In the News
USO honors service with sleep, smiles
May 26, 2008
EXCERPT: RALEIGH -- Christopher Erwin could have been any American enjoying a typical Memorial Day weekend Sunday. He had 96 hours off from work, so he hopped on his motorcycle and rode through the state. But while many others today will be enjoying backyard barbecues, walks on the beach or a few rounds of golf with family and friends, he'll be remembering a few of his friends who have died in the Iraq war.
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Friends, Families Greet Returning Troops
April 5, 2007
CHARLOTTE -- About 40 airmen from the Air National Guard's 145th Airlift Wing returned to Charlotte on Wednesday after spending more than two months providing air support services in Afghanistan.
They returned home to family, friends and volunteers of the United Service Organization.
The airmen returned home to family, friends and volunteers of the United Service Organization.
(Photo courtesy of News 14 Carolina)
The Charlotte chapter of the USO has been in operation since September. The organization provides moral and support services for military members and families and organization leaders say they're already making a difference.
The USO offers programs and services at more than 130 different locations around the world.
Watch the video - Troops Return - News 14 Carolina's David Kernodle has more from the USO in this report, courtesy of News 14 Carolina. (This video has sound, so make sure your audio is turned on). (If you have active pop-up blockers, hold your <Ctrl> key while you click the link.)
American Legion donates $1,000 to USO
March 28, 2007
On behalf of the American Legion, James (Buck) Oakley presented a check in the amount of $1,000 to USO at the Raleigh/Durham Airport headquarters at the Legion meeting last Thursday evening. Lola Lawson, assistant director of the RDU, accepted the check for the USO.
AMERICAN LEGION PRESENTS CHECK TO USO
James (Buck) Oakley presents a check on behalf of the American Legion in the amount of $1,000 to USO Raleigh/Durham Airport. Lola Lawson, RDU assistant director, accepts the donation and addresses the Legion last Thursday.
(Photo by Karen Carter/Mebane Enterprise, used with permission.)
Thirty-seven Legion members heard Lawson explain the work of the USO.
"We're a lot deeper than entertainment," said Lawson, recalling the work of the USO in the 1940's.
For example, at the Raleigh/Durham Airport headquarters, the USO serves meals, not just snacks, to over 2,200 military personnel a month. Over 27,000 servicemen and women last year ate pintos with ham hocks and found a place to stay.
The RDU center is the only headquarters [on the east coast] open seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Lawson said the USO gives the service men and women wake up calls and a place to sleep even if it's a chair or a blanket on the floor. Recently, someone donated 70 pillows.
Raleigh/Durham Airport USO helps out with travel orders, cancelled flights, and redirecting soldiers to their destinations.
The soldiers receive comfort items, toiletries, and shampoo, soap, and a razor.
Families who travel to the USO headquarters to meet their loved ones at the airport have things in the center for them too: books, magazines, toys, and food.
It takes $250-$300 thousand dollars a year for this nonprofit organization to run the "little room" at the Raleigh/Durham USO a year.
Lawson said she loves her job but one part she doesn't get used to is assisting families who have come to see their family member after he or she has been killed in action.
The USO dignifies the loss with an Honor Guard and with assisting the family in the process of retrieving the body.
One Legion member said after Lawson's presentation Thursday evening, "When I was in the service, the USO was my home away from home."
What We Care About Is the Troops
An Audio Slideshow
March 9, 2007
This slide show includes sound. Please make sure your audio is turned on.
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For USO, caring is the key
It's a homey headquarters where an extended family volunteers to help
March 9, 2007
EXCERPT:
JACKSONVILLE - There are three rules for USO volunteers handing out care packages to Camp Lejeune Marines heading
off to battle: "You never say 'goodbye,' " says USO state President Judy Pitchford. "You say, 'Be safe' or
'See you soon.' 'Goodbye' sounds so final."
"You don't cry. You can cry after the buses leave, and we do."
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New Directors Follow Similar Path to USO
March 1, 2007
To hear their stories, you'd think they were related.
Both in their 30s, both married to Navy servicemen, both now at work for the only place they consider to be a genuine second home for those serving in the Armed Forces: the USO.
After weeks of searching, the USO in Jacksonville now has a new center director and assistant center director: Sarah Beth Burchell of Rochester, N.Y., and Judy Robinson of Marco Island, Fla., respectively.
In January, USO President and CEO Judy Pitchford began an active search to find a new center director and assistant director after the departure of Sharon Malloy and Alicia Barnes, respectively.
"We received 30 (applications) and interviewed 13 candidates, " Pitchford said. "The center director is responsible for the implementation and development of the program and this recreation center, and the assistant director is her right-hand man. ...We got the best of both worlds with Sarah and Judy."
Both hired in late February, Burchell and Robinson have spent the last month participating in a number of operations to help further the development of the program. While at the same time, they say they are totally captivated in finding themselves now a part of the USO process they had only before observed from the opposite side of the spectrum.
