How a USO Donor’s Concern for Sailors Influenced the Creation of USO Centers on Three U.S. Navy Ships

By USO Staff

USO supporter Marilyn Cohen is someone who likes to be boots-on-the-ground to evaluate how best she – and the USO – can support the people who serve, and their military families. As a member of the USO Board of Governors, Marilyn’s philanthropy is driven by the needs she sees in the military community, as well as by her firsthand perspective of the impact donor gifts can make with the USO.

In 2022, Marilyn was shocked by media reports of three sailors assigned to the USS George Washington who committed suicide over the course of a single week. The three on this U.S. Navy aircraft carrier were among the 71 total naval service members who died by suicide in 2022.

In response to the heartbreaking rise in suicides, the U.S. Navy launched several initiatives to address mental heath, and so did the USO, stepping in with a bold, service member-centered solution: building USO Centers aboard Navy ships.

Marilyn’s continued commitment as a USO volunteer, donor, member of the USO Board of Governors and advocate for the military community is transforming the lives of the people who serve. | Photo credit Courtesy Photo

Marilyn was not the first to champion the idea of USO Centers aboard aircraft carriers, but in the moments of realization of the loss of those sailors aboard the USS George Washington, she couldn’t stand by without taking action.

Marilyn explained that at a meeting with the USO, Chief Operating Officer Christopher Plamp “discussed how the USO had been speaking with Navy leadership about the idea,” and that “Jeff Hill, who is the USO’s vice president of Regional Support Services, had been talking to the Navy for several years. This was an inflection point.”

Marilyn felt this was a significant moment where she could make a difference. When the USO received approval from the U.S. Navy to establish its first ship-based Center, Marilyn wasted no time making a call to Plamp. She remembers that call well.

“I said to Christopher, ‘When this happens, and I am certain it will happen, I will fund it. Let’s roll.’ And they did.”

The USO worked closely with the Navy to create these ship-based Centers, which – like our traditional, brick-and-mortar Centers on land – are intended to serve as a place of respite for sailors out at sea.

These ship-based Centers have many of the same amenities of USO Centers on military bases and airports, including internet connectivity, computers, TVs, electronic gaming equipment, snacks and beverages, libraries and more. Since ship-based Centers are unstaffed and operated by volunteers, the USO also sends Program in a Box kits so service members can run their own activities. These Centers offer more than just comfortable seating and carpeting. They create a home-like space where service members can relax and momentarily escape the high-stress atmosphere of life aboard a Navy ship.

Marilyn believes the physical attributes of these aircraft carriers strongly contribute to what can be an uncomfortable, isolating and extended assignment for a ship’s sailors, pilots and other military personnel.

“On a Navy aircraft carrier, there are only metal surfaces. There are no soft surfaces anywhere, and a soft surface means comfort and relaxation to a lot of people,” Marilyn said. “After being in all those metal surfaces day in and day out, 12 to 14 hours a day … and you are 18 or 19 years old, that can be very psychologically debilitating.”

On long deployments out at sea, many service members just want to go someplace quiet, someplace relaxing, someplace where they can recharge, take a break from the stressors of their duties and connect with the people and activities they love. These Centers serve as a place where they can simply be themselves.

“It isn’t just about playing video games, and it isn’t just about calling home. This is a huge step forward in talking about mental health,” Marilyn said.

In June of 2023, about a year after Marilyn’s call to Christopher Plamp, the first USO ship-based Center opened aboard the USS George H.W. Bush. In its first month alone, service members visited the Center more than 3,780 times.

Marilyn went on to fund the USO Centers aboard the USS Lincoln and USS Vinson as well. With funding from other donors, the USO now has Centers aboard seven Nimitz-class aircraft carriers and one center on a Ford-class carrier. Plans are on track to establish USO Centers aboard all 10 U.S. Nimitz-class and two Ford-class aircraft carriers, expanding the impact of ship-based centers as part of the USO Naval Support Initiative.

“Success begets success,” Marilyn said. And Marilyn certainly knows about success. As the founder and CEO of Envision Capital Management, Marilyn is one of the country’s top bond managers, an author and a financial industry thought leader appearing on major broadcast networks.

She still finds time to volunteer, as she has throughout her career – including with the USO, for more than a decade. She and her husband raise service dogs for people with disabilities, and several years ago, a Blonde Labrador Retriever named Dove didn’t quite make the cut. They recognized another possible role for Dove: hospital therapy dog. After several years of weekly visits to the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, a thought struck Marilyn as she drove past the Los Angeles Airport.

“I wondered if they would allow a therapy dog at the USO Airport Lounge. So, I made some inquiries, and I can tell you it wasn’t easy because they didn’t have a therapy dog program back then,” Marilyn said. “I elbowed my way in and started going on Tuesdays and Sundays when our Marines would come in and Sundays when the families would come through. That was the beginning of my experience at the USO.”

Over the years, therapy dog handlers like Marilyn have volunteered at USO Centers both at home and abroad. These furry visitors have become so popular that the USO now has its very own USO Canine Program, with USO Canine Volunteers at many Centers all across the globe.

Marilyn also volunteers with the USO Family of the Fallen Team at the Bob Hope USO at Los Angeles International Airport. This specially-trained group helps Gold Star Families who are meeting their fallen member of the military at the airport.

“I’ve seen way too many instances of suicide and the pain and grief their families were going through,“ Marilyn said. As someone who witnessed those experiences over the past several years, learning of the high rate of Naval suicides affected her deeply and also drove her passion for supporting the building of these ship-based Centers.

Marilyn’s continued commitment as a volunteer, donor and advocate is transforming the lives of the people who serve. Her story is a powerful reminder that one person’s compassion and resolve can spark real, lasting change for those who serve our country.