The USO - Up Close and Personal

Posted by Gary O'Rielly 
on Nov 05, 2013
 
Our guest speaker Nov. 1st was the Executive Director of the USO Northwest. Commander Don Leingang gave us a wonderful overview of the USO Northwest.  Prior to his current assignment, Col. Leingang had a distinguished 24 year career in the Unites States Navy. He is a native of the northwest and graduated from Oregon State University in 1984 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management and from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island in 2006 with a Master's Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies. In the Navy, he was a helicopter pilot, was Commander of the Navy Recruiting Center for Seattle, served a tour at the Naval Academy and was the Operations Officer for the Naval Air Force for the US Pacific Fleet. He retired from the Navy in 2008 and began his duties at the USO Northwest.
 
In 1941 it became clear that the nation was heading into WWII. Several organizations mobilized to support the growing US military. Six organizations represent the six stars on the USO logo. They are: National Catholic Community Services, National Travelers Aid Association, National Jewish Welfare Board, the Salvation Army, Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). There mission is simple: "Lifting the spirits of American's troops and families". They are more than the Bob Hope USO many of us are familiar with.

The USO Northwest Center at the Main Terminal of the Sea-Tac International Airport is open 24/7 and cares for 10,000 service members and their families a month. USO Northwest is there to offer any assistance to the families of our fallen heroes as they travel to and from Dover, DE. They have four specially trained USONW staff and volunteers who work with the airlines to have family members sitting together along with escort along with First Class seat upgrades and the USONW will escort the family members to the gates and have the tickets ready for them.

The USONW center was chosen as the best "Large USO Installation Center for 2012." They are open for homecomings and deployments. Their lounge area is set up with a TV, Xbox and computers plus many other free services to make the service members comfortable with a feeling of home. Every deployment going through Joint Base Lewis McChord receives a USO care packages along with Military Family Care Packages. In order to meet the needs of the service members, USO Northwest has a mobile unit that hits the road whenever necessary. They connect the deployed parents to their children through a book and DVD. Entertainer Trevor Romain and his foundation have teamed up with the USO to help military children all over the globe.

There are so many worthy services that the USO provides for service members and their families that fundraisers like BBQ's are common, provide a free night stay and breakfast at three luxury hotels for 3 service members and their families each month. Partner with Walgreens Stores to provide over 40,000 candy bars as well as Wish List. A Quarterly newsletter containing information on current events and outreach programs are part and parcel of the newsletter. Plus USO Northwest sets aside funds to events for Wounded Warriors such as dining out, river rafting, sporting events and others interesting events. There are numerous partnerships that really help make the USO Northwest a unique organization.

On the agenda is their First Capital Campaign in nearly 50 years. New space at Sea-Tac Airport with over 7,000 sq ft of space and a new USO Movile Canteen RV for 2014. Exciting news and another great presentation to bring all of us closer to the work of the USO on behalf of service men and women and their families.