"The first time I had ever utilized the USO, I was on a date with my husband and he was showing me around the base in Great Lakes, Illinois," said Robinson, who moved to Jacksonville in January. "From there, I didn't know the whole capacity of it. In my mind it was a building and overseas they do concerts, but it's so much more than that. It's that 'everything' for all the service members. I love the unselfishness of it."
Burchell shares a similar first experience with the USO.
"In 2003, my husband was also stationed at Great Lakes. We went to the USO there and I didn't know you could go in there. I thought it was for service members only," said Burchell, who moved to Jacksonville in October 2005. "I knew its history - Bob Hope, the performances - but I didn't know it was for everyone too."
From there, Burchell and Robinson say their experiencs at the USO would be consistently enjoyable, finding it a helpful, peaceful place for them and their children, especially when their husbands were away overseas. A few months ago, both decided they wanted to be more a part of the place they'd come to love.
"I had been a stay at home mom. ... Since October 2005, I had been looking for the right job. I wanted a position that would help me utilize my masters (degree in business)," Burchell said. "As soon as I saw the ad, I thought it was fantastic."
Robinson, who was selected out of the center director applicants, said she wanted to give something back to the military.
"When I saw the ad, I thought what a great opportunity. I had been working part-time at a parks and recreation (center) in Lake Forest, Illinois. I wanted to work again and I could now," Robinson said.
Both say the first month has been much like the first time they both entered a USO's door: an enjoyable, yet eye-opening experience.
"The amount of work that gets done in a month is amazing," Burchell said. "We're at every deployment drop - 20 deployments in February. We hand out care-packages, goodie-bags. We also do 'Iraq packs' for returning serviceman which has personal care items so they don't have to go shopping as soon as they get back - they can use that time to be with their family ... So many things."
Robinson said she's still amazed me how much the USO does.
"I didn't realize how much," Robinson said. The volunteer work here is amazing."
Along with enjoying their new jobs, Burchell and Robinson say they appreciate getting the opportunity to explore the program from "the other side," most notably getting to be more "hands-on" with the families who have loved ones fighting overseas.
"It's like one big extended family," Burchell said. "This is a way to do something, be hands-on, tackle the whole process. ... A way to make the whole situation a little more tolerable, a little more easier for them."
"I can relate to all the spouses and significant others, the parents," Robinson added. "It's rewarding to have this job that's so unselfish. We're not doing it for ourselves, we're doing it for others. ... And they're like our family."
Which is exactly why Pitchford decided to hire the two Navy spouses.
"Though it's an achievement, their college education had nothing to do with it," Pitchford said. "They had a great background. They're both mothers; they're both military spouses.
"They can relate to anything that walks through that door."
Marine Gives Present to Jacksonville USO
January 22, 2007
Those were the days:
Joe Graniero and Judy Pitchford talk about a 1942 issue of the Saturday Evening Post the Marine warrant officer used in the historical display he created for the USO.
(Photo by The Daily News staff photographer Randy Davey, used with permission.)
Trading the fierce cold winds of Chicago for the gentle warm breezes of coastal Carolina, Joe Graniero arrived in Onslow County an impressionable young kid at a crossroads.
It was 1977.
A time of "Star Wars," disco and excess, many 18-year-olds were taking full advantage of their newfound freedom out of high school.
Not Graniero.
Like other young men trading glances with the waterways and longleaf pines of Onslow County for the first time, Graniero arrived as a Marine, sure enough of himself in making that decision to enter the Marine Corps, yet naturally apprehensive in letting go of the comfortable, familiar surroundings of home.
"I was 18 and away from home," Graniero said. "Thankfully, there was the USO. I remember it was October 1977. I walked through those doors and everything they said was correct - it was a home away from home."
Graniero considers the USO in Jacksonville his second home and has been calling it such for 30 years.
Since Graniero, now a chief warrant officer 5 with 8th Communications Battalion, has enjoyed so many wonderful experiences at the USO over the years, he wanted to give something back.
That something involved designing an elaborate historical display for the USO commemorating 1942, the year in which the Jacksonville USO first opened.
"Last June, the USO had the cabaret for its 65th anniversary and the theme was the 1940s," Graniero said. "It was like a USO show from the 1940s. My wife and I were talking and we noticed the look on the faces of some of the older couples, who of course had lived through that time. ... The look on their faces was incredible. They were so caught up in the moment. That was one of the biggest joys of the night."
Graniero, who restores old radios from the 1920s, '40s and '50s ("anything with the vacuum tubes") and owns more than 200, says his wife proposed he donate one to the USO. Graniero liked the idea but wanted to do more. Also a collector of historic memorabilia, he decided to try his hands at creating a display to go along with his 1942 Philco 42-1010 console radio/phonograph.
"I've done radios and stuff for people, but nothing like this," Graniero said. "This was my first display."
He began in July. Graniero put together a massive display of magazine covers, newspaper clippings, posters, stamps, records, draft cards, medals, dog tags, USO handbooks and other memorabilia -all from 1942.
He finished around Thanksgiving, but the USO officially unveiled it last week - just ahead of Graniero's year-long deployment to Iraq, his third tour.
