President and First Lady Send Cheer to the Troops

Help assemble 5,000 Operation USO Care Packages

Ft. Belvoir, VA—On Friday, December 10, President and Mrs. George W. Bush joined 75 volunteers at the Operation USO Care Package Warehouse to stuff care packages for troops deployed overseas.

The President and First Lady helped assemble USO Care Packages, included AT&T International Calling Cards, disposable cameras, toiletries, snacks, playing cards, holiday items and other items specifically requested by service members on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.   The USO Care Packages will be shipped out before the holidays.

“We were honored to have the President and First Lady join us to support the USO and the mission we serve. The USO makes a difference in the lives of these brave men and women,” said Edward A. Powell, President and CEO of USO World Headquarters.

Since the program launched worldwide in the fall of 2002, Operation USO Care Package has distributed more than 485,000 USO Care Packages to service members at USO affiliates worldwide, as well as to deploying troops at U.S. airports and debarkation points.  The USO has also sent thousands of Care Packages directly to units on the ground overseas, and has recruited celebrities to hand-deliver Care Packages to service members.

“Operation USO Care Package allows Americans to show their support for the troops, and is made possible through individual and corporate support,” said Elaine Rogers, USO-Metro President and Worldwide Administrator for Operation USO Care Package.

The Operation USO Care Package program enables Americans to send Care Packages to service members deployed overseas.  Due to heightened security, individuals can no longer send letters and packages marked for delivery to 'Any Service Member.’ Endorsed by the Department of Defense and the White House, Operation USO Care Package provides individuals with a way to touch the lives of our deployed troops around the world. For more information on Operation USO Care Package, and to learn how to contribute, please visit www.USOcares.org or call 1-877-USO-GIVE.

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About USO

The USO is chartered by Congress as a nonprofit charitable corporation and is not a part of the United States Government. The mission of the USO is to provide morale, welfare and recreation-type services to uniformed military personnel. The USO currently operates 125 centers around the world, including five mobile canteens, with 71 located in the continental United States, three in the Caribbean and 46 overseas.