The USO and Japan’s Army Community Service Bring a Slice of Joy to Soldiers in Japan

By Noriko Kudo

The end-of-the-year holiday season is typically a time for family, celebration and togetherness, but for service members stationed thousands of miles from home, it’s easy to feel forgotten in the quiet moments far from loved ones. For soldiers stationed in Japan, the local USO Center recently held an outreach event dubbed “Operation Pizza Drop,” and provided free lunch on Yokohama North Dock as a token of appreciation and support to the soldiers.

The event, held in November 2024, was a partnership between USO Japan and U.S. Army Garrison Japan’s Army Community Service (ACS), and was intended to bring a slice of joy to soldiers working here — several slices, in fact, and topped with cheese, pepperoni, sausage and more.

The ACS team brought with them a counselor and resilience trainer to converse with the soldiers and listen to their stories. The organization also provided information on the various services and resources it provides.

This kind of support and outreach remains crucial for service members stationed in a foreign country where different cultures and customs can make the distance from home and family all the more palpable.

Christian Asante, a USO Japan area operations specialist, explained that due to Yokohama North Dock’s size and location, it is challenging to provide an array of food choices on the installation for the soldiers who work there. The USO worked with leadership on North Dock and eventually partnered with ACS to put on Operation Pizza Drop.

“Our mission is to support the service members,” Christian said. “Having the opportunity to actually provide them food in a place where it is most needed is a great fulfillment.”

Mary Wanjohi, a program analyst with ACS who also oversees the Mobilization Deployment Program, said the partnership with the USO helps provide soldiers with resources that are valuable to them whether they are deploying or not.

“I had the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with most of the soldiers there, and each soldier’s story was different, making the event very personal for me and for them,” Mary said.

As the USO is committed to strengthening the well-being of the people who serve, working alongside the ACS team was a natural partnership in the effort to boost morale. Mary said the soldiers on North Dock took great advantage of the event and asked a lot of insightful questions. In turn, she was able to provide them with useful information and to let them know ACS is here to take care of them and their families, whether they were deployed or not, so they can focus on their mission.

Staff Sgt. Jose Castro, assigned to the 5th Transportation Company (Composite Watercraft Company), is soon expecting a baby with his wife. He said the event was not only a great resource for information on things like ACS’s parent support programs and USO programs, but it also helped boost morale and well-being among the soldiers.

“I’ve been in the Army for 10 years, and these are some of the best programs that I’ve seen,” Jose said. “As a soldier, it’s good to open myself up to opportunities like this.”

The USO’s Support for the Military Community in Japan

At permanent U.S. military installations across the Indo-Pacific, including Japan, the USO has continued to be a pillar of support for military members – and their families – stationed in this region. In addition to Japan, countries such as South Korea, Guam and Hawaii are part of a massive area of responsibility that includes five nuclear-armed nations, eight of the world’s ten largest militaries, five of our nation’s seven mutual defense treaty allies and major international waterways. Serving in uniform in this region is no small feat.

That is why the work of the USO is so important to service members and military families in the Indo-Pacific. We operate USO Centers throughout the Indo-Pacific that serve as a home away from home for members of the military community overseas. Being stationed in a foreign country far from home and having to adjust to a new culture can be challenging. But having a place where military families can connect with each other and reminders of home can make all the difference in their everyday lives.

Thanks to USO staff and volunteers, as well as the support of the American people back home, the USO helps support service members and military families in Japan – and all across the globe – throughout every step of their military journey.

- This story was originally published on DVIDShub.net. It has been edited and expanded upon for USO.org.