Your USO at Work (2009, Issue 1) |
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Elmo and company are a huge hit with the younger military children!
USO photo by Fred Greaves
They danced. They laughed. They screamed with excitement. More than 76,000 service members and their families showed up in droves for a chance to see their idols - the legendary Muppets of Sesame Street - perform as part of the “Sesame Street Experience for Military Families” USO tour.
Trekking to 23 states in 18 weeks, the lovable Elmo and his friends, Grover, Rosita, Zoe and Cookie Monster visited 42 military bases and performed more than 100 shows for children of all ages. Connecting with kids, as only Sesame Street can, the Muppets touched on a variety of topics that are particularly tough for military children, such as deployments, feeling sad and expressing their feelings.
The Sesame Street Experience for Military Families was a great bonding experience for military families.
USO photo by Fred Greaves
An extension of Sesame Workshop’s “Talk, Listen, Connect” initiative, a military outreach program launched in 2006, the tour also provided military families with an abundance of fun and educational giveaways. In all, attendees walked away with more than 175,000 toys; 33,000 “Talk, Listen, Connect” kits and 12,000 USO brochures, among many other items.
Having kicked off at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center 29 Palms in California in early July, the tour wrapped up at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois on November 2. Deemed a tremendous stateside success, the tour received more than 70 mentions in the media and was featured on CNN and NBC Nightly News.
Determined to help military families deal with the emotional stresses that come with being a military parent or child of a deployed service member, the USO and Sesame Workshop are currently in talks to extend this successful program to 30 or 35 more military bases in the U.S. and overseas.
General Carter Hamm, USAREUR Commander, cuts the ribbon on the new USO Warrior Center
USO photo by Jamie Goloyugo
On October 21, the USO opened the doors of the USO Warrior Center in Landstuhl, Germany, making it the 134th USO center worldwide. The new 2,400 square-foot facility is a second home to the nearly 120 recovering troops assigned to the Medical Transient Detachment and living in the temporary housing units next to the new Warrior Center.
This new handicapped-accessible facility features a cozy lounge area with comfortable sofas and chairs, 50” plasma TVs and DVD players. Troops can enjoy a taste of home with refreshments and snacks served from the fully-equipped kitchen, as they watch sports and movies. The bistro seating area, complete with a cabinet-mounted flat-screen TV, provides a relaxed area where the warriors can visit with friends, play board games, read or use a laptop computer via the free Wi-Fi available throughout the center.
The Cyber Café features eight laptops outfitted with webcams, headsets and microphones. Two hard-wired telephone stations and six cordless phones help service members stay in touch with friends and family.
A five-station Xbox 360 video gaming room includes wall-mounted widescreen TVs and the latest video games. The high-tech gaming room, connected via multiple high-speed Internet lines, allows gamers in teh room to compete with each other or with gamers worldwide. The center’s multipurpose room features a Nintendo Wii gaming system, a 46” wall-mounted LCD television and a web camera. During the summer months, troops can also enjoy the nice weather while having barbeques on the center’s outdoor patio.
The new USO Warrior Center was made possible through the generous support of TriWest Healthcare Alliance; the Benjamin Allen Karsh Memorial Endowment, whose principal donors are Ambassador William and Sue Timken; the Timken Foundation of Canton, represented by Ward J. and Joy A. Timken; and the Department of Defense. The comfort this center provides to America’s wounded warriors is a testament to their generosity and support.
USO president Sloan Gibson (left center) and Santa are joined by more than a hundred volunteers as they stuff USO care packages for the troops.
USO photo by Mike Theiler
More than 150 volunteers gathered on Fort Belvoir to help the Operation USO Care Package Program stuff 10,000 care packages, passing the 1.5 million mark!
“The holiday season was a perfect time to reach the 1.5 millionth USO care package milestone, as we support our men and women serving in uniform and their families,” said Sloan D. Gibson, USO president. “This milestone represents 1.5 million individual acts of kindness and support for our troops; I want to thank the staff, volunteers, sponsors and donors who pour their hearts and souls into supporting our troops every day.”
Colonel Jerry Blixt, Fort Belvoir commander, holds up the 1.5 millionth USO care package before it is passed around to be held by each of the volunteers who made this possible.
USO photo by Mike Theiler
Contributions made by the American public, matched with gifts from corporate donors, make the care package program a success. Recently, USO partners Booz Allen Hamilton and Northrop Grumman sponsored employee-led OUCP donation drives and stuffing parties last year, each assembling tens of thousands of packages for deployed service members.
Each USO care package, made possible by a $25 donation, includes approximately $75 worth of items requested by service members. These items include a prepaid international phone card, sunscreen, travel size toiletries, snacks and a personal message of support from the donor, among other things requested by the troops. Care packages are delivered to troops deploying to Afghanistan, Iraq and other overseas locations, as well as troops arriving and departing on rest and recuperation (R&R) flights and special send-off celebrations.