When Graniero contacted Judy Pitchford, USO of North Carolina president and CEO, about doing the display she didn't know how large it would be.
All Pitchford expected was a bit of information about the radio.
"I was thinking the radio and (that) he wanted to use the wall space for maybe some information about the radio. I had no idea," said Pitchford, who was speechless when she saw Graniero's donation.
"And it's pretty hard to make me speechless," Pitchford said. "My jaw dropped open. I was amazed. It's just a beautiful, beautiful display of USO and Onslow history. It encompasses everything that was going on in the U.S. at the time, as well as incorporates what was going in Onslow County.
"We've received gifts before, but nothing along the lines of this - nothing as grand or as beautiful."
Despite the praise, Graniero calls the display his small way of saying thanks.
"The USO has always been a second home to me," Graniero said. "They've provided so much for me over the years. This is my way of of giving something back and saying 'thank you.'"
Pitchford sees the display as a tribute not only to the USO, but to all those who've served or are currently serving in the armed forces.
"Probably 30,000, if not more, will see this while he's gone," said Pitchford. "I think this will impact so many, especially our older generation. Our younger members might not get as much out of it as our middle-aged or older community, but when they're older, the history will become more important."
Graniero hopes that the members of the "Greatest Generation" appreciate the display.
"This is (primarily) for the USO and the veterans of the Second World War," said Graniero. "A lot of people came through the USO since 1942. No matter the generation, the USO has always been there for everyone.
"It's always been there and it always will be."
Serving the Troops ... Turkey, Stuffing, Potatoes
November 24, 2006
A plate loaded with roasted turkey and syrupy sweet potatoes and herbed stuffing. A trip to the recliner afterward, to watch the Macy's parade or the football game.
For many Marines and sailors, this is how their families spent Thanksgiving Day.
"I have a big family," said Pfc. Michael Salazar, 19. "Normally, they'd have multiple turkeys and be watching TV."
Thanks to the USO, the sons and daughters of a grateful nation carried on those same rituals, far from home.
"If there was no USO, I'd be in my squad bay, sleeping," said Pfc. Steffen Camarato, 18. "What they do for military people is really nice."
This is his first Thanksgiving away from home, which is in northern California. He's passed other milestones on active duty, like the birthday he had in boot camp but didn't tell anyone.
Like many Marines at the USO on Thursday, he's attending school aboard Camp Johnson. Busloads of Marines from there and Camp Geiger came every hour, delivering hungry troops from a cold and overcast day.
The USO of North Carolina's Jacksonville Center was ready for them, with a steady stream of volunteers dishing out the free turkey dinners. The Swansboro Young Marines of the Marine Corps League served up sodas and water.
The USO pool tables were converted into dessert trays, covered with iced cupcakes and cookies.
Ever-resourceful troops finished off the treats on one table and shot a game of pool before their bus returned.
Though one or two grew misty-eyed when thinking about their loved ones at home - whether that meant Texas or Indiana or elsewhere - the troops were in a generally sunny mood.
"I've grown accustomed to it," said Sgt. Charles Anderson, 27, of spending Thanksgiving far from family, while stationed some years in places like Japan and Iraq.
"It's good food and the price is right," said Cpl. Brian Evans, 22. "Everybody knows about the USO."
The center has put on Thanksgiving Day feasts for the troops for more than 10 years, said retired Sgt. Maj. Michael Cline, a USO volunteer. He said they'd feed about 2,500 people by the day's end.
Many veterans and their spouses volunteered. Kevin Isakson, a retired Air Force command chief master sergeant, doled out the cranberry sauce.
"I wanted to continue to serve our troops and thank them for their sacrifices," said Isakson, volunteering with wife Jodi. "What an incredible opportunity to do that here."
Some Marines brought their families; a few spouses came with children waiting for their parent to return from deployment.
But most of the troops who came to the USO seemed to be single and young.
"That's a good boy," murmured one volunteer as she spooned a second helping on a Marine's plate.
"I can remember being 18 and away from home for the first time," said Sharon Malloy, director of operations at the USO's Jacksonville Center. "I can remember not having a place to go. I don't think you ever get over it."
After eating, some troops migrated into the computer room, where the USO set them up with free phone calls.
And that's where they stayed, leaned against the wall or cross-legged on the floor, calling home.
USO Starts With You
October 4, 2006
EXCERPT:
Ever have the naked dream? The one where everybody is fully dressed and for some inexplicable reason you're standing there with your
modesty flapping in the breeze?
That's the way I felt Saturday night. I was decked out in my best rented clothes, but when I looked at the
dazzling people around me, I felt like the valet parking guy.
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Come See Bikers Do Good
August 2, 2006
EXCERPT:
The USO is at the airport because you can't be.
I know you'd be there if you could. That's why when I've reminded you about the USO and how it is not supported by the
government and how it never charges soldiers and their families for anything, you have come through.
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Click to load larger image.
Descending through 9000 feet, Chelsea Cooley, the reigning Miss USA, conducts her first skydive with the U.S. Army Parachute Team, "Golden Knights."
Photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Schnell, Army News Service. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army.
Miss USA Skydives with Golden Knights
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, March 20, 2006) - Miss USA Chelsea Cooley soared through the sky at an altitude of 13,000 feet during a tandem skydive with the U.S. Army Parachute Team, the Golden Knights, March 14.
The tandem jump was coordinated in conjunction with her USO visit to Fort Bragg, N.C.
Millions of people in more than 90 countries watched as Cooley was crowned Miss USA April 11, 2005. A native of Charlotte, N.C., Cooley has spent the past year as Miss USA, championing the causes of breast and ovarian cancer education and research.
Cooley has also become a USO celebrity and has visited a variety of military bases, including: Camp Lejeune, N.C.; Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba; and McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. Her constant interaction and support of the military fueled her interest in performing a tandem jump with the Golden Knights, she said.
Training puts Cooley on Cloud 9
Click to load larger image.
"Ready to Skydive" Chelsea Cooley, the reigning Miss USA, is poised at the door of the U.S. Army Golden Knights aircraft 2.5 miles above Laurinburg, N.C.
Photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Schnell, Army News Service. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army.
As part of her USO visit, Cooley arrived at Fort Bragg early in the morning on March 14 and was
flown to the nearby Laurinburg-Maxton airport. There, she was met by her family who accompanied her to a one-hour
training session conducted by tandem master Sgt. 1st Class Billy Van Soelen.
Cooley quickly learned about parachuting equipment, skydiving techniques and what to expect during the jump.
As soon as the morning clouds cleared, Miss USA suited up and boarded the DeHavilland UV-18 twin Otter plane.
Together with her tandem partner, Sgt. 1st Class Greg Windmiller, Cooley performed her jump from an altitude of
13,500 feet.
Click to load larger image.
Approaching terminal velocity, Chelsea Cooley, the reigning Miss USA, conducts her first skydive with the U.S. Army Parachute Team, "Golden Knights."
Photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Schnell, Army News Service. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army.
Upon return to the ground, Cooley could barely contain her excitement.
"It was everything I thought it could be and more!" she exclaimed. "The Golden Knights are the best
of the best, hands down."
Following her jump, Cooley returned to Fort Bragg to eat dinner and sign autographs for the Soldiers in the
3rd Brigade dining room.
Click to load larger image.
Light as a feather, Chelsea Cooley, the reigning Miss USA, lands her first skydive with the U.S. Army Parachute Team, "Golden Knights."
Photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Schnell, Army News Service. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army.
Jumps span White House to MTV
Established in 1959, the Golden Knights have had the honor of serving as Army ambassadors for more than 46 years.
As the only Department of Defense and U.S. Army sponsored parachute team, the Golden Knights have earned an
international reputation by continuously bringing home gold, silver and bronze medals from competitions.
In addition to impressing American and international audiences at competitions and air shows, the Golden Knights
have had the opportunity to connect to the public by performing tandems with a variety of celebrities, including:
former President George Bush, professional golfer Tiger Woods, NSYNC's Lance Bass, MTV's Vanessa Minillo and the
Today Show's Ann Curry.
"The Golden Knights Tandem team enables the Army to reach out to influencers and give them a taste of the
professionalism, leadership and teamwork of the Soldier and the U.S. Army," said Lt. Col. Dave Standridge,
commander of the Golden Knights.
Footage of Cooley's Army experience will air during the Miss USA pageant on April 21 at 9 p.m. on NBC.
Visit the USO of NC's photo album for photos of Miss USA's visit to Camp Lejeune.
USO Gets Big Boost From You
August 27, 2005
EXCERPT: There's good news and bad news today: The big USO fund-raising shindig earlier this month was a huge success. It was a black tie affair, which meant the women were dazzling and the men looked as good as can be expected in rented clothes.
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A Way to Really Aid the Troops
August 3, 2005
EXCERPT: So you've got one of those magnetic yellow ribbons stuck on the back of your car. Now tell me this: Is it there because you really support the troops? Or do you just want other people to think you do?
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Troops Make Free Father's Day Calls
June 20, 2005
EXCERPT: Staff Sgt. Jerry Ross selected one of the cellular telephones from a table and called his wife. A short while before, she had dropped him off at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, where he would catch a flight on his way to Iraq.
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Best Buy Donates TV
March 10,2005
JACKSONVILLE -Jeff Katz (left), manager of the new Best Buy, stands with Monique Allshouse, director of operations for the Jacksonville United Services Organization, after his store donated a 42-inch, plasma screen, flat-panel, Zenith television to their facility March 10. "[Best Buy] prides itself on becoming a part of the community, not just working for it," said Katz. "The store couldn't think of a better way to contribute to this community than to do something for its service members."
USO of NC Plankholder and Volunteer meets President Bush
Photo Courtesty of WRAL.COM
February 10, 2005
President Bush's visit to Raleigh, N.C. today included an award presentation to USO of NC Plankholder and Volunteer Jim Van Strien. President Bush presented Mr. Van Strien with the Presidential Volunteer Service Award.
