12.26.04
USO Welcomes Soldiers to Dallas

During the holiday season "The Twelve Days
of Christmas" plays repeatedly in homes, on radios and on stereos throughout
America. At the new Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport United Service
Organizations Center, they sing a slightly different tune.

On the first day of Christmas, donors gave to soldiers: nine free cell phones,
dozens of free calling cards, seven computers with free high-speed wireless
Internet access, seven recliners, five regular phone lines, one microwave, free
Starbucks coffee, two huge flat widescreen televisions, free Xbox video game
console, snacks, two free guitars, one foosball table -- and a partridge in a
pear tree.

"We provide a warm, safe, happy place that will serve as a home away from home
(for servicemembers)," Tiffany Sefton, programs manager for the USO at DFW
Airport, said.

The space for the USO center was donated by the DFW Airport, with some of the
start-up costs paid for by their board and other corporate sponsors.

A new 2,900-square-foot wonderland, the center also has a game loft, accessed
by a twisty staircase above the coffee café next to the ice cream bar.

In the game loft, military members can enjoy Xbox games, foosball, chairs to
lounge in, and plugs for laptops. They can also read a free newspaper or book,
or use the computer workstations to surf the Internet and check e-mail.

Down on the center's main floor, servicemembers can take a nap in the darkened
"sleep room" on one of the seven fully reclining loungers, watch a DVD in the
movie room, or chill out and watch the news on the television over the ice
cream bar, while enjoying free ice cream and free non-alcoholic drinks.

Troops pass through DFW Airport while traveling to and from the United States
on daily military chartered flights from Kuwait. "We have served over 50,000
military members and their families since June 14," Sefton said.

"Because we're supporting the (rest and recuperation) program we're also making
the USO Center available to well wishers, family members and friends of
military members while they wait for the R&R flights to arrive," he said.

"It's great that they have it," said Army Maj. David Griffiths, a member of
National Guard's 1st Battalion, 185th Armor Regiment, from San Bernardino, Calif.

"Soldiers can just relax and get back in the right frame of mind, whether
you're coming or going," Griffiths said Dec. 14 while waiting for the daily
flight back to Kuwait and then Iraq.

"I think it's fantastic," said Capt. Chris O'Malley, of the 1st Cavalry
Division's 27th Main Support Battalion. "It gives people a last bit of R&R
before going back, and you can't beat the free coffee."

Volunteers are the lifeblood of the USO, Sefton said. "USO is a volunteer-run
organization," he said. "They are what make this such a neat place. They make
it a homey place. They stand in for the family members away from home."

"The whole attitude is to make the soldiers as comfortable as possible,"
Marbrey Van Landingham, a USO volunteer, said. "I think they're fabulous. I
feel like I have to do something to support our troops. Most haven't been to a
USO before. They can't believe any of it, especially free cell phones. They
always thank me for serving them. I'm always amazed by that because I get to go
home (at the end of the day)."

"They made me feel real good, and they make you feel special," said Spc.
Mitchell Kauley, a member of the 1st Infantry Division's 118th Infantry Regiment.

"One of the best I've ever seen," Lt. Col. Derek Smith, battalion commander of
the 725th Main Support Battalion, of the 25th Infantry Division, said about the
DFW Airport USO. "I definitely recommend it."

The USO is located in Terminal B at Gate B15 (secure side). The hours of the
DFW Airport USO are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. or until the departing R&R flight leaves
in the evening.

Almost every morning there are troops arriving on early flights from Hawaii and
other places waiting outside for us to open, Dee Neidenberger, a USO volunteer,
said. "I just love saying goodbye to them, wishing them luck," she said. "I
like helping them."

"The USO motto is, 'Until Everyone Comes Home,'" Sefton said. "The military
members will always be out there defending our country during war and times of
peace. So we're always going to be here."