Connect Through Pro vs GI Joe

Posted on November 21, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Airmen at USO Qatar approach the camera to say hello to family and friends at the Pro vs GI Joe event at Lambeau Field on Nov. 19, 2011.

In Green Bay, WI, this weekend, the USO and its partners braved the biting cold, working hard to lift spirits of troops and their families. Through the Pro vs GI Joe and Purpose-Driven Rehab programs, deployed troops were connected with their families and their favorite football players while wounded warriors were also reintegrated into their hometown communities.

The air was crisp outside Lambeau Field, and the smell of Curly’s Cheese Curds and bratwurst was in the air as tens of thousands of Green Bay football fans swarmed the Pro vs GI Joe / Purpose-Driven Rehab trailer before the game on Sunday. They came to see their undefeated Green Bay Packers defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 11 of NFL regular season play, but they got more than they bargained for.

Green-and-gold-clad fans found shelter, warmth, friendship and fun as they stepped into the Purpose-Driven Rehab trailer – most not knowing what to expect. When they entered, they found a warm environment filled with wounded warriors like Marine Corps veteran, retired Cpl. Jeremy Stengel, geared up in Packers garb and sporting a giant, seemingly permanent smile. Stengel is not only a member of the local community, he’s also member of the Packers fan base, so these folks were hardly strangers. Green Bay fans quickly warmed up to him and the other veterans and began chanting “Go Pack Go!” and banging the drum of Packers success as they played video games and told stories of service and sacrifice.

Stengel’s perma-smile wasn’t there when I met him on Friday, however. His elation was directly attached to two key aspects of the weekend. First, he’s at a home game, amongst friends, carrying three-generation-old season tickets. And second, and more importantly, he had the honor of asking the woman he loves to marry him on the 50 yard line of Lambeau Field Saturday. Of course, she said, “Yes,” and he’s been floating on a cloud ever since.

He proposed just after participating in a landmark Pro vs GI Joe event in the atrium of the stadium, where troops at USO Centers in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Germany were connected to their families, friends, and to four Green Bay Packers who volunteered to compete against the deployed troops in a friendly game of Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 3.

Brenda Gauerke says hello to her husband, Air Force MSgt. Peter Gauerke, with their daughters Emma (left) and Ella, right, at the Pro vs GI Joe event at Lambeau Field Nov. 19, 2011. MSgt. Gauerke is at USO Qatar.

Before the players arrived at the event, the live audio/video connection was made with four centers: Kandahar, Qatar, the Warrior Center in Landstuhl, Germany, and a center in northern Virginia. As local military families from the 128th Air Refueling Wing began to arrive, they each approached the four respective laptops to wave and say hello to their deployed loved ones at USO Centers abroad.

Brenda Gauerke was in tears when she saw her husband, Peter, appear on the screen. Their four-year old daughter, Emma, immediately but cautiously approached the laptop. She reached out with her tiny forefinger to identify a single airman. The moment her finger touched the screen, her blond hair whipped around and her face lit up.

“That’s daddy!” exclaimed Emma. Her mother could only nod and wipe a tear from her eye.

“I’ve had tears in my eyes all day thinking about what this means on all ends,” said Brenda. “For the home town, the Packers, supporting the troops, meeting the undefeated world champions, and all because of the USO and Pro vs GI Joe took the time to make this happen. I’m not sure if you know how much something like this means to us. This is what family is all about. This is what Green Bay is about. Thank you so much for what you do.” - Joseph Andrew Lee, USO Staff Writer 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Families, Programs, Southwest Asia, Troops

Tagged , ,

Life at the USOs in Afghanistan

Posted on November 15, 2011 by | Leave a comment

I have been so fortunate to spend the last few days working with our staff and volunteers supporting America’s brave men and women in uniform serving in the Southwest Asia region. Some of my time was spent at the Pat Tillman Memorial USO Center in Bagram, Afghanistan and the remainder with my colleagues at the Southwest Asia Regional Conference.

After spending nearly a week in the region, I know that my friends and colleagues back home will inevitably ask me, “What did you learn?” I am having a hard time linking together words that will even begin to illustrate the challenges, sacrifices and rewards that those in the region experience on a daily basis.

People gather for some music at USO Kandahar

Evenings in Afghanistan bring an influx of service members to USO Centers in the region. The service members have finished their duties for the day and look forward to connecting with friends and family back home. My first night at the USO Center in Bagram I watched hundreds of service men and women connect with their families using the free phone lines and computers. The center was packed with people, but that didn’t phase the troops. Cup after cup of coffee was dispensed, more than 1000 cups that evening, as the men and women waited their turn for the phone or computer. For some, a place to sit and the free USO Wi-Fi connection was all that was needed to connect them to their lives back home.

The next morning we toted a large duffel of mail to the Post Office and unloaded package after package of United Through Reading’s Military Program recordings. Each package contains a very personal recording- a service member connecting to their child or children through reading. These recordings were all made in the past few days. The little hearts drawn in a rainbow of colored markers on the outside of one of the packages destined for Hawaii caught my eye. “Isn’t that great?” said Cathe Ganley, Pat Tillman Memorial USO Duty Manager. “She comes in frequently to read to her children.”

Playing volleyball at the USO in Bagram

The remainder of the day we prepared chicken soup in crock pots, handed out messages of thanks from the states, swapped stories and jokes and of course, served cup after cup of coffee. My time in the region, although short, taught me that every smile, every handshake, every kind gesture makes a difference. Thank you to those brave men and women serving our country and thank you to the staff and volunteers of the Southwest Asia region for helping troops stay connected to their lives back home and bringing a touch of home to some of the harshest areas of the world. – Andrea Sok, USO Communications Manager

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Centers, Southwest Asia

Tagged