USO Alive and Well and Serving Troops
December, 2004
The USO is alive and well and operating in North Carolina. Best remembered as a World War II program to serve
military personnel (remember the Hollywood Canteen in old movies?), United Service Organizations operates a recreation
center in Jacksonville and a facility at the RDU International Airport. Bill Hudson, CEO of LC Industries, a Durham-based
military supplier, donated $25,000 last month to the RDU facility to further the airport center's services to
uniformed men and women in transit during the war on terror. The gift was received in a ceremony attended by Judy Pitchford,
President and CEO of the USO in North Carolina, Robert Teer, Chairman of the North Carolina USO board, and George Tuskey,
Manager of the USO office at RDU-as well as other LC Industries employees, USO volunteers and military personnel.
The donation is just one example of the support businesses and organizations in North Carolina are giving to our troops.
According to USO officials, their mission is to enhance the quality of life of US Armed Forces personnel and their families,
create a cooperative relationship between US military communities and support civilian communities. As a non-profit
organization, the USO relies solely on the support of contributors to provide services. Pitchford said centers can only be
opened after a community or business has donated the facilities and funds.
"At RDU, we needed a way to get troops between Raleigh, Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg," Pitchford said.
"The airport authority was so welcoming and agreed to donate the space and facilities."
The 1550-square-foot office is furnished with reclining leather couches, a big-screen TV, a full-service kitchen,
two online computers, a PlayStation and various DVDs to entertain troops while they are in transit.
"The USO is great," said PFC Robert Villamor III, a native of Lodi, CA., who has been to numerous USO centers
around the country. "One time I lost my bags and went to the USO office five minutes before they closed.
The lady helped me find my bags quickly and was so friendly even though she should have been getting ready to leave."
According to Tuskey, the RDU center also participates in Christmas parties for the children of deployed troops, and other
programs of support throughout the year.
"When you see a father prying a child off his mother's leg because she has to go to war, that is the real sacrifice,"
Tuskey said. "We want to make sure the troops know someone cares and recognizes that sacrifice."
Mindy Hamlin, director of public relations at RDU, said the community response to the center has been overwhelming.
"We receive numerous calls each week from people wanting to volunteer or donate money," Hamlin said. "We
wanted to give troops a place to go while they were waiting to be deployed instead of waiting in the terminal."
Since opening its doors just four months ago, the USO center at RDU has employed 112 volunteers and served approximately
1100 troops per month.
Lounge is oasis amid airport din
December 15, 2004
EXCERPT:
Acorn Fautanu wouldn't have had many options a few months ago at the airport -- just stiff seats and coffee-kiosk fare
to pass the time while he waited for a ride after a long flight from American Samoa.
Instead, the 27-year-old Army sergeant was sprawled out in a leather recliner, watching football on a large-screen TV.
Free chips, cookies, fruit, drinks and other snacks were a few steps away at Raleigh-Durham International Airport's
four-month-old USO lounge for service members, veterans, retirees and their families.
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The USO holds grand opening at RDU
Don Bryan/Daily News
Facility passes muster: Marine Brig. Gen. Ronald S. Coleman, commander of 2nd FSSG at Camp Lejeune, visits the first airport-based USO at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Thursday
August 06,2004
RALEIGH -
Cpl. Jeremiah Warnick remembers traveling through Raleigh-Durham International Airport when he first got orders
to Camp Lejeune four years ago. Just basic stuff was a hassle.
"I had to change into my uniform for my ride to the base," he remembered. "You had all this gear, but you really didn't
have anywhere to change or anywhere to put anything."
When he arrived at RDU on Thursday with his wife, Kellie, 6-year-old son Nathan and 3-year-old daughter Jadyn,
things were a little different.
Warnick discovered the airport now has a place for him to park his gear and a place where he and his family can relax.
The Raleigh-Durham International Airport USO center held its grand opening Thursday. The 1,550-square-foot facility,
donated to the USO by the airport, was fully stocked with volunteers, snacks, computers, entertainment and plenty of
places to take a load off - including two changing rooms. It's operated by the USO of North Carolina, which is based
in Jacksonville.
The Warnicks will soon be relocating - Jeremiah is about to re-enlist and has tentative orders to California -
and the family wants to return home to Colorado for a while. They arrived at RDU at noon but had a couple of
hours to kill before their 2 p.m. flight.
The USO center was a welcome relief. Kellie was impressed.
"We've been (to RDU) before when he's been on deployments, and there was never any where to sit.
We'd take the kids and find a place on the floor," she said. "Now that the USO is here, I am really excited.
Something like this that's for the military is right up my alley."
Wardick said he believes the new center is going to make a big difference for his fellow service members en route
to their new duty stations. It's the second USO, or United Services Organization facility in North Carolina, joining the
one on Tallman Street in Jacksonville. It's the first in an airport.
"It's really going to be good for those that are brand new to the military. There's a lot coming through
(RDU) right out of boot camp - for a lot of them it's the first time they've ever left Mom and Dad," he said.
