Shuffleboard and Other Amenities Available to Soldiers Thanks to USO

For generations, members of the armed services have been able to call upon the United Service Organizations (USOs) to help make juggling civilian life and their military roles easier. Whether providing entertainment to troops in the field or managing facilities to support service members and their families, the USO operates more than 160 facilities worldwide for America's armed forces. During the week of February 4, Operation Support Kansas USO is being held as a fundraiser to raise cash for the USO center at Fort Riley, a 7,000-square-foot facility built in 2009 as a full-service family aid center. Currently, the facility employs two full-time staff members and roughly 50 volunteers each month. In its first 100 days open, the Fort Riley USO Center was visited more than 10,000 times by families seeking a "home-away-from-home." As far as amenities go, the facility has nine large screen television sets in family rooms throughout the building, along with numerous video game systems, shuffleboard tables, and a billiards parlor. Soldiers at the Fort are also allowed to use free WiFi and make calls home, so they can stay in touch with loved ones across the country. Since its opening, the center has logged more than 90,000 visits from soldiers and their families at the property.

Along with providing basic creature comforts to soldiers and families, the facility also looks to help service members transition back to life after combat, as well as those who are just about to ship out. The Fort Riley USO Center is one of many located in 27 states across the U.S. and 14 countries worldwide. The USO is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that has been active in helping soldiers since 1941.