USO - Till Everyone Comes Home Quiz

Answer: National Democratic Party

The USO is not politically oriented, so neither the Democrat nor Republican parties are specifically involved. The three additional founding organizations were the YWCA, YMCA, and the National Traveler's Aid Association. In unity there is strength, and by incorporating on the 4th February 1941 as the United Service Organizations, the "USO" was better able to fulfill its role. That date is celebrated as the birthday of the USO, and the six stars in the USO logo represent those charter organizations.

Answer: Zero

The USO is a non-profit organization. As seen in its 2013 financial report, USO "total revenue and support" assets totaled 194.5 million dollars. Not one cent of that money was from Federal revenue! The organization depends on corporate sponsorship, CFC/United Way support, and private donations. And while most USO centers have a donation box, contributing is purely voluntary; in my experience, I've never seen visitors to the USO solicited for donations.

Answer: Complete orientation training and background check

The majority of people on duty at the USO are volunteers. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors; college students, senior citizens, active duty, retired military, and people with no military experience whatsoever. There are NO specific gender/citizenship/military status requirements.

The USO is an equal opportunity employer for both employees AND volunteers. The requirements for volunteering are successful completion of an orientation interview and training session, and a mandatory background check. New volunteers are usually paired up with more experienced partners. Most volunteers are 18 or older.

In 2012, the USO had less than 600 employees and more than 27,000 volunteers worldwide. All of them work together to "lift the spirits" of our military members and their families.

Answer: A friendly greeting and a place to sit and relax

Along with a nice relaxing rest stop, most locations offer coffee, soft drinks, and light snacks. Although the use of alcohol and tobacco products is not permitted in the USO, our guests may certainly step out of the center for a drink or smoke in appropriate areas - but there's no beer.

Many smaller centers lack the space for overnight accommodations, but some of the larger locations - particularly at major airports - do have such capability. And you wisely eliminated the "weekend entertainment" choice; the logistic and financial difficulties involved in such an undertaking would be enormous. The USO does host numerous live entertainment events, offered primarily at major bases and overseas military locations.

Answer: Active duty military personnel and their dependents

Each center is a bit different; some are large; others are quite limited in size. Some have tremendous support resources; others have a very tight budget. For these reasons, military retirees may be limited to "space available" admission only. And while the USO proudly recognizes prior service veterans, they are not usually eligible to use center facilities. It's similar to being a retired or former police officer or firefighter - when you leave the force, a lot of the privileges go away too.

The primary focus of the USO is on active duty people and their dependent family members.

Answer: USO in a Box

"USO in a Box" also offers wireless internet, Xbox gaming systems, a movie theater area, and its own AC/heating system. As you can imagine, these units really give the folks in the "scenic areas" of the world a bit of home style relaxation. And the instructions say it's user ready in 20 minutes!

Answer: Commercially prepared snacks in prewrapped individual portions

This one might have surprised you. Commercially prepared items are clearly labeled for consumers, and the smaller portions are much more easy to distribute.

Frozen foods are costly to ship and store, and pose a potential health risk. Homemade baked goods ("CARE packages") may certainly be sent from a family to their own deployed relative. But when offered for general distribution, these items have a myriad of labeling and packaging requirements, for safety and health reasons. The USO cannot easily accept such goods.

Tobacco products are a bad choice all around - many service members don't smoke, and cigarettes are readily available in exchange stores for those who do indulge.

Answer: All these are were provided

While the stateside USO centers are the most well-known part of the USO, many other support and entertainment programs are also provided by the organization.

Answer: Bob Hope

Bob Hope's dedicated efforts for the troops spanned six decades, and are the stuff of legend. Through the combined efforts of Congress and the USO, Hope was named the first Honorary Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. All the other entertainers mentioned have been involved with USO programs, but none of them were even born in 1941, let alone on tour!

Answer: Lift the spirits of America's troops and their families

The three alternate choices are certainly traits all USO volunteers should have. Along with excellence in its work, and collaboration with others, these five traits form the core values of the USO. It's these values that guide it in performing its mission: lifting the spirits of troops and their families. And fulfilling that might be talking with a young soldier facing a first deployment, hosting a holiday picnic meal for troops in training, or providing assistance to the family of a "Wounded Warrior".

In 2016 the USO changed its official "mission statement" to "The USO strengthens America's military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation." A lofty and admirable mission, but rather too long to fit in the answer box!