I have a personal interest in the military that I won’t go into here but when a friend suggested I check out the DFW USO, I arranged a visit. Most people know what the USO is—think Bob Hope and donuts—but the DFW USO is special.
When I arrived about 10:30am at Terminal B, Gate 18 there were a few soldiers playing pool, others lounging around. I ended up in a tiny, crowded office with Sheri and Lynne. Sheri is the director with a son in the Marines. Lynne is married to a Marine lieutenant colonel and they explained why the DFW USO is unique. A combat tour in Iraq lasts 12 or 15 months. At the halfway point a soldier gets two weeks leave and, depending on where they live, they fly from Iraq to either Atlanta or Dallas. When they go back they leave from the same. So each morning at DFW there is a flight coming in and one going out in the afternoon. A DFW USO volunteer is the first thing a soldier sees when he or she arrives and the last thing they see when they deploy.
It was now about 11:30 and Sheri took me on a tour starting out going through the terminal now filled with about 300 soldiers who had to report by noon. A lot of people comment on how young these soldiers look. I guess I’m used to that. I’m more impressed with how young they are and how professional they are. Maybe, professional isn’t the right word, try organized. Walking through this group, I heard laptops snap, Velcro ripped, Ipods stowed, backpacks loaded. All with an efficiency that amazes me. When I was their age I considered getting out of bed by noon to be an act of engineering genius. It’s amazing to see a huge group of teenagers that isn’t drunk. I tend to check out patches and saw AirCav, 82nd and 101st Airborne, Rangers, some Air Force and Navy, even NCIS.
Security is easy when you are with the USO and got inside the terminal. First, you should know that the USO relies totally on volunteer gifts and hats off to Continental Airlines. When they shut down their operation at DFW after giving up to American, they donated their equivalent of their Admirals Club to the USO. Here the troops have Internet access, TV, movies, sleeping quarters, a children’s playroom and free food. The place was packed. Hats off here to Pepsico, Starbucks, and Verizon for providing the food and communication, again all free to the troops.
The DFW USO recently started a program that is expanding to all USO locations called United Through Reading where a soldier goes into a studio, reads a story or plays a song for his/her kid and the event is video recorded. The USO prepares a DVD and FedEx’s it to the family. The USO used to pay FedEx till the driver figured out what was going on and now the company delivers for free.
Finally, the USO organizes the meet and greet for the troops coming in and Operation Send Off for those going out. If you are interested in participating, call 972-574-0392 after 8pm the night before you want to go.
Like any volunteer organization, the USO is always short on money and short on donations of goods, so forget personal gain for a minute and cough it up for these troops. It is money well spent. If you want to see this in action, plan a trip to Terminal B at DFW. Gas is expensive but it will be the best investment you have ever made.
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