Photo By Spc. Richard Morgan | The cadets from University of Illinois at Chicago present the Colors at the Chicago...... read more read more
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CHICAGO – Maj. Doug McGinnis, a University of Illinois at Chicago Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor, boarded his flight to Germany unsure of his decision to explore Europe by himself during an Rest and Relaxation stint as part of his Iraq deployment. When he landed, he decided to stop at the local United Service Organization (USO) before exploring Germany on his own. While relaxing at the USO one of the volunteers their offered to help him plan his whole two weeks. He walked out of the USO confident in his decision to vacation in Europe alone.
McGinnis’s experience is just one instance where the USO has helped servicemembers and their families. They also have a program called Tickets for Troops that allows soldiers and their families to attend sporting, musical and theatrical performances for free. This year they received 100 tickets from the Chicago Auto Trader Association for the 111th annual Chicago Auto Show, the largest auto show in North America, to give to soldiers’ family members, said Carrie Norwood, the director of programs at the USO of Illinois. Norwood also invited UIC’s ROTC Color Guard to the auto show and gave the cadets and cadre tickets to the auto show.
“It was a great opportunity for cadets to be able to get out and experience Chicago as they’re earning their undergraduate degrees,” said McGinnis, who attended the auto show with the cadets.
As part of kicking-off the Chicago Auto Show three cadets presented the national and Army colors.
This is a great honor for Cadet Justin Arroyo, who is in UIC’s ROTC Color Guard, he said. He feels privileged to perform at events like the Chicago Auto Show. All three cadets are excited at the prospects of coming back to the show with the tickets the USO gave to them.
The Auto Show is one of many tickets the USO gives away each year. In 2017, the USO of Illinois Tickets for Troops Program gave away more than 11,270 free tickets throughout Illinois, Norwood said.
“USO of Illinois is able to distribute tickets to the currently serving military community through the generous support of partners, organizations and individuals, Norwood said. “Just a few of our incredible USO Tickets for Troops supporters includes, the Chicago Bears, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago White Sox, Broadway in Chicago, the Goodman Theatre, Ravinia Park concerts, Sangamon Auditorium in Springfield, Motorola Solutions, Inc. and PepsiCo.”
This program benefits the troop and their families tremendously because the entertainment and cultural experiences provided through USO Tickets for Troops aids in reducing stress and strengthening family bonds to encourage the connection to home and country or simply providing a lasting memory, Norwood said.
Throughout the year the USO provides recreational, social and supportive services and programs to more than 326,000 service members and their families. Anyone interested in volunteering with the USO of Illinois should visit www.usoofillinois.org.
| Date Taken: | 02.09.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 02.20.2019 20:52 |
| Story ID: | 310498 |
| Location: | CHICAGO, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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