SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — D.J. Stanhope remembers her grandfather talking about his memories of the USO during World War II: It provided stationery and stamps and a place to use them to write letters home.

Today, at the USO that Stanhope will manage in Sasebo, sailors are more likely to use the Internet than ink, which is why servicemembers have their choice of USO Internet cafés, one at the Fleet Landing, another at Nimitz Park.

But the organization’s mission, said Gil Azam, Stanhope’s predecessor, remains the same as when it was incorporated 62 years ago: providing “a touch of home” to servicemembers halfway around the world.

Azam took the helm of Sasebo’s United Service Organizations operation about two years ago with a specific mission: Reshape and rebuild the USO by engaging local residents and base personnel in joint projects, strengthening the council and putting the local chapter on solid financial footing.

“When I came in, they had experienced some rough times. I feel good about turning it over. I’m excited about leaving a good foundation to build on, and I’m excited about the future,” Azam said.

“I couldn’t ask to walk into a better a situation,” Stanhope said.

“We want to enhance our outreach to the single sailors, and maintain and build on what we offer at the Fleet Landing and Nimitz Park,” Stanhope said. “We’ll work to interact with the local community, and build on our programs, entertainment tours and services.”

Azam, a retired U.S. Army captain, was seeking a post-military career when he saw a help wanted ad from the USO office at Ramstein Air Base in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

“It was just divine intervention … I’ve been doing this ever since,” he said. And during those more than 11 years, Azam has seen the USO evolve. He said it’s much more than comedy shows by Bob Hope, although providing entertainment is a major part of the USO mission. He mentioned Las Vegas performer Wayne Newton, comedian Drew Carey and the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders as becoming primary USO celebrity performers.

Congress charters the USO as a nonprofit charitable corporation. It is not part of the U.S. government but is endorsed by the president and Department of Defense. Since the USO’s inception, each president has been its honorary chairman.

“The USO was founded originally to provide off-duty morale- and welfare-type services to our military members,” he said. “When it was founded, probably 90 percent of the people we served were single male individuals. So the USO catered to those people.

“In today’s environment, we’ve expanded and included family programs. … We’re more than just a single-sailor or single-soldier program, although the single programs are still the bread and butter of what we do.”

In Sasebo, the USO operates a combined restaurant, Internet café and information-and-referral center in the base’s Nimitz Park. At the Fleet Landing on the main base facility, USO provides a cozy servicemembers’ lounge, information and referral services and another Internet center.

“We are very useful to the commands because we can do about anything. That also makes no two USOs the same. About the only thing we all have in common is in providing information and referral,” said Azam.

For example, in Sasebo, the USO operates a business, USONet, an Internet service provider. “We are the only USO in the world that operates an ISP,” Azam said. “It’s a function of addressing a community need.”

Stanhope comes to Sasebo after serving as USO director at Camp Casey in Dongducheon, South Korea. She began working with the USO about five years ago.

Her goal: To represent and be seen as “the folks back home” to servicemembers utilizing USO programs in Sasebo and Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station. Iwakuni is part of Sasebo’s area of responsibility.

Although some USO programs appear similar to those sponsored by Morale, Welfare and Recreation departments, there are distinct differences, Azam and Stanhope agreed.

“One is that we provide a conduit between the military community and the local community. There are prominent members of the Sasebo community on our council,” Stanhope said. “These people now have the chance to not only show their support of the military but to introduce the military in a positive way to the community.”

How events and activities are delivered is almost as important as the end result, Azam said.

“We have so many volunteers. In Sasebo, we have a lot of sailors … it’s good for them to get off the ship and help out,” Azam said. “We have spouses and family members that enjoy helping out. Also, we have Japanese nationals who like to volunteer, especially at our Nimitz Park facility.”

Stanhope officially became director Feb. 1. Although she’s been in Sasebo a few weeks, she’s still getting settled. She described herself as confident and optimistic about future USO ventures.

“I want to build on the really great foundation Gil has left for me,” Stanhope said. “We have good relationships with the commands here, a good relationship with the local community and great relationships with other agencies. Not every USO has all those things in place. It’s terrific.”

Azam and his wife, Chrys, meanwhile, left Sasebo on Feb. 1 for Brazil, where they’ll retire and help care for his 83-year-old mother-in-law. “I’ve dragged Chrys around the world for the past 32 years,” he said, “so now, we’re going back to her home to live.”

For more information about the USO facilities and functions in Sasebo, call DSN 252-3872.

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