USO Supporter,

On behalf of all of us at the USO, I want to wish you and your loved ones a happy Thanksgiving. I hope it’s a relaxing day filled with family, friends and the joy of being together.

I am deeply grateful for our deployed service members who can’t be with their families on this special holiday, while they serve and protect our country far from home and far from the people they love most. Their service and commitment are extraordinary, and our country would not be the same without them.

Because of you, thousands of deployed service members who can’t be with their families this Thanksgiving will be able to enjoy a warm, festive meal. They will be able to video chat with their loved ones, virtually read a bedtime story to their kids and maybe even watch some football at their local USO Center.

While deployed to Afghanistan for the second time, I fondly remember my time with the military, enjoying turkey dinner (I’m still wondering if it was turkey), watching football (at a very weird hour of the day) and sharing a laugh with teammates at a USO.

During my time of service and in my first few weeks as CEO at the USO, I’ve been truly impressed by how this community comes together for our military service members — and generous patriots like you make it all possible.

From all of us at the USO, happy Thanksgiving. And thank you for your caring support of our troops.

For the People Who Serve,

Michael S. Linnington
Lieutenant General, U.S. Army, Retired
Chief Executive Officer and President, USO

P.S. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to sign our Thanksgiving card for our deployed service members. On a day like today, showing your gratitude means the world to those who sacrifice so much to serve our country.