2007 USO Volunteer of the Year Winner |
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Volunteer Award Home|2008 First Quarter Nominees |
2008 Second Quarter Nominees |
Dave Wilson
As a result of his dedication, compassion and generosity, Dave Wilson was presented with the 2007 USO Volunteer of the Year award, Sept. 20, at the annual USO World Gala in Washington, D.C.
USO photo by Mike Theiler
Presented for the first time in USO’s history, the Volunteer of the Year Award was created to honor individuals whose support makes it possible for the USO to fulfill its mission of supporting troops and their families wherever they serve.
Over the past four years, Dave Wilson has been serving our nations military through his tireless dedication to the USO. He’s lifted the spirits of troops stationed at Rhein Main Air Base in Germany, traveled to Camp Victory and Beuhring in Kuwait, and has soberly stood by with the Honor Guards at Dover Air Force Base.
Dave is USO Delaware’s “Renaissance Man.” He’s worked in the PAX terminal lounge, aided traveling troops during long layovers; coordinated USO Delaware’s warehouse distribution; cooked up pots of his famous chili and goulash; handed out USO Care Packages; and managed deliveries of items which bring that touch of home to our service men and women.
Supporting the Honor Guard Teams and the Fallen Heroes is USO Delaware’s signature service. What many do not realize is that only one Honor Guard Team is based at Dover AFB; the other services travel from the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Dave recognized the need to have more than just snacks on hand for the teams when they arrived, and built relationships with local vendors, securing discounts on bulk restaurant-grade ingredients. Now when the teams enter the staging area, they have multiple options, including fresh fruit and yogurt, hot items and cold drinks, all which give new meaning to the term “comfort food.”
An Air Force retiree, Dave knows the difficulty of separation from family and what the USO means to the troops. When USO World Headquarters requested volunteers to travel overseas to help out in Persian Gulf USO centers, Dave jumped at the chance to improve the lives of the service men and women in the region. Despite his own heartache, he chose to leave his family for several months and worked long, aching hours at USO centers overseas. In April, he once again packed his bags to volunteer in the Kuwait USO facilities.
Dave is always trying to improve the lives of service personnel stateside and abroad. Recalling the dirt and dust overseas, he oversaw a program to ship personal hygiene and holiday items to service men and women in Kuwait. And when resources were limited, Dave covered the shipping expenses personally, determined that no one would be forgotten during the holiday season.
Dave’s compassion, tireless work ethic and diligent determination are just a few of the reasons why he is the USO Affiliates’ Volunteer of the Quarter for spring 2007.