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USO Birthday
February 4, 2022
February 4th is the official birthday of the organization known as United Service Organizations or USO. The USO has been a fixture in military life for more than seven decades. Founded in 1941, the agency is a private, not-for-profit organization working in cooperation with the Department of Defense.
The USO has a congressional charter and receives funding through donations, philanthropy, and corporate support. More than 12,000 volunteers work with the USO at locations worldwide including military bases, airports, and major metro areas.
When the USO was formed, organizers wanted program events and services with an eye on boosting troop morale while promoting American involvement in World War Two. As these plans unfolded, the idea of a traveling USO show performing at forward deployed locations would not only prove successful, but would at times be the main activity some associated with the agency.
These traveling shows were held in China, Russia, Burma, and elsewhere during the war; the same kind of USO shows were offered to troops in later conflicts including Vietnam and Korea.
About seven thousand performers took part in the early USO traveling shows and featured some of America’s greatest star power at the time. The late comedian Bob Hope would eventually become synonymous with the USO thanks to his continued efforts with the agency. His legacy stretches all the way to the first Gulf War where Hope did his final USO tour.