USO Camp Buehring, Kuwait |
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What a great idea! It's hard to describe the feeling of being a new daddy. This [package] helps to share the occasion with my friends and family.
– Staff Sgt. Sanders.
Since opening in April 2006, the USO center at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, has served more than 95,000 service members. Located in the Kuwaiti desert, 15 miles from the Kuwait and Iraq border, the USO center has significantly improved the quality of life for those service members passing through Camp Buehring before deploying to Iraq. In August and September alone, the Camp Buehring USO saw more than 10,500 service members, and it is anticipated that by the end of 2007, a surge of another 25,000 service members will have traveled through the center.
The Camp Buehring USO center provides a relaxing environment for service members wishing to escape the desert sun. With five video gaming stations and more than 100 video games to select from, service members are often found competing against each other during their downtime. The center is also equipped with four televisions and more than 780 DVDs. A wide assortment of snacks and refreshments are always on hand for all center visitors.
In addition to the electronic amenities, the center offers a variety of ways for service members to stay connected with their families during deployment. Five laptops and seven desktop computers are on hand and are all connected to the Internet. AT&T cell phones are readily available for troops to call home free of charge, for up to an hour. For those service members that wish to personalize their messages home, the Camp Buehring USO offers the United Through Reading® Military program. As one of the center’s most popular programs, it offers a unique way for deployed parents to stay involved in their child’s life. Service members are recorded on DVD reading a book aloud to their child. The DVD and book are then sent home to the child, courtesy of the USO.
Program/Event: New Father Program
One of the toughest events a service member can miss during deployment is the birth of a child. Given the difficult circumstances a new father faces while deployed, the Camp Buehring USO created the New Father program as a way to celebrate with the service member and help connect him with his family back home. New fathers are provided with a congratulatory package, which includes a prepaid International calling card, a pack of cigars and a message from the USO staff, wrapped in either blue or pink ribbon. While the service members are unable to make it home for the delivery, the package allows them to rejoice in becoming a father.
Giving deployed dads a way to connect with their family and newborns is beneficial not only to them, but to the mission they are serving overseas. It helps to boost morale, as well as maintain and strengthen family bonds. It also promotes celebration and camaraderie as they are able to share congratulatory cigars with their comrades to welcome their new baby.
If you would like to learn more about the New Father program, contact Charlotte Huntsman
