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May 13, 2005 Volume I, Number 3 This Month's Topics: |
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USO Entertainment Tours Continue to Boost Troop Morale
Since 1941, the USO has brought entertainment to the millions of U.S. military personnel around the world. A performance or celebrity visit reminds them that they are not forgotten by the people back home. Those visiting service members abroad include Robin Williams, Kid Rock, Roger Clemens, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Drew Carey, Wayne Newton, Bruce Willis and perennial favorites, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Domestic or stateside tours, revived in 2002, also are a big part of USO entertainment. In addition, many celebrities visit Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center to meet with recuperating service members in Operation Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.
So far in 2005, a copious amount of entertainers and celebrities have traveled worldwide for the USO to boost troop morale to enhance the quality of life for service members and their families. January and February commenced with "Survivor II: The Australian Outback" winner Tina Wesson and author Carl Smith traveling to Ramstein and Spangdahlem Air Force Bases in Germany to visit with troops. Also in January, actors James Avery and Stephen Root deployed to the Pacific for a "meet and greet" with service members. On their 56th USO tour, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders traveled to Europe in March visiting with children of military personnel at Department of Defense schools. The "Bringing up the Rear Comedy Tour" departed for the Persian Gulf with comedians Colin Quinn, Robert Kelly and Steve Byrne. Modern rock band Adema and music newcomer Christia Mantzke both embarked on their first USO tours in March. Adema rocked the house with several performances in the Persian Gulf, while vocalist Mantzke sang for troops at Thule Air Base, Greenland. Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band performed free shows for troops in California.
April started strong, with the deployment of "The USO and NFL Salute the Troops Tour," with Larry Izzo (New England Patriots) and Warrick Dunn (Atlanta Falcons). The two NFL players participated in the grand opening of the Pat Tillman USO Center in Afghanistan. May has been equally busy with country superstar Toby Keith deploying on his third USO tour, entertaining troops stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Belgium; Germany and the Persian Gulf. PGA professional Bobby Lopez conducted golf clinics and performed "trick-shot" comedy routines in Guam, Japan and Okinawa. Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson taped a varity show at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Guests included Willie Nelson, Big & Rich, Brian McKnight, Jimmy Kimmel and Drew Lachey.
The ABC special airs Mon., May 23, at 9 p.m. ET. Following the taping, Lachey and Simpson traveled to Iraq on a USO tour, meeting with service members and distributing Operation USO Care Packages.
To learn more about upcoming USO tours visit, http://www.uso.org/pubs/8_16_2143.cfm.
Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey sign USO bandanas for troops during a recent visit to the USO Center at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The multi-talented artists taped their variety show "Nick & Jessica's Tour of Duty" at the base before an appreciative audience of service members and their families. While in Germany, Nick and Jessica mingled with troops and visited service members recuperating from injuries sustained in Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. The multi-talented couple left on a USO tour to Iraq following the taping, greeting troops and handing out Operation USO Care Packages. USO photo by Mike Theiler.
May Is National Military Appreciation Month
Please consider making a gift to the USO in honor, or in memory of a family member or friend who served or is serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. A tribute gift to a veteran or active-duty service member is particularly appropriate during the month of May, which is National Military Appreciation Month, or around Veteran's Day, November 11th. National Military Appreciation Month honors those Americans who have given their lives protecting our nation's freedoms and the men and women now serving in uniform. If you provide us the name of the veteran or service member (or the family member contact) to whom you wish to pay tribute, the USO will notify them of your thoughtful gift. If you wish to make an on-line donation, please go to our Website at https://www.uso.org/donate/default.cfm?action=donate.step1&nmam=yes.
CSCI Gala Raises $75,000 for the USO
The SemperComm Foundation hosted its Gala and Silent Auction April 6, raising $75,000 to benefit the USO. The festivities began with a "meet and greet" cocktail reception in the foyer of one of Photos of "Gala 2005" are available at https://www.sempercomm.org.
CSCI Chief Executive Officer Linda LaRoche (left), USO CEO and President Edward Powell (back middle), and CSCI President and Chief Strategist and Advanced Technology Joe Link (right), awarded Sgt. Timothy Ferguson with the first "SemperComm Award" at the CSCI Gala April 6, 2005.
Volunteer Spotlight: Pat Solomon
USO volunteers are the heart of the USO. More than 33,000 volunteers work day and night to ensure every service member who passes through one of the 123 USO centers worldwide is taken care of. Volunteers greet troops and their families with a smile, a pat on the back, a place to rest and other assistance. The USO Georgia, which includes centers at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Savannah International Airport, Robins Air Force Base and Hunter Army Airfield, all thrive from the enthusiasm and commitment of more than 1,000 regular volunteers.
Among the many volunteers of USO Georgia, Pat Solomon is an essential member of the volunteer team at USO Georgia. Her involvement with the USO began three years ago after her daughter Jackie, a USO volunteer at the time, encouraged her to volunteer. What started out as temporary developed into a passion that has lasted three years. Rightfully coined USO Georgia's "lead cheerleader," Pat volunteers for the joy of serving our men and women in uniform.
Readily available to assist, Pat provides refreshments and gifts to service members, and works the Rest and Recuperation (R&R) flights at the airport. The USO Georgia's Airport Center is one of only two serving the arrival of R&R flights in the United States. Pat also spends her Friday nights driving more than 70 miles just to pick up fresh sandwiches for those who visit the USO center. Whether it is three in the morning or two o'clock in the afternoon, Pat is one of the many volunteers you will see on duty at the Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport for sendoffs and R&R "welcome home" events for the Marines at Naval Air Station, Atlanta.
Her USO work comes naturally for Pat, who is a doting grandmother and mother of three. To those who have passed through USO Georgia, Pat has become a familiar face. In a letter to USO Georgia staff, a U.S. Army General said "Today I was at the Atlanta Airport and watched Pat Solomon work her magic with our troops arriving from overseas…Pat was hugging, greeting and announcing to the crowd each soldier's arrival." Thank you, Pat Solomon, for all your hard work and dedication to the USO!
"I feel privileged to be part of the USO, which lets our fine military men and women know that we appreciate their sacrifices and that of their families. There is nothing like this experience. I get shivers up my spine, tears, laughter…I can go on and on. And when they (troops) say ‘thank you' to me, I can only hold back my tears as I say, no, it is thank YOU."
~ Pat Solomon, USO Georgia volunteer
Members of the USO Congressional Caucus, led by U.S. Reps. Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas), Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), and Chet Edwards (D-Texas), along with other Senate and House members, USO World Partners, and Fox Sports correspondent Leeann Tweeden stuffed 3,000 USO care packages for U.S. military men and women serving overseas April 27 at the Rayburn Office Building on Capitol Hill. The stuffing party kicked off National Military Appreciation Month.
USO Photo by Dennis Brack
Can't view "Your USO at Work?" Wish to view a PDF Version of the newsletter? Want to read last month's issue? Visit http://www.uso.org/pubs/8_29_10947.cfm. |
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