Free Republic

ARLINGTON, Va., April 15, 2010 – Military leaders and a host of celebrities came together here yesterday to pay tribute to outstanding servicemembers and other special honorees at a star-studded event. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addresses the audience at the annual USO Gala in Arlington, Va., April 14, 2010. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The USO of Metropolitan Washington hosted its 28th annual awards dinner at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, a night devoted to USO supporters -– military and civilian --...

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait, April 1, 2010 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ended a trip to the U.S. Central Command region with a stop to meet logisticians here. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen also brought USO celebrities with him to remind servicemembers that the American people love them and think of them. Mullen told servicemembers and civilians at a USO event at the airport that he appreciates their hard work, and said they are the unsung heroes of America’s wars. The men and women in Kuwait are responsible for sustaining almost 200,000 U.S. servicemembers fighting in Afghanistan and...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2010 – USO officials plan to build family centers at the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md., and Fort Belvoir, Va., to continue the USO’s tradition of bringing troops a piece of home. The project was inspired by the Army Community Services center at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, said Sloan Gibson, USO Inc. president, who toured the facility in March. He said he got to thinking about construction under way at Bethesda and Fort Belvoir for new military medical facilities and decided the new facilities needed similar centers. The 25,000 square-foot...

BALTIMORE, Dec. 24, 2009 – As the rest of Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport bustled with holiday travelers yesterday, its USO Lounge offered military travelers -- many returning home from overseas deployments -- a welcome sanctuary of solace. The USO Lounge at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport offers military travelers a respite from crowded airport terminals, particularly during the holiday season. DoD photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The lounge is conveniently positioned near the international departure gates on the airport’s lower level. Yet, to the dozens of servicemembers who took refuge here yesterday afternoon, it...

Dave Attell, a stand-up comedian, gets a crowd of service members laughing during a United Service Organization holiday show aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Dec. 19. Attell and other celebrities showed their support and appreciation for service members deployed throughout Iraq on their USO tour. Photo by Cpl. Triah Pendracki, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Fwd). AL ASAD AIR BASE — The United Service Organization brought some Christmas spirit to the troops here, Dec. 19, as well-known celebrities took to the stage to show support. "To see the smiles and reaction of the troops is truly a precious gift," said...

12/17/2009 - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- Hundreds of Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines gathered here Dec. 15, to enjoy a United Service Organizations' Holiday Troop Visit tour featuring country singer and actor Billy Ray Cyrus, tennis pro Anna Kournikova, acclaimed comedian Dave Attell and legendary tennis coach and inspirational speaker Nick Bollettieri. The celebrities are joining The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen and his wife, Deborah Mullen, for an USO-sponsored holiday troop visit as part of a 13-show whirlwind tour to boost the troops' spirits during the holiday season. Mr. Atell, known for his...

Bob Hope's last Christmas Tour 1972 In 1996, the U.S. Congress honored Bob Hope by declaring him the "first and only honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces." Bob Hope appeared in or hosted 199 known USO shows.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, July 16, 2009 – Celebrities stopped by here yesterday to entertain troops as part of the star-studded USO’s Summer Troop Visit. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the celebrities are travelling throughout the U.S. Central Command area of operations to thank troops for their service and sacrifice. The celebrities include actors Bradley Cooper and D.B. Sweeney, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Warrick Dunn, National Football League Hall of Famer Don Shula, and sports commentator and model Leeann Tweeden. The group’s first stop was aboard the USS Ronald Reagan, an aircraft...

Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher (right) and Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher share some laughs with U.S. servicemembers during a National Football League coaches USO tour of Iraq, at Al Faw Palace, Baghdad, July 2. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Edwin L. Wriston, Joint Combat Camera Center – Iraq. KIRKUK — It was a long line for Soldiers and Airmen, but awaiting them at the end were legendary NFL coaches ready to sign photos, shirts or anything else you could scribble a signature on. The coaches, who included New York Giants’ Coach Tom Coughlin, Baltimore Ravens’...

The soldiers expressed their gratitude over and over to the NFL coaches who made the trip to Iraq. "They kept thanking us," said the Tennessee Titans' Jeff Fisher. "We kept thanking them." Fisher, the New York Giants' Tom Coughlin, the Baltimore Ravens' John Harbaugh, former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden are taking part in the first NFL-USO coaches tour over the Fourth of July weekend. A world they knew only through the distant glimpses of news reports turned very real for the coaches as they met with hundreds of soldiers in three...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq, June 26, 2009 – The familiar refrain of “There’s nothing to do around here after work” will hopefully be a thing of the past here with the opening of a new center for rest and relaxation. Workers install padding on the floor of the new Morale, Welfare and Recreation fitness center at Contingency Operating Base Basra, Iraq, June 24, 2009. The fitness center is slated to open July 1and is one of the services MWR will offer in cooperation with United Service Organizations, which is also housed in the building. U.S. Army photo by Sgt....

Stephen Colbert interviews special guest Gen. Ray Odierno, commanding general of the Multi-National Force - Iraq during Monday night's episode of "The Colbert Report." Photo by Lee Craker. CAMP VICTORY, BAGHDAD — It is official - Stephen Colbert came, saw and conquered Iraq, claiming victory on day three of his six-day adventure to the Middle East. Arriving in a C-17 from Kuwait, Colbert landed at the Baghdad International Airport, June 5, and began preparing for his shows at Camp Victory's Al Faw Palace, as part of his tour "Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando." "We wanted to call it 'Feelin HOT,...

Guitar legend Huey Long, the last surviving member of the original Ink Spots, died June 10 in Houston at the age of 105. Long was born in Sealy, Texas. He worked various jobs in the Houston area until he got his big break playing banjo in the Frank Davis Louisiana Jazz Band. In 1936, Bill Kenny, the leader of the Ink Spots, talked Long into leaving the jazz trio joining the Ink Spots. ...He moved back to Houston in the 90s, having written and arranged more than 80 songs. Long is survived by his daughter, Houston resident Anita Long, and...

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.” 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. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Amber Robinson  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The facility was dedicated to the soldiers who serve, have served and to those who have...

SAN DIEGO (Army News Service, May 29, 2009) -- Aboard the USS Midway Friday the U.S. Postal Service released the 44-cent Bob Hope commemorative stamp on what would have been the world-renowned entertainer and philanthropist's 106th birthday. Although Hope never officially served in the military, he dedicated a significant part of his life to entertaining the country's men and women in uniform starting in 1941 and continuing through Operation Desert Storm 50 years later. After giving hundreds of performances overseas he earned the nickname "G.I. Bob" and in 1997 he became the first person ever recognized by Congress as an...

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2009 – Country music megastar Toby Keith has performed for rowdy, appreciative troops more than 130 times over seven straight years. But during this year’s “America’s Toughest Tour,” he said, “The boys and girls were rockin' and laughin' like never before.” Country music megastar Toby Keith started his seventh USO tour in Afghanistan April 21, 2009, and has been putting on shows at a series of remote forward operating bases, most of which haven't had any outside entertainment come through in six months. Here, Keith entertains Marines at FOB #2 in Bakwa. Looking over his shoulder,...

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan, April 28, 2009 – Country singer and troop supporter Toby Keith finished up a 15-show tour in Afghanistan yesterday as he drew near the end of his seventh tour with the United Service Organizations. Service members crowd the stage April 27, 2009, at Bagram Air Field, to catch a photo of Toby Keith during his concert in Afghanistan. This was Keith’s seventh tour with the United Service Organizations. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Michael Greenberger   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Keith spent five days criss-crossing the war-torn country visiting bases large and small in...

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2009 – The USO of Metropolitan Washington unveiled the newest addition to its arsenal in a brief ceremony at the Pentagon today. The USO Mobile Canteen is a 34-foot vehicle that will deploy throughout the Washington Metropolitan Region in support of community events and on military installations to support events and training exercises. “I think this is an example, yet again, of Metro USO’s commitment to support our troops and their families no matter where they’re serving,” said Deborah Mullen, wife of Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Having this is...

CAMP EGGERS, Afghanistan, April 22, 2009 – Max Martini, who plays Army Master Sgt. Mack Gerhardt in the CBS show “The Unit,” raced up a steep hill at a combat outpost in 28 seconds. Actor Robert Patrick from the CBS television series "The Unit" cheers on fellow cast member Max Martini in a race with soldiers assigned to Combat Outpost Deysie, Afghanistan, April 22, 2009. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is on a six-day tour of the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility escorting a USO tour, meeting with counterparts and visiting troops....

RALLY FOR THE TROOPSThe seventh annual Rally for Troops was held in Cleveland, Ohio on Sunday, April 19, 2009, on Public Square from 11 a.m. to noon.  It featured tributes to military personnel and veterans.  Motorcycle processions from various Harley-Davidson dealerships in Northeast Ohio arrived downtown at 10 a.m.  Organizers said last year an estimated 5,000 motorcyclists attended the event, which is held regardless of the weather. Here are some pictures of this event.