ARLINGTON, Va. — The USO proudly announces the opening of the USO Warrior Center.
Located at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the new facility will serve approximately 120 outpatient service members assigned to the Medical Transient Detachment at any given time.
The USO Warrior Center was made possible by the generosity of TriWest Healthcare Alliance, the Benjamin Allen Karsh Memorial Endowment, whose principal donors are Ambassador William and Sue Timken, and the support of the Department of Defense.
"We are excited to open a new USO center to serve service men and women injured in Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom," said Sloan Gibson, USO president. "The USO Warrior Center is a demonstration of America's love and support for those whose service and sacrifice defend the liberties we hold dear."
"We serving in Europe are extremely delighted to have the opportunity to provide America's sons and daughters injured in the War on Terrorism a state of the art USO center. A center that will allow a respite from their wounds in a caring and comfortable 'home like' environment possessing the means (telephone, Internet and video-teleconferencing) to communicate with loved ones thousands of miles away," said Walt Murren, Regional Vice President, USO Europe.
The new, state-of-the-art 2,400 square-foot facility features a cozy lounge area with sofas, chairs and a 50-inch plasma television with DVD player. Refreshments and snacks served from the fully-equipped kitchen will offer a touch of home to service members watching sporting events and movies.
The bistro seating area, complete with a cabinet mounted LCD television provides a comfortable area where friends can meet, relax, read, play board games or use a laptop via the free Wi-Fi, which is available throughout the center.
The Cyber Café will house eight notebook computers outfitted with webcams, headsets and microphones. Two hard-wired telephone stations and six cordless telephones will also allow service members to communicate with friends and family wherever they may be located. The United Through Reading® Military Program will also be offered to allow troops to record themselves reading stories to their children.
A five-station Xbox® 360 video gaming room includes wall-mounted LCD televisions and the latest video games. The high tech gaming room, connected via multiple high-speed Internet lines, allows gamers in the room to compete with each other and with other gamers worldwide. The center’s multipurpose room features a Nintendo® Wii™ gaming system, a 46-inch wall-mounted LCD television and a Web camera.
The center's outdoor patio will allow service members to enjoy nice weather and barbeques during the summer months.
Currently, the USO operates more than 130 centers worldwide, each providing morale-boosting programs and services to service men and women and their families. As a nonprofit organization, the work of the USO and its centers is made possible with the support of the American public. Corporate in-kind donations and sponsorships, along with volunteer hours and monetary donations, help the USO continue its vital work. For more information, visit www.uso.org.
Source: The USO