Sailors and Marines Aboard the USS Iwo Jima Welcome the First USO Center Aboard an Amphibious Assault Ship

By Petty Officer 1st Class Erickson Magno

Thousands of miles from home, surrounded by steel and the steady sound of military life, sailors and Marines aboard the USS Iwo Jima now have something they’ve never had before: a place to call “home away from home.” The USO recently opened its first ship-based Center aboard an amphibious assault ship, offering a warm light in the middle of the ocean, where service members can relax, connect and feel, for just a moment, like they’re not so far from home.

The opening kicked off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 28, 2025. Service members got the chance to see that the Center offers many of the same offerings as a land-based Center, such as comfortable seating, TVs, video and board games and snacks. By bringing these comforts aboard, the Center creates a home away from home for sailors and embarked Marines during deployment.

“Onboard Iwo Jima, we have 2,200 sailors and Marines — warfighters who are being prepared and are ready to support our nation’s business when we deploy,” said Capt. Kathryn Wijnaldum, the executive officer of Iwo Jima. “Our intent for [the Center’s] use is that they will provide an opportunity to support the warfighter, to help them reset, recharge and de-stress — so that they can resume their duties that enable us to accomplish our mission and get the job done when our nation calls upon us.”

These new ship-based Centers give the sailors aboard the USS Iwo Jima and their embarked Marine teammates from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit — a premier special operations unit — an alternative way to recharge and build a close-knit community with one another while serving in high-stress operational environments.

Opening this USO Center aboard the USS Iwo Jima required close collaboration between the USO, a military support nonprofit, and the U.S. Navy.

“Thank you for the extreme cooperation of the ship and for the patience to deal with us here now on our very first gator,” said Jeff Hill, the USO’s expeditionary region vice president when giving remarks at the ribbon cutting. “To be able to serve Marines and sailors wherever the world takes you, [the] USO is going to be with you wherever you may go — that’s our objective.”

Although the USS Iwo Jima is the first amphibious assault ship to have a ship-based USO Center, the USO also has ship-based Centers on 10 aircraft carriers and five destroyers.

This growing initiative reinforces the USO’s mission of supporting the people serving in the U.S. military, and their families, throughout their time in uniform — from shore-based assignments to life at sea. With multiple ships now carrying a USO Center, the organization is charting a course toward an extraordinary era of support to service members at sea.

The USS Iwo Jima is currently moored at Naval Station Norfolk following its return from a 4-week underway for Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), a multi-week certification exercise that prepares U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Groups for deployment.

The USO Center aboard the USS Iwo Jima doesn’t take away the intensity of their missions, but for Marines and sailors deployed at sea, it can offer a much-needed break from their grueling routine, a place to recharge and a connection to life beyond the ship. As the first USO Center of its kind aboard an amphibious assault ship, it represents a major step forward in the USO’s growing effort to bring comfort and care to service members who facing the unique challenge of life at sea.

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