BY GREG MARKLEY
OPINION —
Memories came flooding back to me on Feb. 1 after I attended the opening of a United Service Organizations (USO) facility for active-duty service members and their families stationed at Fort Moore. In 1984, I spent a lot of time at the USO at Hartsfield Airport eating their cookies, drinking their soft drinks, and reading their military magazines. Thank you, USO.
MARTA, Atlanta’s transit system, stopped in College Park. So, I took the train from Fort McPherson to Hartsfield. I usually waited an hour or more to take the free shuttle to my apartment. USO came to the rescue for me. Also, in 1993 and 1994, from Grafenwohr and then Berlin, I took day trips to Prague, Czech Republic, Dresden, Germany and Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany. Thank you, USO.
“We have a room for computers, a computer lab, a gaming room, all of the military are now into gaming,” said Mary Lou Austin, executive director of USO-Georgia. The gaming room was actually once a bank, one which is on a main street that those who served at the old Fort Benning should recognize.
The new USO has programs for military spouses, free Wi-Fi, coffee connection events, a children’s area, a pool table and other things for military family needs. USO says 40,000 active service members and their families based at Fort Moore can avail themselves of the facility.
Mary Lou Austin, quoted above, is herself a fixture for the Georgia USO. She has worked for the organization since 1968, performing roles that brightened the lives of those she met, and working at dangerous locations to complete missions. I knew her back in the 1980s when I wasted time at the USO until my shuttle came to Hartsfield.
It was in 1985 that I met Austin; I was a sergeant and newspaper editor at Fort McPherson. After I left Atlanta, I was told for decades by her staff that, yes, she was still employed with the USO. By now she was the state’s executive director at USO-Georgia, and I was long retired from the Army. I doubt she remembered me, but it was nice after almost 40 years to see she was faring well.
“Mary Lou is selfless in all that she does,” said USO South Carolina Executive Director Joanie Thresher. “Besides Mary Lou’s family, service members and their families have been her priority for the past 55 years. No matter what time of day or night, or on weekends and holidays, Mary Lou is always by their side.”
The USO’s new center was coordinated by the Maneuver Center of Excellence leaders and the USO. It provides programs and services to more than 40,000 active-duty service members and their families. “The USO’s presence on Fort Moore is a testament to the enduring support our nation provides, and I am confident it will enhance the quality of life for our community,” reflected Maj. Gen. Curtis Buzzard, MCoE and Fort Moore commanding general.
Even before Austin became a legend in Georgia for her love and achievements for the USO, there was a man who spent 50 years entertaining the troops worldwide. Bob Hope per-formed his first USO show on May 6, 1941, at Marsh Field in California.
He plowed on through entertaining the military members in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War (1990-1991). In 1997, the U.S. Congress honored Hope by declaring him the “first and only honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces.”
“There is nothing like the feeling you get when serving the troops,” said Austin, now in her 55th year for USO. “When you see the impact you have on them, brightening a service members’ day, to see their spirits lifted. It’s amazing. It’s the little touches of home … that let our service members know that we are grateful for their service.”
I have not been to a USO show or center for years. I am delighted that the USO will have a greater presence at Fort Moore. I fully understand their purpose and effectiveness.
As Lisa Marie Riggins, USO Southeast Region president said at the grand opening: “The USO is grateful for the tremendous support and coordination we have received from MCoE leadership in establishing a USO Center at Fort Moore.”
I expect this USO center will quickly be a success. Not only are many troops and military families here, but the ones who have been in the Army for a while know full well that USO is a wonderful resource. Perhaps in a day several years from today, I will find Mary Lou Austin hard at work, even as she is a high-ranking official in the USO.
Bob Hope put it well, “Thanks for the memories,” and I say, “Thank you USO.”
Greg Markley moved to Lee County in 1996. He has a master’s in education from AUM and a master’s in history from Auburn University. He taught politics as an adjunct in Georgia and Alabama. An award-winning writer in the Army and civilian life, he has contributed to the Observer since 2011. He writes on politics, education, and books. gm.markley@charter.net.
