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    USO celebrates 70 years in Jacksonville

    USO celebrates 70 years in Jacksonville

    Photo By Cpl. Miranda Blackburn | Sharon Dudley, who has been a volunteer at the local USO since 1975, talks with...... read more read more

    CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, UNITED STATES

    05.02.2012

    Story by Cpl. Miranda Blackburn 

    Marine Corps Installations East       

    CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Military service members, their families, veterans, friends and local community members gathered Sunday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the USO of North Carolina – Jacksonville Center during a brunch honoring the longest continuously operating USO facility in the world.

    The old building, nestled in the heart of downtown Jacksonville, has provided comfort and care to thousands of individuals and families throughout their military careers and promises to continue to serve the morale and recreational needs of the active and retired service members in the community.

    Along with the brunch, the USO displayed historical artifacts for service members attending the event.

    USO director Deb Fisher said the event was just a reminder to military past and present of the area’s appreciation for their sacrifice and service.

    “This is just really such a huge occasion for us because there’s about 170 USOs throughout the world and the oldest continuously serving USO that has never shut their doors is right here in Jacksonville, N.C.,” said Fisher. “I think that’s pretty amazing.”

    Attendants of the celebration included USO volunteers and tenants from as far back as 1947.

    The United Service Organization was established in 1941 under the direction of President D. Roosevelt to provide off-duty recreational opportunities for U.S. Armed Forces through civilian support systems.

    These organizations included the Salvation Army, YMCA, YWCA, National Catholic Community Services, National Travelers Aid Association and National Jewish Welfare Board.

    The first USO opened in Fayetteville that year, soon followed by the Jacksonville Center. There were 3,000 USO establishments that surfaced during World War II, with as many as 12,000 personnel visiting per month. By 1998, those numbers had dropped to less than 3,000.

    While many USO centers closed, the commitment to volunteers kept the doors of the Jacksonville location open through the decades.

    Through the 1950s, the center held events such as big band dance nights, miniature golf, basketball, roller skating and pool and by the 1970s, the USO’s original director William Sheehan sought a variety of activities that would give the military a safe place to interact downtown.

    Today, the USO continues to introduce a variety of interactive programs and services that allow military to stay in touch with their families when there are thousands of miles between them.

    “I’m very honored to have taken over this USO in August of 2010,” said Fisher. “I hail from Ohio and I really appreciate being embraced by the Jacksonville community, the Marines, sailors and coasties down here. I’ve been out of pocket so I had very little to do with putting this event on. I would like to thank our assistant director Marisa Reeder for doing such a phenomenal job and for pulling this off with her volunteers.”

    John Falkenbury, president of the USO of North Carolina reminded guests that volunteers are the heart of their organization.

    In order to put on this particular event, Marines from Company C, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division and sailors from the Naval Hospital Branch Medical Clinic aboard Camp Johnson provided the necessary beautification and renovation for the anniversary including painting, mowing and planting flowers to make sure the USO was ready to celebrate the historic milestone.

    “These five centers (in North Carolina) saw 407,000 men and women in uniform last year,” said Falkenbury. “That has risen every year since we’ve been here because of people that volunteer to care of our service members … We are the only organization that is equipped with the heart that takes care of the soul."

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 05.02.2012
    Date Posted: 05.02.2012 14:51
    Story ID: 87743
    Location: CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US

    Web Views: 102
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN