The United Service Organization - Research Paper Example

The United Service Organization Background United Service Organization (USO) is a nonprofit, private organization, congressionally chartered with a mission is to provide welfare, morale and recreation related services to military personnel aimed at extending the home atmosphere to the military, (USO, 2009). The group, which operates a number of support services to the military, began in World War II and being a nonprofit organization, it relies on donations from corporations, individuals and organizations to support their activities, (Coffey, 1991). It is imperative to note that the organization is not part of the US government although it has endorsement from both the department of Defense and the President of the United States. Development The United Service Organization was instituted to respond to the rapid mobilization of the American forces before the country’s entry into the World War II in 1941. A number of volunteers and other charitable organizations had worked with American soldiers in Europe providing them with food and recreation and helping them with communication to their families. Coffey (1991) documents that a group of six nonprofit organizations inclusive of; the National Jewish Welfare Board, the Young Men’s Christian Association, the Young Women’s Christian Association, the Traveler’s Aid Association, the National Catholic Community Service and the Salvation Army, united to form the organization. Since inception, the American sitting president has been the Organization’s Honorary Chairman, (Shockley, 2004). The organization’s first leader was Thomas Dewey, who resigned in 1942 and was succeeded by Prescott Bush, the father of former American president, George H.W. Bush and the grandfather to George W. Bush. Its progress was rapid, raising a whooping $33 million during the World War II period, installing offices across the United States and Europe and opening clubs to enable soldiers and sailors enjoy themselves prior to deployment, (Coffey, 1991). From the onset, USO provided a number of clubs in which soldiers could access free snacks besides offering a number of citizens, mainly women the opportunity to cook, clean, dance and chat with the men and women in service. As World War II escalated, USO organized more shows with the most known being camp shows whose purpose was to boost the morale of both women and men in service. The year 1944 forms the high point of USO, a year in which it operated an estimated 3000 clubs and ran an estimated 700 shows a day. Between the years 1941 and 1947, the organization held in excess of 400,000 performances featuring some of the biggest names in the global entertainment domain. These were inclusive of Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, James Cagney, Glenn Miller and Bob Hope, (Shockley, 2004). Faith, 2003), argues that although Bob Hope was the most famous of the group, Frank Sinatra was also outstanding, as he became sort of an idol to the soldiers. Bob’s massive contribution was honored by the U.S. Congress in 1996 declaring him the first and only honorary veteran of the United States armed forces, , (Faith, 2003). Although disbanded in 1948, it was reinstituted by James Forrestal in 1948 and under the leadership of Harvey Firestone Jr, given a new and lasting mandate of supporting the military irrespective of whether the country was in peace or war, (Coffey, 1991). Role Across decades, the USO has arranged entertainment for the members of the Armed forces setting up tours in military camps within both the United States and the entire globe. Additional roles are inclusive of provision of childcare for the families of military personnel, operation of contingency travel fund to aid military families in need, running of deployment centers, provision of snacks and rest areas for personnel in transit, operation of phone home and the provision of donated prepaid phone cards to servicemen and women, (Coffey, 1991). The organization also runs Cyber Canteens that enables military personnel to access the internet furthermore their domestic and international community centers serve both the enlisted military personnel and the veterans and their families of people in the military. Since inception, the organization has become famous for liaising with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars and other American and international entertainers, (Coffey, 1991). Operation Presently, USO operate of a five major program categories inclusive of Airport centers, Fleet Centers, Family and Community Centers, Orientation and Intercultural programs and Celebrity entertainment. The organization has an endowment of an estimated $25 million and contracts an average of 12,000 volunteers globally. Presently, they have operations in 125 centers inclusive of six mobile canteens, 3 in the Caribbean, 71 in the continental US and 51 oversees. The Organization’s overseas centers are located in Kuwait, Qatar, Italy, France, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Bosnia, Iceland, Germany, Korea, the U.S. Virgin Island, Japan and Iceland, (USO, 2009). Since inception, USO has incorporated a number of subsidiaries to aid its performance; shows Inc. for example was the first to be instituted, and is constituted of people from the entertainment industry. The subsidiary organizes tour circuits and arranges small acts for troops out of their respective bases. In the 21st Century, the Iraq war and the War against terrorism have seen the USO at the forefront coordinating a number of military efforts. They continue to hold fundraising in conjunction with business interest groups to meet the needs of the military personnel. Analysis Multiple sources affirm that USO has been instrumental in delivering its brand of comfort, morale and recreational services to both military members and their families. Coffey (1991) however documents that USO is representative of variant interest groups as for example, funding is always acute at the time of war. He notes that following the reinstitution of the unit, it was clearly outlined that its operations be supported by community charity groups, however, trends indicates that during peacetime, their funding declines sometimes falling far short below the expenditure, (Shockley, 2004). USO funding have been high during wars, for example the Vietnam War, a period in which there was massive resentment of the American military leading to a rising gap between the military and civilians. The same trend was also visible during the Korean War, (Granfield, 2003). High levels of operations resumed following the build up of troops for the Persian Gulf, a period that saw massive mobilization of resources. During the period, big corporations such as the Coca-Cola Company, AT&T Communication Company, the American International Group AIG and Anhuser-Busch Companies each donated $500,000 to the United Service Organization. Conclusion Conclusively, USO remains firm in its role of aiding the men in uniform through large-scale mobilization of resources through volunteers. With the influx of soldiers following the two wars American was in the first decade of the 21st century, they have doubled their efforts, sending world famous entertainers such as Cheerleaders and mobilizing excellent professional sportsmen such as NBA basketballers to run clinics for soldiers. Nonetheless, the organization has successfully met its key mission; boosting the morale of the military. References Coffey, F. (1991) Always Home: 50 Years of the USO: The Official Photographic History, New York: Brassey's. Faith, W. (2003) Bob Hope: A Life in Comedy, Da Capo Press Gowers, M. (2007). “A Modern Mumming Analogue: United Services Organizations Shows.” Folklore, 118(1)2007, 100-105. Granfield, L. (2003) I Remember Korea: Veterans Tell Their Stories of the Korean War, 1950-53 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Shockley, M. T. (2004) We, Too, are Americans: African American Women in Detroit And Richmond, 1940-55, Univ. of Illinois Press. USO, 2009. United Service Organization. Available Online: http://frankfurt.usconsulate.gov/root/pdfs/organizations/uso.pdf Read More