31 Facts About USO

Involvement in the USO was one of the many ways in which the nation had come together to support the war effort, with nearly 1.

The USO initially disbanded in 1947, but was revived in 1950 for the Korean War, after which it continued, providing peacetime services.

USO has over 200 locations around the world in 14 countries and 27 states.

USO was founded in 1941 by Mary Ingraham in response to a request from President Franklin D Roosevelt to provide morale and recreation services to U S uniformed military personnel.

The USO was incorporated in New York on February 4, with the first facility erected in DeRidder, Louisiana, 1941.

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The USO 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.

USO brought Hollywood celebrities and volunteer entertainers to perform for the troops.

In 2011, the USO 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".

Some USO 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.

USO had already been active back home selling war bonds, and donated $100, 000 to the USO.

At its high point in 1944, the USO had more than 3, 000 clubs, and curtains were rising on USO shows 700 times a day.

In one such instance in 1943, a plane carrying a USO troupe crashed outside Lisbon, killing singer and actress Tamara Drasin, and severely injuring Broadway singer Jane Froman.

USO's 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.

One author wrote that by the end of the war "the USO amounted to the biggest enterprise American show business has ever tackled.

Author Joeie Dee pointed out that "for women entertainers, traveling with the USO made it possible to be patriots and adventurers as well as professionals.

USO's did forty-eight shows for "broken soldiers, " who were mostly lying on stretchers in the lobbies of hotels, watching as she entertained them.

In 1951, when the United States entered the Korean War, Secretary of Defense George Marshall and Secretary of the Navy Francis P Matthews requested that the USO be reactivated "to provide support for the men and women of the armed forces with help of the American people.

USO was in Vietnam before the first combat troops arrived, with the first USO club opened in Saigon in April 1963.

The 23 centers in Vietnam and Thailand served as many as a million service members a month, and the USO presented more than 5, 000 performances during the Vietnam War featuring stars such as John Wayne, Ann-Margret, Sammy Davis Jr.

When providing entertainment, the USO did its best to attract known stars from back home to help relieve the stresses of war.

USO remembered a "Bob Hope Follies" USO show, which included actress Ann-Margret, Miss America, football star Rosey Grier, and others.

USO adds that the tours made a "deep impression" on the stars as well.

USO's 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.

USO showed a keen interest in the men's mission while they were hungry for news of life back in the "World.

In those years, the USO opened centers at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Riley, Kansas; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Carson, Colorado; and Afghanistan.

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The USO 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.

USO has provided services for the annual "Tribute to the Troops" special of World Wrestling Entertainment.

USO provides services to troops before, during, and after deployment through staffed and unstaffed USO centers inside and outside combat zones.

Since 2008, the USO has shipped more than 2, 000 kits to places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, and others.

USO was always treated as "an asset to the U S Government with his willingness to entertain whenever they needed him.

Additionally, more than 44, 000 USO volunteers provide an estimated 371, 417 hours of service annually.