The USO supports service members who are assigned to be away from home during the holidays
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The USO supports troops deployed around the world
USO CEO Michael Linington and USO regional director Alex Liccione joined ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ to discuss the important work their organization does to support service members deployed overseas.
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The United Service Organization (USO) highlights the work it does to support US service members deployed far from home and shares why that effort is especially important during the holidays.
“We’re there for our service members when they’re deployed, and then, during the holiday season, that’s when it’s the hardest for them. They miss their families,” USO CEO Michael Linington said on “Fox & Friends Weekend” Saturday.
“They need that connection, that emotional connection. And the USO really provides a home away from home for those service members overseas and those who are afloat,” he added.
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The USO helps care for service members who are sent away from home for the holidays, (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Linington noted that most Americans are familiar with what the USO does in airports and its domestic programs, but said few understand the scope of its operations overseas.
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In some of the most remote areas, including parts of the Middle East and Africa, the organization provides basic necessities, ways to connect with loved ones and small comforts from home.
“Service members plan and prepare to deploy to areas in the Pacific or Europe but end up in the Middle East in very remote desert areas without access to any basic services,” said Alex Liccione, USO area director.
“It’s easy to think, ‘I can buy sunscreen on the floor.’ That’s not the case. There is nowhere to buy it,” Liccione added, explaining that it can take months for the requirements to be sent to them.
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Liccione said USO care packages often include hygiene products, food items and other needs to support soldiers during deployments. He also highlighted the organization’s food program, where they often cook meals for the military family.
“We do a lot of food programs as souvenirs from home,” Liccione said.
“We take family recipes from service members, and we’ll cook them when they’re there.”
President Joe Biden joins chef Robert Irvine in serving service members and military families during a Friendgiving dinner at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Va., on Nov. 19, 2023. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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“We do deep Oreo shows, and they’ll say, ‘Hey, that reminds me of a carnival at home.’ So communication is important.”
Linington noted that the USO operates in more than 130 countries and supports service members on more than a dozen ships and destroyers. Founded in 1941, the organization’s mission is to stand by service members throughout their military journey.
