Then and Now: Celebrating the U.S. Army’s 250th Birthday Through Photos of USO Support

Then: American singer Bing Crosby performs for American troops in a USO Camp Show in France in 1944, shortly after D-Day. These entertainment tours helped boost morale and provide a connection to home for soldiers serving in World War II.

Now: Actor and USO Global Ambassador Wilmer Valderrama visits troops stationed in Lithuania as part of a USO Entertainment Tour in 2024.

Then: A Mobile USO vehicle serves doughnuts to soldiers deployed to the Panama Canal Zone in 1945, during World War II.

Now: A USO Expeditionary team traveled across Europe in 2022 – and continues to do so regularly – to provide a morale boost to troops stationed in remote areas of Poland. In chilly weather, after months of eating at a military dining facility, these soldiers got to have a hot, homecooked meal of BBQ – reminding them of home, boosting their spirits and assuring them that they are not forgotten.

Then: A soldier makes a call on the overseas telephone in 1955 from the USO Center in Seoul, Korea. Before the era of cell phones and computers, dedicated overseas landlines in USO Centers were a vital link for soldiers to friends and family back home.

Now: A soldier uses a USO-provided phone in Powidz, Poland. When troops were rapidly deployed to Eastern Europe in 2022 in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many arrived without their personal devices, with no way to contact loved ones back home. The USO almost immediately arrived to provide phones and internet access to these service members so they could let their friends and family back home know they had arrived safely.

Then: Soldiers get information from a USO volunteer at the front desk of a USO Center in 1955.

Now: A USO volunteer checks a soldier in at USO Camp Buehring, Kuwait in 2017.

Then: A USO staff member delivers care packages to a detachment of the United States Army Vietnam, Women’s Army Corps (USARV WAC), in 1967 at Long Binh Post in Vietnam.

Now: USO staff and volunteers hand out USO Care Packages to soldiers at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, in 2017.

Then: At the USO Di An Vietnam Center in 1968, soldiers (note the “Big Red One” patch worn by one of the men) use a reel-to-reel tape recorder to send messages back home. The tape would then be shipped home free of charge.

Now: U.S. Army soldier Lazarus McKinney, deployed to Poland in 2022, is pictured here reading a book to his younger brother back home through the USO Reading Program. This program allows service members to send recordings of themselves reading books – along with a copy of said book – to the children in their lives back home, free of charge.

Then: In 1982, USO volunteer serves hot coffee to soldiers, offering a brief respite from their daily duties and morale boost, reminding them that their sacrifices are not forgotten.

Now: USO staff and volunteers serve coffee and snacks to soldiers during a training exercise at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in 2018. After a long day in the field, this is more than just a pick-me-up – it’s a gesture that shows we care about the people who serve.

Then: Two soldiers play checkers in their downtime in the USO Chu Lai Center, Vietnam, in 1966.

Now: In 2025, a USO Volunteer shows two soldiers what video games the USO Pennsylvania has to offer service members who visit the Center. Gaming is more than just a fun activity – it’s a way for soldiers to briefly disconnect from the stresses of their daily duties, as well as bond with their fellow service members.

Then: A wounded soldier spends time with a dog inside of a USO Center in 1945.

Now: After completing a 12-mile ruck on Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, in April 2025, U.S. Army soldiers enjoy some time with Leader, the 2024 USO Canine Volunteer of the Year. Through the USO Canine Program, certified therapy dogs provide support for service members both at home and abroad – including in our USO Warrior Centers, where troops are recovering from visible and invisible wounds.

Then: Soldiers deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan receive care packages from a USO volunteer at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, in 2004.

Now: Soldiers receive USO Care Packages at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia, as they briefly head home for the holidays in December 2023.