"(The USO center) is a welcome for them."
It's a welcome that Brig. Gen. Ronald Coleman, commanding general of 2nd Force Service Support Group at Camp
Lejeune, said his troops can use.
"When our service members are able to walk through those doors and hear a USO volunteer say 'Welcome.
Come on in' it makes a big difference," Coleman said. "When the USO takes care of them here (at RDU),
it makes them better people when they get to me."
Coleman spoke to a crowd of nearly 200 gathered for the grand opening ceremony Thursday morning. He said he was
grateful for the new center and the efforts of the USO and RDU, which helped with the $100,000 renovations.
He said that for years the USO had been taking care of the men and women of the military and shared his personal
experience from China Beach in Vietnam.
"On Saturdays, there was a standing line that wrapped around forever of service members waiting to make their
call home," Coleman said. "You got one three-minute call and you got one chance. Back then, there was no call
waiting, no e-mail, no cell phone. If the line was busy you went to the back of the line so you could try again."
Coleman said there was one call he made in 1970 that he'd never forget. "I called home and found out I was going
to be a father for the first time," he said. "It was the USO that allowed me to do that."
Contact Timmi Toler at 353-1171, ext. 258 or at
ttoler@jdnews.com.
Public support vital to USO satellite office
August 04,2004
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the last of a three-part series looking at the new branch of the USO being opened in Raleigh on
Thursday by the Jacksonville-based USO of North Carolina.
It's taken eight months for the USO of North Carolina to transform 1,550 square feet of space at the
Raleigh-Durham International Airport into a USO Satellite Center. And it wouldn't have been possible without two
North Carolina communities, said Judy Pitchford, president and CEO of the USO of North Carolina based in Jacksonville.
The USO of North Carolina and its satellite center at RDU depend entirely on public donations - the organization does not
receive any funding from USO headquarters, the U.S. Government or the Department of Defense. When the opportunity to
open up a new facility at the airport came around, Pitchford knew its success would depend upon the public's response.
"The USO was very fortunate to have had the space donated by the Raleigh Durham Airport Authority, who also donated
$100,000 for renovations," said Pitchford. "We wanted to be able to maximize the space for our service members and that meant
we were going to need some additional items."
Pitchford said many of the items needed to make the newest home away from home comfortable and inviting were provided by
various organizations, businesses and individuals in the Jacksonville and Raleigh areas.
"Jacksonville has always taken care of the troops," said Pitchford, "and the (Raleigh-Durham) area has also
responded with tremendous support."
A brand new Kenmore Elite refrigerator was donated by the Sears at Northgate and the Sears at Crabtree Valley Mall
in Raleigh. Cabinets that line the kitchenette were provided by KB Homes in Raleigh, which also donated a microwave.
The JROTC cadets at Wake Forest-Rollesville High School held a fund-raiser and collected enough money to buy an ice machine
for the center. Home entertainment lounge furniture, in a grouping of six, was donated by Itchy Popkin of Furniture Fair of
Jacksonville. A Sony Playstation 2 was donated by Hosea Saco of Jacksonville and SAS of Cary donated five laptops and two
desktop computers to the center.
She said one of the most generous - and moving - donations is the large 36-inch Sony color TV donated from the estate
of Mike Bertini. The retired Marine was a longtime supporter of the USO and an advocate for veterans and veterans issues.
Bertini, who lived in Jacksonville, passed away in February.
"Mike was a great friend to the USO," said Pitchford. "Knowing this new facility is opening and that he somehow
contributed to it would have made him happy."
She said that all donations, regardless of size, are important.
"We've already gotten a shipment of homemade cards for the troops," said Pitchford. "The cards came from
Hillsborough and were sent to the center. They already knew we were here."
Pitchford said the new center is about 85 percent complete. She said all of the pieces will be in place for
its grand opening on Thursday.
Some have even been put to use.
"We had a couple of Marines come in and at first, they were a little apprehensive.
We told them to come in and make themselves at home," Pitchford said.
"They found the Playstation and popped in a game. The next time I looked over, they were lying back in the chairs and they
were fast asleep. I thought 'Yes. This is what it's all about.'"
Contact Timmi Toler at 353-1171, ext. 258 or at ttoler@jdnews.com.
Manager wants airport USO to be haven for troops
August 03,2004
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second of a three-part series looking at the new branch of the USO being opened at Raleigh-Durham
Internation Airport by the Jacksonville-based USO of North Carolina.
The image is still vivid for George Tuskey. Coming home from Vietnam in 1969, the former Camp Lejeune Marine still
remembers the welcome he received at Los Angeles International Airport.
"I was spit on and called a baby murderer," he said of the war protestors lingering in the terminals.
"I had to wait for my next flight out. There wasn't much I could do."
Now, however, he's hoping there is a lot he can do. Tuskey has been named manager of the USO of North Carolina's
satellite center, which opens Thursday at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
"My hope for the center is that it will be a safe haven for our military and their families," Tuskey said.
The Chapel Hill resident, who after the Marine Corps became a corrections officer at South Bay Correctional
Facility in South Bay, Fla., and eventually retired as an assistant warden, said that in many ways his new position
brings him full circle.
"This country now finds itself involved in another war that is controversial," Tuskey said.
"I want to ensure that no military service member (arriving at RDU) has to question whether their service is appreciated
- to make sure they know their personal sacrifice is honored."
Experience a plus
Tuskey says his years as a Marine and his experience in corrections will serve him well at the center.
"I have an extensive background in working with people in high-stress situations," he said.
"I'm also familiar with the bureaucratic process. I know how to deal with the numerous agencies the USO deals with."
The new USO center will have several amenities available for military service members and their families, who need
only to show their military IDs to enter. They include a kitchenette, game area, snack bar, entertainment area and
changing rooms.
"Some of our military (members) would have to sit 10, 12, 13 hours waiting to catch a ride - or their
flight might not even leave until the next day," Tuskey said. "Until now, there were no resources available to them."
Initially, the satellite center will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week and will be manned by Tuskey and
staff of volunteers. Tuskey said support for the USO in the Triangle has been encouraging.
Strong support
"A lot of people want to help and have wanted to help support the military for a long time, but they didn't know who
to contact," said Tuskey. "Every day we get phone calls - they know (the USO) is coming and they want to support it."
Though the satellite center won't officially open for a couple days, Tuskey said the USO for several weeks has been
welcoming service members traveling through RDU.
"We've had about 80 to 100 people come in already, and it's going well."
And even when they aren't coming in, Tuskey is on the lookout. He'll stroll through the terminals checking for
service members waiting for a flight or for those just looking a little lost, to let them know their home away
from home is near by.
"The USO needs to become the leader in this community when it comes to supporting our military and their
families," said Tuskey. "We need to make sure we provide whatever services are available."
Contact Timmi Toler at 353-1171, ext. 258 or at
ttoler@jdnews.com.
USO Starts With You
October 4, 2006
EXCERPT:
Ever have the naked dream? The one where everybody is fully dressed and for some inexplicable reason you're standing there with your
modesty flapping in the breeze?
That's the way I felt Saturday night. I was decked out in my best rented clothes, but when I looked at the
dazzling people around me, I felt like the valet parking guy.
Click to read more on the N&O Website... (Free login may be required)
We All Owe the USO
July 10, 2004
EXCERPT: It's payback time. If you were a lonely serviceman or woman who one day wandered into a USO in some godforsaken GI town looking to ease your homesickness, it's time to say thank you.
Click to read more on the N&O Website... (Article has been removed from the N&O website.)
USO brings a 'Touch of Home' to RDU
January 30,2004
Beginning this summer, military personnel traveling through RDU will enjoy a home away from home at the airport.
The Airport Authority recently partnered with the United Services Organizations of North Carolina to open a
USO Center at RDU.
"The center will serve as a friendly place in an unfamiliar environment," says Judy Pitchford, executive director for the
USO of North Carolina. "It is a place where active duty and reserve personnel, their families and retired military
personnel can relax and obtain assistance in any situation."
RDU is the closest international airport to North Carolinas' major military locations. Thousands of men and woman of the
Armed Forces and their families travel through the airport every year, and the USO Center will be a welcome addition to
their travel experience.
The 1,500 square-foot center, located in Terminal A, will include food and beverage service, computer stations, a
relaxation lounge, luggage storage, a family area, emergency assistance and transportation to military locations
across the state.
"Most travelers have a sense of where they are going, how they are going to get there and who will be waiting for them,"
says Pitchford. "In the case of young military personnel, they are given orders, an airline ticket and sent on their way.
The USO Center is a place where they can go for information, food and a welcoming smile."
The USO Center at RDU, scheduled to open on July 4, has already generated excitement at local military bases and
around the Triangle.
"The Raleigh-Durham community is very supportive of the military in our state," says Pitchford. "We look forward to
working with the airport and the community in providing our military with a touch of home at RDU."
Contact Timmi Toler at 353-1171, ext. 258 or at
ttoler@jdnews.com.
Don Bryan/Daily News
Breaking the ice: Sisters from the Zeta Tau Alpha chapter at N.C. State join a handful of single Marines on the hardwood Saturday night during the USO's Sorority Dance in Jacksonville.
To be young ... and single
January 30,2004
It's a Saturday night in Jacksonville. Cpl. Christopher Shumway and a group of his Marine buddies from New River are
hanging out downtown on Tallman street, about to head into the USO of North Carolina. They're as curious as they are
excited about the event that's taking place there. It's a dance, a bit of a throw back to the USO's glory days in the
40s and 50s when, virtually every weekend, the building was packed with locals ready to kick up their heels and blow
off some steam.
This night, the USO is hoping to revisit some of that magic. Sisters from the Zeta Tau Alpha Chapter of North Carolina
State University have traveled from Raleigh to help host the USO's first Sorority Dance. It's a little before 8 p.m.,
which is when the dance begins, and the Zeta Tau Alpha sisters are packed in the ladies bathroom. Last minute checks
on hair, makeup and outfits are made - the atmosphere nearly crackles with nervous excitement as they chat about what
is to come. Tonight, they're supposed to be in charge. They have to ask the young men to dance. This is all new to them.
