From the days of Bob Hope Christmas specials to today’s stand-up comedy tours and celebrity visits, the United Service Organizations (better known as USO) has been bringing famous faces, games, coffee and other force multipliers to deployed and deploying American service members for more than 80 years. There’s nothing better for U.S. troops in transit than seeing the red, white and blue USO logo on an airport lounge. And who doesn’t love getting a surprise goody box when they’ve been eating MREs for weeks on end?
While boosting morale is the USO’s stock-in-trade, the beloved nonprofit wants service members, families and potential volunteers to know they are so much more than their 250 worldwide USO centers and hundreds of thousands of care packages. So here are just a few programs you may not know about.
1. Mobile USO
With a mission of strengthening the well-being of American service members and their families, it stands to reason that troops are going to be on the move. They certainly won’t always be in a place with a lot of infrastructure or brick-and-mortar facilities. So the USO found a way to bring those services to them, wherever they might be.
The Mobile USO program has an entire fleet of vehicles, including three RVs, five sprinter vans, three food mobiles, a gaming mobile and a fitness mobile. These world-class fun centers can bring the usual coffee and treats, but also Wi-Fi, Xbox gaming, movie theaters, free weights and TRX training.
If your unit might need the Mobile USO, all you have to do is to submit a request form.
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2. USO Special Delivery
Are you a service member or military spouse with a bun in the oven (or a newborn) but are stationed far away from friends, family or other loved ones? Look up a USO Special Delivery event. It’s a fun way to create connections within your local community while enjoying all the usual baby shower–type fun and games.
Some 50,000 service members who were either expecting or had just received their bundle of joy have taken part in a USO Special Delivery, which first launched in 2013. Even those far away from a USO center can still take part, as these showers are also available remotely through video calls.
3. USO Gaming
Gaming (that is to say, video games) is huge in the military community. All branches of the military use esports and gaming as a recruiting tool. Because 59% of junior enlisted troops say gaming is a part of their lives and 50% of them say the hardest part about military life is separation from friends and family, it makes sense that so many of them would turn to gaming together as a means of maintaining their connections. Beyond that, the USO’s own research shows gaming improves team building and helps reduce symptoms for some mental health challenges.
With that in mind, the USO outfits entire gaming centers with top-of-the-line technology to make sure troops have access to this through USO Gaming, which the nonprofit says is “crucial to the wellness and morale of our nation’s military.” The USO also puts on regular gaming tournaments, such as the annual “Salute to Service Showdown,” which carries a grand prize of Super Bowl tickets.
4. USO Canine Program
Name a more iconic duo than service members and dogs. The USO knows that dogs can help us address mental, emotional and physical needs, and that kind of support is necessary in the military community. The USO Canine Program brings therapy dogs, family pets and military working dogs to USO centers and activities wherever possible.
Handlers with therapy and comfort dogs interested in supporting the USO need documentation by a therapy dog certification organization recognized by the American Kennel Club, as well as screenings and insurance coverage.
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