United Service Organizations
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The United Service Organizations |
The
United Service Organizations (
USO) is a volunteer organization that provides morale and recreational services to members of the
U.S. military worldwide.
The USO was founded in 1941 in response to a request from
President Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide morale and recreation services to uniformed military personnel. This request led six civilian agencies to unite in support of the troops. The United Service Organizations, or USO, was incorporated in New York February 4, 1941.
USO centers and clubs opened around the world in order to be a "Home Away from Home" for GIs. The USO 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 a doughnut. The USO also brought
Hollywood celebrities and volunteer entertainers to perform for the troops.
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. From 1941 to 1947, the USO presented more than 400,000 performances, featuring entertainers such as
Bing Crosby,
Judy Garland,
Humphrey Bogart,
Lauren Bacall,
Frank Sinatra,
Marlene Dietrich,
Ann Sheridan,
James Cagney,
James Stewart,
Danny Kaye,
Al Jolson,
Fred Astaire, the
Andrews Sisters,
Joe E. Brown,
Lucille Ball,
Glenn Miller,
Martha Raye,
Mickey Rooney,
Dinah Shore, and most famously,
Bob Hope.
In 1950, when the United States entered the
Korean War, the USO once again brought its vital services and entertainment tours, including
Errol Flynn,
Debbie Reynolds,
Terry Moore, and (most famously)
Marilyn Monroe, to the troops. This effort continued after the war ended, and the USO expanded to serve the more than one million troops who remained stationed overseas. During the 1960s, as tensions escalated in
Vietnam, the USO began to open centers in combat zones. 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.,
Phyllis Diller,
Joey Heatherton,
Wayne Newton,
Jayne Mansfield,
Lola Falana,
Rosey Grier,
Anita Bryant,
Nancy Sinatra,
Redd Foxx, and (of course) Bob Hope.
To support troops participating in Operations
Enduring Freedom and
Iraqi Freedom, USO centers opened in
Afghanistan,
Kuwait, and
Qatar. USO centers number more than 120 around the world. Recently, the USO opened the Rocky Mountain USO Center at
Denver International Airport and a second center in Kuwait. The USO provides a variety of programs and services, including orientation programs, family events, travel assistance, free Internet and e-mail access, and recreation services.
Military personnel and their families visit USO centers more than five million times each year. A nonprofit, charitable organization, the USO relies on donations from private citizens, foundations, organizations and corporations. More than 33,000 USO volunteers provide an estimated 371,418 hours of service annually.
In
1943, a
United States Liberty ship named the
SS ''U.S.O. was launched. She was scrapped in
1967.
The following is a partial list of USO performers, since 2001.
*
50 Cent*
Ben Affleck *
Charles Barkley*
Drew Carey*
Cher*
Kelly Clarkson *
Chelsea Cooley -
Miss USA 2005
*
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders*
Diana DeGarmo*
John Elway *
Al Franken*
Morgan Freeman*
Roy Green*
Hootie & the Blowfish*
Wynonna Judd*
Toby Keith*
Don King*
Johnny Knoxville*
Shelley Hennig,
Miss Teen USA 2004
*
Nick Lachey*
Sugar Ray Leonard*
David Letterman*
Rich Little*
Ludacris*
Master P*
Alyssa Milano*
Montgomery Gentry*
Brittany Murphy*
Willie Nelson*
Wayne Newton*
Ted Nugent*
Shaquille O'Neal*
Henry Rollins*
Lil' Romeo*
Seann William Scott*
Jessica Simpson*
Gary Sinise*
Michael Warren*
Robin Williams*
Bruce Willis*
Lee Ann Womack*
Armed Forces Entertainment*Official web site:
USO Home*Official web site:
USO of San Diego*Official web site:
USO of Metropolitan New York*Other web site:
USO Clubs in World War II
