USO

YOUR USO AT WORK

Issue 114 / July 2023

With summer in full swing, it’s more important than ever to remember and honor our troops who are facing extreme temperatures, sacrificing this time with their families to protect us and our nation.

We thank you for helping our service members during times like these. Below, you’ll find updates on all the work your support helped make possible in the last few weeks.

If you'd like to stay updated more frequently on all things USO, subscribe to our SMS list by texting USO to 90990 now.*

USO FRONT LINES

A Military Family Reunites With Their Sailor After Deployment on the USS George H.W. Bush

This April, hundreds of military families eagerly awaited the return of their loved ones after spending nearly nine months at sea. For one family, this was a truly special moment.

Click here to read about this heartwarming moment and all the work the USO does to ensure families can stay connected for long periods of time apart. »

Sailors Aboard the USS George H.W. Bush Have a New USO Center To Call Their Own

U.S. Navy sailors spend long periods of time in a relatively small space — a floating structural steel vessel with very few port visits. This can be extremely isolating and stressful. That’s why, with your support, the USO opened the doors to the first aircraft carrier-based USO center on June 6, 2023.

Click here to read about the ribbon-cutting ceremony, view photos of the event and hear from troops about their experiences at the center. »

GET INSPIRED

USO community cleaning the beach in Okinawa

USO Community Cleans Beach in Okinawa

Gratitude is at the beach! A huge thank you to our amazing volunteers and sponsor, Raytheon Technologies (“RTX"), who joined 47 service members, their families and USO staff at Kin Beach for our monthly beach cleanup event. Together, we filled over 40 bags with trash and made a difference in caring for Okinawa’s beautiful beaches! We extend our appreciation to RTX for its support in making events like this possible.

GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT

Chris Hemsworth Surprises Troops During “Extraction 2” Screening

Last month, Chris Hemsworth greeted troops during a surprise visit to an advanced screening of “Extraction 2.” The event was hosted by the USO at IPIC Fulton Market theater in New York City. More than 100 service members were in attendance!

Salute to Service: NFL-USO Tour in Japan

New Orleans Saints’ Johnathan Abram and Baltimore Ravens’ Roquan Smith embarked on a week-long NFL-USO tour to Japan, visiting U.S. troops and their families at military bases across the country. The tour included visits to Air Force and Marine bases, and the players participated in various base activities, including unit visits, one-on-one meetings and onsite NFL PLAY 60 camps.

Read more about their visit, the NFL’s Salute to Service program and our long-standing partnership with them to help our troops feel connected to home. »

USO Tour Featuring Chef Tyler Florence

Chef Tyler Florence joined the USO for a tour of Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, California, where he treated service members to the ultimate BBQ lunch.

Looking for a perfect summer BBQ? Check out Chef’s BBQ rub recipe he demoed for the Marines here »

EVENTS

USO Celebrates Military Service Members This Fourth of July

The USO has been honored to support an annual July 4 celebration for military families at the White House. Two Mobile USO Program Units were on the South Lawn, where military guests and kids participated in outdoor activities, playing video games and taking advantage of our units' air-conditioning to beat the summer heat.

Click here to explore all the other activities and events we participated in as we celebrated our great nation and our brave troops this July Fourth. »

BY THE NUMBERS

150K

That’s the number of patriotic military supporters who signed our troop thank-you card in honor of July Fourth. If you missed your chance (or just want to make sure the troops still know you have their backs), click here to say thank you for everything they do.


	VOICE OF THE USO "When I was coming out of my National Training Center rotation in California, USO volunteers were there to give us goodie bags and coffee. It made us very happy because we hadn’t had real food in 30-plus days, so they were amazing." — A 1st lieutenant in the Army and former USO employee on how she’s stayed connected to the USO while serving our country

CORPORATE PARTNERS

The USO Thanks Wawa for Its Unwavering Support of Our Troops!

Thank you to our partner Wawa for inviting us to Hoagie Day in Philadelphia to honor our heroes. Service members went head-to-head in a competition to see who could build the most hoagies in three minutes, contributing to the 25,000+ hoagies made for that day.

Read more and explore photos from this engaging event for our service members!

OTHER WAYS TO GIVE

Image of service member with caption: Shape the USO's Future. Receive Payments for Life.

PLANNED GIVING

You can help service members draw strength from connecting to the things they love and fight for while earning an income from your gift.

Charitable gift annuities (CGAs) offer a secure, fixed payment stream for yourself and/or a loved one for your lifetime(s). You will also receive tax benefits and the satisfaction of creating a lasting legacy through the USO. Learn more. »

From all of us at the USO,
thank you for being a dedicated
and proud military supporter!

*By participating, you agree to the Mobile Messaging Terms for recurring autodialed donation messages from USO to the phone number you provide & to the Privacy Policy. No consent required to buy. Msg&data rates may apply.

United Service Organizations, Inc. (USO) is a nonprofit 501(ϲ)(3) organization (EIN/Tax ID: 13-1610451) and not part of the Department of Defense (DOD). The appearance of DOD visual information does not imply or constitute DOD endorsement.