Involvement in the USO tour was one of the many ways in which the nation had come together to support the war effort, with nearly 1.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,789 |
25 Facts About USO tour
2.
The USO tour initially disbanded in 1947, but was revived in 1950 for the Korean War, after which it continued, providing peacetime services.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,790 |
3.
USO tour has over 200 locations around the world in 14 countries and 27 states.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,791 |
5.
The USO tour club was a place to go for dances and social events, for movies and music, for a quiet place to talk or write a letter home, or for a free cup of coffee and an egg.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,793 |
6.
USO tour brought Hollywood celebrities and volunteer entertainers to perform for the troops.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,794 |
7.
In 2011, the USO tour was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama "for contributions to lifting the spirits of America's troops and their families through the arts".
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,795 |
8.
Some USO tour centers provided a haven for spending a quiet moment alone or writing a letter home, while others offered spiritual guidance and made childcare available for military wives.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,796 |
9.
USO tour had already been active back home selling war bonds, and donated $100,000 to the USO.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,797 |
10.
At its high point in 1944, the USO tour had more than 3,000 clubs, and curtains were rising on USO tour shows 700 times a day.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,798 |
11.
In one such instance in 1943, a plane carrying a USO tour troupe crashed outside Lisbon, killing singer and actress Tamara Drasin, and severely injuring Broadway singer Jane Froman.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,799 |
12.
USO tour later married the co-pilot who saved her life in that crash, and her story was made into the 1952 film With a Song in My Heart, with Froman providing the actual singing voice.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,800 |
13.
USO tour did forty-eight shows for "broken soldiers, " who were mostly lying on stretchers in the lobbies of hotels, watching as she entertained them.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,801 |
15.
The 23 centers in Vietnam and Thailand served as many as a million service members a month, and the USO tour presented more than 5,000 performances during the Vietnam War featuring stars such as John Wayne, Ann-Margret, Sammy Davis Jr.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,803 |
16.
When providing entertainment, the USO tour did its best to attract known stars from back home to help relieve the stresses of war.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,804 |
17.
USO tour remembered a "Bob Hope Follies" USO show, which included actress Ann-Margret, Miss America, football star Rosey Grier, and others.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,805 |
18.
USO tour adds that the tours made a "deep impression" on the stars as well.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,806 |
19.
USO tour took one look at the photo, tears welled up in her eyes, and she said, 'This is one of my gentlemen from Viet Nam and I most certainly will sign his photo.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,807 |
20.
In those years, the USO tour opened centers at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Riley, Kansas; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Carson, Colorado; and Afghanistan.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,808 |
21.
The USO tour provides a variety of programs and services, including orientation programs, family events, free Internet and e-mail access, free drinks and snacks, free phone calls home and recreation services.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,809 |
22.
USO tour has provided services for the annual "Tribute to the Troops" special of World Wrestling Entertainment.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,810 |
23.
USO tour provides services to troops before, during, and after deployment through staffed and unstaffed USO tour centers inside and outside combat zones.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,811 |
24.
Since 2008, the USO tour has shipped more than 2,000 kits to places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, and others.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,812 |
25.
Additionally, more than 44,000 USO tour volunteers provide an estimated 371,417 hours of service annually.
| FactSnippet No. 2,521,813 |