USO is there for the troops

Photo By Spc. Gary Yim | USO volunteers Sondra McQueary, left, and Rick McQueary take notes during a volunteer training meeting at the Camp Atterbury, Ind., USO Center  

CAMP ATTERBURY, IN, UNITED STATES

05.14.2016

Story by Spc. Gary Yim 

372nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

“Come on in! Grab a hot dog, the movie is about to start.”
From full-bird colonels to privates, all are welcome inside and greeted with smiles and snacks. Soldiers, sailors, coast guardsmen, airmen and Marines from all walks of life smile and breathe. They are home.
The USO at Camp Atterbury, part of USO Indiana, is run with a simple principle in mind: hospitality.
“We get a lot of [service members] who are only here for a week or two,” said Jaclyn Bolin, Camp Atterbury center manager. “It's really rewarding to know that we are able to provide them with these [comforts].”
The center gives a welcome feeling from the moment you step through the door. The front desk is staffed with volunteers from all over Indiana.
“I've been volunteering here for nine years,” said Joann Benedetto, a Chicago native who moved to Indiana in 2007.
“I really missed the military culture,” said Benedetto, who was married to a retired Marine gunnery sergeant for 30 years before his death. “I wanted to give back, and I love helping this new generation.”
After they are welcomed by the volunteers at the front desk, service members have a variety of amenities to occupy their downtime. A computer lab with printers and scanners can be used to catch up on email or surf the web. A library provides a quiet place to read with hundreds of books that service members are free to take if they like. A fully stocked kitchen sports a hot dog machine, a movie theater-style popcorn machine, all sorts of chips and the ever-full coffee pot. There is a theater with stadium seating and a projector screen playing the latest DVD releases. A dozen video game stations provide service members the opportunity to catch up on the latest games. A billiards, ping pong and air hockey tables provide some friendly competition. The barbecue grill and picnic tables outside are large enough to accommodate entire units. And of course, service members can just relax in the comfy armchairs and watch television.
“I've been to four or five installations. This is number one,” Army Spc. Garrett Ehrmann said of the USO as he played the latest military shooter game with his buddies. “It feels like they put a lot of thought into it and they thought about us.”
“The volunteers are the heartbeat of the USO,” stressed Bolin. “Chivalry is not dead here in Indiana, and our volunteers really embody that.”

• Date Taken: 05.14.2016
• Date Posted: 05.20.2016 16:18
• Story ID: 198662
• Location: CAMP ATTERBURY, IN, US