They don't know quite what to expect.
"We're very excited about it," says Miquel Purser, president of the Zeta Tau Alpha Chapter, "but we've never done
anything like this before, so we don't really know what's going to happen."
The sisters weren't alone. Shumway and his friends said that when they first heard about the event, they didn't know what
to think either.
"Initially, I didn't think I was going to come," says Shumway, 21, "but then I thought it sounded like a good thing,
like someone was trying to do something good for the single Marines."
When Shumway hits the doors at the USO, he's asked to show his military ID - the free event was only open to single,
active-duty military. Shumway also has to pass inspection, so to speak, on his apparel. Proper liberty attire
was required at the alcohol free event - collared shirts, no T-shirts, no shorts.
Shumway checks out and is admitted inside. He is then given a playing card by one of the dozen or so USO volunteers
helping chaperone the event.
"The seven of spades," he says as he flips the card over. "Cool."
The Zeta Tau sisters have each already been given a card - the idea is to find the match during the dance.
"An ice breaker," says Judy Pitchford, president and CEO of the USO of North Carolina. "It gives the ladies a
chance to get to know the guys, and it gives the shy guys a reason to go up and talk to the ladies."
Pitchford surveys the ballroom, dotted with balloons and decorations, where the dance is being held. Tonight is a trial
run and if all goes well, it will be the first of many dances to come. Pitchford is testing the waters for participant
turnout, behavior and whether or not people enjoy themselves.
"We'd love to be able to do more of these," she says. "It's something different. Of course, years ago, the dance
floor at the USO was full every night."
That was something that Betty White could attest too. When she found out the USO was hosting the Sorority Dance, the
76-year-old got her hair done, bought a new outfit, grabbed her husband, Ralph, and drove up from her home in Hampstead.
She was 15 the last time she visited the USO in Jacksonville. During World War II, Betty and her friends would come up
for the dances.
"They'd bring us in on buses. The men would be in uniforms and the women had to dress formal. There'd be 10 guys for
every girl in the room," said Betty, with a twinkle in her eye. "And boy, did we have fun."
Stepping into the ballroom 61 years later, she wonders about the tables lining each side of the room. "Back then, we
wouldn't have had room for them. It was wall-to-wall people."
Betty said the dances were what everyone looked forward too, what everyone talked about. She made friends and even
became pen pals with some of the men in uniform. She also learned tough lessons about the job they do.
"I'd write to them every week. When they stopped writing - that's when you knew. They weren't coming home," she says.
"We lost a lot of them."
Those dances at the USO were special, Betty said, and she's excited for the young crowd now gathered on the dance floor. "The USO is a marvelous place. It is a place where people can come and let their hair down and enjoy themselves." She and
Ralph have been married 43 years. They have five children, 22 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
But on this night, Betty feels like she's 15 again. "I'd love to get out there and dance. I won a jitterbug contest once
at the USO," she says.
It's a little after 8 p.m. and the crowd is forming conversational clusters in the ballroom. Betty has some advice for them. "They're wasting too much time talking," she says. "They need to get out there and dance."
As if on cue, the Deejay plays the one song that pretty much guarantees people will hit the dance floor. "The Electric
Slide" beckons Zeta sisters and Devil Dogs both of whom oblige. Laughter soon fills the air as the crowd tries to
stay in step.
It was the moment Pitchford was hoping for.
"I think it's going well," she said, noting the crowd that was growing. In the span of an hour, the USO handed out more than
three decks of playing cards.
Somewhere in the course of the night, "Endless Love" poured out of the speakers and Shumway met his match. Katie Bacak, a
sophomore at N.C. State, had the seven of spades. They danced slowly and got to know each other - life as a college student,
life as a Marine.
"He was very interesting and he was also attentive," said Bacak of Shumway. "(The cards) really helped break the ice.
I'm having a really good time."
Purser said she and her sisters appreciated the "retro feel" of the dance. "It's a way to branch out and meet new people
and get away from the college scene for awhile," said Purser, a senior at N.C. State. "It's also a way we can help show
these guys our support."
Micheal Souders, a sergeant with 2nd Force Service and Support Battalion, said he was pleasantly surprised with the
evening - especially the ladies of Zeta Tau Alpha.
"Honestly, when I first heard about this, I thought maybe they would be a little stuck up, but they're not. They're
really sweet," said the 26-year-old from Atlanta, Ga. "I think it's cool that they took the time to come here on
a Saturday night and hang out with us. I'm sure there's a bunch of other things they could be doing."
And if there's another dance at the USO in the future, it looks like the invite list has begun.
"Everyone has been really friendly," said Purser. "I'd love to come to another one."
For more information about the USO, call 455-3411.
Contact Timmi Toler at 353-1171, ext. 258 or at
ttoler@jdnews.com.
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