"The Persian Gulf War also
challenged the USO to meet the needs of our troops in unique
circumstances. The USO immediately responded by opening
three centers in the Middle East and establishing the USO
Mobile Canteen program. Mobile Canteens are four-wheel
drive, all-terrain vehicles that have refreshments, books,
magazines, video and compact disc players, and resources for
recreational activities. USO workers drove the vans to
wherever the troops were deployed to provide some relief."
Messages from the troops!
Join the discussion at:
Soldier's Perspective
Voices from Camp Bucca, Iraq:
"The USO has historically been a
source of relaxation and entertainment for Servicemembers
deployed to war-torn areas throughout the world.
As a
leader in the US Army, I appreciate all that the USO does
with helping to boost morale and bringing Servicemembers
closer to their families via the internet in areas
surrounding the Iraqi Theatre.
But what
about Iraq itself?
Currently, there are no USO's in Iraq to help bring comfort
and joy to those Servicemembers - the bulk of our armed
forces fighting the insurgency! While our FOBs do have MWR
facilities, they are too small, under-resourced, and lack
certain amenities that the USO is world famous for
providing. Servicemembers in Iraq need a place to relax
after working long hours in extremely stressful conditions.
I propose that the USO consider allocating their resources
to support those Servicemembers stationed in Iraq,
specifically at Camp Bucca (Umm Qsar) and at Camp Victory
(Baghdad).
The
additional phones, computers, pool tables and the like will
bring a sense of satisfaction to a Force who have
respectfully gone without since 2003. Until they all come
home, bring the USO to Iraq!"
1LT
Jonathan R. Mraz
705th MP BN (I/R)
Camp Bucca, Iraq
