Week 18 - USO Bay Area

The inside of the San Francisco USO Center. An oasis for tired troops!

Back in January, my husband and I took a trip with our 2 year old son to visit friends in the San Francisco Bay area. I misread our flight time and we ended up at the San Francisco airport HOURS early for our red-eye flight that didn't leave until 10:15 PM.

We had a busy toddler and many hours to burn, so we decided to check out the USO. We were very pleasantly surprised to find such an oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the airport. We walked through what seemed to be an endless maze of corridors until we came the USO. As soon as we stepped in, we were warmly greeted by a friendly veteran who was more than willing to help us with anything we might need. The center was decorated with all sorts of interesting military history and had leather couches and a TV to sit back and relax.

We had already dropped off our rental car, so he pulled out a stack of information and carefully explained to us how to catch the train to a nearby shopping and dining plaza. The facility had such a relaxed atmosphere that we decided not to bother going out and just made ourselves at home. He made us homemade ham and cheese sandwiches and coffee and there were snacks everywhere.

He then directed us to the nursery. A nursery!? I was flabbergasted and delighted at the same time. The nursery was fully stocked with toys and all things a baby could ever need. My husband and I sat back on the couch while our son happily pulled out cars and trucks to play with. Anyone with toddlers will understand how grateful we were to have a place for him to play. