Military Officer - October 2007 - (Page 52)

Unsure of what to do, White goes with his friends, who also are lower enlisted men, to the airport’s USO. There he receives directions to the terminal where he can catch his connecting ﬂight in a few hours. Before leaving, he and his friends enjoy free sandwiches and drinks and spend some time relaxing in front of a big-screen TV. “I’m glad the USO is there, particularly for some of the other soldiers, because they didn’t have a lot of money, and they could get some free food,” says White. “It’s a really friendly atmosphere, and it’s just a good place to go and relax and relieve some stress. It’s a good support center for the soldiers.” Support that’s accessible White is one of hundreds of soldiers who pass through DFW International Airport each day and stop at the USO, which provides comfort, morale, and recreational services to active duty servicemembers and their families. Many of the volun- teers providing these services are MOAA chapter members, such as Patty Little and her husband, Lt. Col. Bob Little, USAFR-Ret., who belong to the North DFW Chapter. Patty Little began volunteering at the DFW International Airport’s USO shortly after it opened three years ago. Every Tuesday morning, you can ﬁnd her at the USO serving drinks and sandwiches, directing servicemembers to the cybercafé or to free cell phones they can use, or helping them select books to read to their children back home as part of the United Through Reading Military Program. The program enables deploying servicemembers who are waiting for their plane to read children’s books on camera; the video is burned onto a DVD and mailed free of charge, with the books, to the servicemembers’ little ones back home. “I received a phone call from a mom in Alaska who had received a United Through Reading DVD and book from her husband,” says Sherri Allen, volunteer coordinator at the DFW USO. “She was in tears as she spoke of her three children and how much they loved the DVD. Her 10year-old had a father-daughter event at school and she took the DVD to present at the program.” The USO receives no federal funding, so centers rely on volunteers and donations. In June, Patty Little gave a presentation to her fellow chapter members about the many services provided by the USO, including the United Through Reading program. Soon after, chapter member Lt. Cmdr. Tammy Swofford, USNR, began asking for donations of new children’s books on her blog (www.tammyswofford.blogspot .com). A representative from Penguin Cmdr. Doug Borden, USN-Ret. (left); Lt. Cmdr. William Broome, USCG (above); and other MOAA volunteers (facing page) assemble care packages at a “stuffing party” before the packages are mailed to USO centers across the country. 52 MILITARY OFFICER OCTOBER 2007 PHOTOS: SEAN SHANAHAN http://www.tammyswofford.blogspot.com http://www.tammyswofford.blogspot.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - October 2007

Military Officer - October 2007 Contents From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Cover Story: A Hero's Welcome? Partners in Patriotism Tales from Beyond the Battlefield Financial Results of MOAA Pages of History Information Exchange Faces of MOAA Member Books MOAA Scholarship Donors Advertising Index MOAA Member Services MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - October 2007

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