Did You Know about the Friendly Skies of the USO?

By Chuck N. Baker
No matter where their flight originates or where they are going, active duty military members and their families have a traveling companion that provides amazing hospitality. It is the private, nonprofit known as the United Service Organization or the USO.

The USO has free use lounges in airports all across the US. In Nevada, there is a free use lounge at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. It allows you to come in for water, soft drinks, food, internet, gaming, movies or just a place to rest, for free!

At McCarran Airport, the USO has two facilities where members of the military can rest and rejuvenate before moving on to their connecting flights. A third center is located at Creech Air Force Base at Indian Springs. In Nevada and at USO centers at airports in other States, visitors are offered a safe, comfortable environment.

Once there, service people and their families have access to the items noted above, as well as an area for kids to entertain themselves. USO Center Director David Thorson added that area is also, “A sort of a theater room, which is more of a napping room.”

The USO likes to advertise to the men and women in uniform its mission is mainly to help active duty personnel and their families as they travel from duty station to duty station and from airport to airport. But the organization also provides transition advice through the Pathfinder Program. It is available to members of the Reserve, the National Guard, active duty units, as well as to military spouses and dependents.

Thorson said, “We help troops transitioning out of the military into civilian life in a sort of a one-on-one concierge type service. We help connect them with employment, education, certification, whatever resources they need.” He added, “No matter where they choose to go after their military service, the USO will make it feel like home.” Thorson also explained, “Military spouses are also helped through Pathfinder as they too have to ‘transition effectively’ every time their service member has to move to a different base.”

Thorson said the USO has about 250 volunteers in southern Nevada. He explained, “It would be impossible for us to do what we do without them.”

The facility in Terminal One is open 24/7 and could not operate without the many volunteers who staff the location. “A lot of our volunteers are veterans,” Thorson said. “Some are spouses of veterans and some are even active duty.”

Another way to get involved is by donating soft drinks and snacks, Slim Jims, ChapStick, wrapped candy, video games, deodorant, deployment kits that include toiletries and in-kind donations from various corporations. Companies can also become financial sponsors to the USO.

Thorson said, “You have to remember these people are normal people with the normal needs all of us have. The difference is they can get called up and told ‘You’re going to Afghanistan in two weeks. Pack your bags and get going.’ They don’t always have the time and the resources to prepare for that. So anything we can do to help really makes a difference.”

When it comes to financial donations, anything is accepted and welcomed. Anyone who wants to get involved is encouraged to go to lasvegas.uso.org and fill out a brief application. It’s an opportunity to provide personal service to a service organization.

For a list of USO free lounges across the US, go here:

https://www.sleepinginairports.net/airport-lounges/uso-lounges.htm