USO San Diego Press Release - PACTACLET Ombudsman Webpage



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kate Juergens, (619) 235-6503; [email protected]   
                                                                      
San Diego USO to Provide USO Care Packages to 1st Marine Expeditionary Force

SAN DIEGO, California, February 9, 2004 - The San Diego USO will be 
participating in "Operation USO Care Package" which will provide USO Care 
Packages to Marines and sailors of the 1st Expeditionary Force who will 
be re-deploying to Iraq.

The San Diego USO is requesting the assistance of available volunteers 
to help hand out the USO Care Packages from February 23 - March 31. 
Volunteers will need to be available for day and evening shifts as well as 
weekday and weekend shifts. Nearly 20,000 Marines and sailors will be 
leaving from March Air Force Reserve and Marine Corps Air Station 
Miramar. Due to flight schedule fluctuation the USO does not have specific 
dates and times of departing flights. Interested volunteers or groups of 
volunteers are asked to contact Kate at the USO and sign up. The USO 
will contact you with volunteer times and dates as we receive them. 

Because of heightened security, individuals can no longer send letters 
and packages to "Any Service Member." Operation USO Care Package is 
approved by the Department of Defense, and provides a safe, easy way for 
the San Diego USO and volunteers to show their prayers and thoughts are 
with our service members as they deploy to Iraq. The USO Care Package 
contains an assortment of items specifically requested by the military, 
such as prepaid international calling cards, disposable cameras, 
toiletries, and sunscreen.

The San Diego USO supports the largest population of active-duty 
service members and their families in the United States, including those who 
regularly deploy to trouble spots worldwide.  Since 1941 the USO 
Council of San Diego has been working to serve the morale, welfare and 
entertainment needs of the men and women in the Armed Forces and their 
families.  The United Service Organizations functions in times of both war 
and peace with the efforts of many volunteers working 365 days a 
year.  Supporting the men and women of the Armed Forces, San Diego 
offers two centers-a Downtown Center providing a solid "touch of home" and 
the new Neil Ash USO Airport Center, a resting place for travelers.  As 
a non-profit organization, both centers operate solely through the 
generosity of the American people. For more information on the San Diego 
USO visit our web site at www.usosandiego.org

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Kate Juergens
Director of Public Affairs
USO San Diego
619-235-6503
www.usosandiego.org