One of the more interesting things I do in Dubai is volunteer for the USO. Since I still remember the USO shows from the Vietnam war era, I am surprised that many Americans seem to know nothing about this great organization. USO stands for United Service Organizations, and its purpose as a nonpolitical, nonprofit organization is to support America's troops with various programs and services to provide a home away from home and means to keep connected with families. In Dubai the USO center sets up camp at the port where the US ships come to dock, providing computers, cell phones, internet, money exchange, food, entertainment (including movies and video games), laundry facilities, shopping and tours. When a ship comes in, a call goes out to all the volunteers to man the facilities during the days when the ship is in port. We usually get only a couple of days notice.
The hardest part for us volunteers is navigating by car to the ship's location, which requires clearing multiple levels of security, a very serious business, with armed guards conducting a thorough inspection of all vehicles. Seeing the servicemen and women, most of whom are very young--about the age of my two barely grown children--gives me a renewed sense of appreciation for the job they are doing. There is never a word of complaint, even when a tour operator fails to show up or some equipment is not working properly. Serious, polite, respectful, appreciative, a credit to our country, are all these young people. What we do as volunteers seems so small in comparison, and the least we can do.
If you'd like to help our troops, a donation to the USO would be a great place to start.
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