Our troops love to visit a USO center filled with the comforts of home. This Valentine’s Day, give a gift that keeps giving and shop the USO Wishbook!
Our service members give so much without asking for anything in return. But we know how much they appreciate the little things, like their favorite snack food or the chance to call home. Help the USO make that happen today!
On Superbowl Sunday, the USO and Jeep launch an initiative that celebrates and gives back to our troops — those whose work ethic, dedication and service have sustained the very fabric of this nation. “Operation SAFE Return” (OSR) aims to raise awareness and galvanize community support for returning troops and their families. As part of the initiative:
Learn more about last night’s ‘Day of Service’at USO.org.
Today, as they do every day, our brave servicemen and women are going to extraordinary lengths to protect our freedoms and defend our way of life.
During this holiday season, I’m asking you to take a moment to thank our troops and honor their service.
Your At Home In Our Hearts donation will allow us to translate your heartfelt “thank you” into the vitally important programs and services that mean so much to our troops.
I am immensely proud to be a part of an organization dedicated to being on the frontlines with our servicemen and women and standing side-by-side with our wounded troops recovering here at home.
As part of the At Home In Our Hearts campaign, the USO will provide our troops with free phone calls home, wounded warrior recovery care packages, mobile USO2GO kits that bring a touch of home to our troops serving in even the most remote outposts abroad.
So whether they’re serving on the frontlines or recovering here at home, you can let our troops know they’re always At Home In Our Hearts.
Make your year-end donation to the USO today and get your American flag.
I want to say “thank you” for all you have done and continue to do for our troops especially, particularly around the holidays. I can’t tell you how grateful they are to know supporters like you are standing by their side and supporting them. - Brigadier General John Pray, USAF (Ret.)
Among the many sacrifices our troops make, being away from family during the holidays is near the top of the list. The USO understands this and is constantly working to make sure troops all over the world know how much their efforts are appreciated.
Here’s a brief (and far from all-inclusive) look at holiday events the USO held for troops and families in the last week:
Holiday cheer in the desert. USO photo
USO Bagram Duty Manager Michelle Turner, front bottom left and USO Forward Operating Base Fenty Duty Manager Jason Lewis, center right in red, helped troops deliver Christmas cheer to Forward Operating Base Torkham in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, with a little help from Molson Air.
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Thanks to generous donations, military children in New England will get a few extra gifts this holiday season. USO photo by Sarah Kelley
Instead of preselected gifts from anonymous donors, USO New England’s Little Elf pilot program allowed military families to shop for their gifts at Target. Each family was given a set amount to spend on their children, with USO staff and volunteers on hand to pay the bill with funds specifically donated for the endeavor and to wrap the gifts on site.
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Apparently, you’re never too old for a visit with Santa. USO photo
Santa and company found ways to make things festive at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. Check out their robust photo collection from December events here.
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A special guest at USO Fort Hood’s Story Time. USO photo
USO Fort Hood’s Story Time went down a different path last week when children got a visit from Santa. The recurring event–held for children up to 4 years old–featured a reading of “Santa Bear” and the distribution of stockings filled with a USO teddy bear, a juice box and animal crackers.
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Businesses and individuals from around the Washington, D.C., area pitched in big for USO Metro’s Project Elf. USO photo
USO of Metropolitan Washington’s Project Elf brought hundreds of gifts to military children last week. USO Metro took toys and clothes purchased by donors for military kids in the local area, wrapped them and distributed them at Fort Meade, Md., and Fort Belvoir, Va.
–USO centers around the world are America’s way of supporting the troops. Show your support by making your year-end donation today here.
Sometimes, the best thing you can do for someone is listen.
A USO/TAPS camp in Boston earlier this year ended with a balloon release. The balloons are released in remembrance of loved ones who died. USO photo by Michael A. Clifton
The inherent risk faced by America’s troops means their families are no strangers to tragedy. And just as the USO is there during the good times, the organization also makes sure it’s there when families lose a loved one.
The USO partners with TAPS—the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors—to host Survivor Seminars and Good Grief Camps that help military family members cope with a death and the overwhelming emotions that come with it.
USO Fort Hood hosted nearly 500 attendees and volunteers at the USO/TAPS Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp in July at the Spirit of Fort Hood Warrior and Family Chapel Campus. USO Fort Hood Director Robin Crouse estimates that her center cultivated between $15,000 and $20,000 in in-kind donations for the event, allowing them to provide expansive breakfast and lunch offerings to the attendees and the Fort Hood-based troops who worked as peer mentors during the two-day program. USO Warrior and Family Care also provided nearly $30,000 in funds for the event.
But their largest contribution may have been lending an ear.
The USO and TAPS will hold multiple Survivor Seminars and Good Grief Camps across the country in 2013. USO photo by Michael A. Clifton
“We made ourselves very available on a personal level to them, being able to listen,” Crouse said. “It’s just about being a very good listener and being able to give a hug to people when they need it. And it’s about being able to remember who that person is year after year so they feel like they’re coming back home.”
The Survivor Seminars provide an opportunity for adult survivors (spouses and parents) to learn about their grief and find positive ways to deal with it. Meanwhile, children from these families participate in Good Grief Camps at the same locations. Their days are filled with fun, educational activities under the guidance of peer mentors, who are servicemen and women who volunteer to help surviving children through the emotions of the camp.
Crouse said the USO’s standing within the military community adds a sense of comfort to the attendees, many of whom have been to multiple camps since Fort Hood started hosting the events in 2010. This comfort can lead to more open lines of communication and even life-changing experiences.
Crouse was especially moved by an attendee she connected with in 2011 who sought her out again upon arriving at Fort Hood this summer. The woman, who’d lost a loved one, brought a letter she’d sent to Crouse that was returned by the post office because of a bad address. When Crouse opened the letter, it contained a photo of the two of them from the 2011 camp. The exchange brought Crouse to tears.
“[These camps are] one of the most meaningful things I’ve done in my career at the USO,” she said.
—Story by Eric Brandner, USO Director of Story Development
Posted in Support, Troops, USO Warrior & Family Care
Tagged Families of the Fallen, taps
The Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team presented the Harris family with a new, state-of-the-art house that helps wounded veteran Shilo Harris lead a more comfortable and enjoyable life. Photo courtesy of the Harris family
On February 19, 2007, while on patrol in Iraq, a massive IED struck the truck that SSG Shilo Harris was traveling in. Despite suffering devastating injuries, with burns to over 40% of his body, Shilo’s only concern was for the wellbeing of the men under his command, refusing medical treatment until he’d been assured that his troops were out of harm’s way. During the months of painful surgeries that followed, Shilo and his loyal wife, Kathreyn, found a true calling — to help wounded warriors through the agonizing and traumatic processes of recovery, rehabilitation and learning to face a life that will never be the same. Shilo, once sufficiently healed, began a career as a motivational speaker, giving hope to others similarly wounded, while Kathreyn, taking up the cause as well, began working for the Army Wounded Warrior Project. Shilo and Kathreyn have dedicated their lives to giving back.
With each day that passes the Harris family put more distance between themselves and the event that changed their lives, but their home still stands as a reminder of their struggles, as it cannot protect Shilo from dangerous dust and heat. The family have tried everything to make the home comfortable and safe, but whatever they do, it’s not enough. This hero who was disfigured in service to his country cannot find respite in his own home.
Tonight on ABC at 8:00 PM EST, watch as the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” team changes all of that, with help from the USO.
Posted in Families, Support, Troops, US
Tagged TV, warrior & family care, warrior and family care, wounded warriors