Created in 2003 by the USO of Metropolitan Washington, the Operation USO Care Package program celebrated the one-millionth care package in November 2006. We look forward to delivering the two-millionth care package in 2009!
Packers' Tackle Tony Moll and Defensive End Mike Montgomery go head-to-head with deployed troops
Pro vs. GI Joe photo by Addie Zinone
The USO and Pro vs. GI Joe make it possible for troops to go head to head in video game competition with pro athletes. This partnership features video game competitions between professional athletes and troops serving all over the world via the Internet and in person. In centers from Kuwait to Germany and beyond, the USO provides fantastic gaming areas complete with Xbox’s and live webcam feeds for America’s Greatest to take on America’s greatest athletes in virtual online battles wherever they are stationed around the world.
Since partnering in 2007, the USO and Pro vs. GI Joe have worked to increase Internet bandwidth, making these connections possible for as many troops as possible, even those serving in combat zones. To date, these competitions have included troops deployed to Kuwait, Iraq, Dubai, Japan, and even wounded warriors recovering at the newly opened USO Warrior Center in Germany. The troops, who come from all branches of service, have had the opportunity to go head-to-head on an even playing field against some of the NFL’s best, including players from the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“The USO at Camp Virginia in Kuwait is one of the best I’ve ever seen,” says Wisconsin born and raised Marine Cpl Tim Headrick, who battled his favorite player, Green Bay Packer lineman Mark Tauscher. “Everything was amazing and I couldn’t believe that I was actually playing Madden 09 against one of the best tackles in the NFL. After the game I was able to talk to my family over the webcam. Taking a break from the deployment to see my family is beyond words.”
Families catch up long distance between games
Pro vs. GI Joe photo by Addie Zinone
As Corporal Headrick mentioned, the connection isn’t limited to just the pro and the GI Joe; it’s also about reuniting military families separated by deployments. Pro vs. GI Joe invites family and friends of the participating troops to the event stateside for brief, yet meaningful, webcam reunions. Airman 1st Class Jeff Russell, who battled Cato June of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from USO Kadena, Japan, was surprised when about 20 family members were waiting to talk with him via webcam.
“Pro vs. GI Joe is about providing troops a truly unique and exciting opportunity to take on a pro athlete doing something they love to do – play video games. But mostly, it’s about reuniting military families and we’re proud to work with USO to make these connections – virtual and emotional – possible for our service members, wherever they are in the world,” says Pro vs. GI Joe founder Greg Zinone. This support-the-troops nonprofit organization is based in Fairfax, Virginia, and boosts morale by connecting troops and athletes around the world.
Pro vs. GI Joe and USO have events planned with the NBA, MLB, NASCAR, Indy Racing League, as well as celebrities and musicians in 2009. Click here to find out more about how our partnership is making connections despite the miles.
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders visit with soldiers serving in Korea during Christmas
USO photo by Dave Gatley
As the lights dimmed and the cheers of service members faded, the USO’s last entertainment tour of ’08 came to a close. Having traveled to Korea on December 23rd, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders wrapped up the year with a bang and a record; this was their 67th USO tour in 30 straight years of touring with the USO!
Just prior to the DCC squad’s departure for the Pacific, seven of the world’s most sought-after entertainers (Kid Rock, Lewis Black, Kellie Pickler, Tichina Arnold, Zac Brown, John Bowman and Kathleen Madigan) brought holiday cheer to troops in Germany, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo and the U.K. Touring the globe with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, the group visited and entertained more than 11,500 service members and military families. Also out making their holiday rounds were Louis CK, Craig Morgan, Keni Thomas, Mark Wills, Leeann Tweeden and the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders, who traveled on the Sergeant Major of the Army’s “2008 Hope and Freedom USO Tour” to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.
Stars visit troops in Kandahar, Afghanistan
USO photo by Dave Gatley
Earlier in the month, stars of Lifetime TV’s top-rated drama “Army Wives” (i.e., Brian McNamara, Sally Pressman and Terry Serpico) embarked on a USO tour to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Six-time major league baseball All-Star pitcher Curt Schilling also knocked one out the park with troops in December. Taking the mound to extend America’s well wishes to those stationed in Kuwait and Iraq, Schilling visited and talked baseball with more than 2,500 service members.
As the three-time World Series champ toured the combat region, the Nappy Roots and the Washington Projects made troops smile and dance in Italy, while seven golf professionals and sports commentators (i.e. David Feherty, Donnie Hammond, Victor Juhasz, Brian Pavlet, Art Sellinger, Kelly Tilghman and Howard Twitty) ended their week-long tour hitting long drives and demonstrating golfing techniques with troops in Kuwait and Iraq. While USO entertainment’s 2008 grand finale was a memorable one, the USO vows to make ‘09 even bigger, starting with tours featuring stars like Gary Sinise, David Cook and David Banner.
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