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Portable USO Center Brings 'Piece of Home' to Soldiers
(June 9, 2009) | 
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Army Lt. Col. Eugene Shearer, Army Command Sgt. Maj. Shelton Williamson, Army Col. Marcus Cochran and Kevin Meade cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the USO's first portable facility at Forward Operating Base Shank in Afghanistan's Logar province, May 27, 2009. |
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Logar Province, Afghanistan, June 3, 2009
Soldiers at
Forward Operating Base Shank here gathered May 27 for the
dedication of the first “USO in a Box.”
The facility was dedicated to the soldiers who serve, have
served and to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Task Force Spartan soldiers from the 710th Brigade Support
Battalion hosted a formal ceremony for the grand opening.
Army Col. Marcus Cochran, personnel assistance officer in
charge for Combined Joint Task Force 101 was the event's
keynote speaker.
“The USO is a place where any soldier can go and it feels
like home,” he said. “It's a place that offers a break.”
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Though it's small and enclosed within a
metal container, the new USO facility comes with all
amenities included, making it an oasis for relaxation and
fun. It includes a large-screen television, two phones for
morale calls, two computers for personal e-mail access and
three video-game consoles.
“This facility is the first-ever to be established anywhere
in the world,” said Army Capt. Pena De Lucia of the CJTF 101
personnel office, who had a large role in planning the
event.
“We saw the need for a facility in this area,” said Kevin
Meade, vice president for USO facilities throughout
Southwest Asia. “We did extensive research, and this is
where our research showed we should establish the first
center.”
More portable USOs soon will follow. Two other units have
arrived at Bagram Airfield and await transport to
destinations in Kunar and Paktia provinces.
“We plan to have 10 facilities set up across Afghanistan,
including this one,” Meade said. “Ten facilities will be set
up here, and 10 will be sent to Iraq.”
The facilities are part of what Meade refers to as a
“three-prong effect,” which includes the portable USO
facilities, gaming systems and “USO to Go,” a program that
sends soldiers packages of goodies, clothing, board games,
and musical instruments.
“What we want is to provide outreach to those soldiers that
are out on the more obscure FOBs,” Meade said, “which is why
we have made these portable USO facilities so durable,
compact and easy to set up.”
After the ceremony, soldiers had a chance to tour the
facility. Without a word, they settled down in front of the
large TV, dialed up their families or sat down to compete on
the gaming systems.
None had to be asked; they all knew what to do: just come in
and put their minds at ease for a moment at “a little piece
of home” in the middle of their dusty forward base.
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Article and photo by Army Sgt. Amber Robinson
Task Force Spartan public affairs office
Special to
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2009
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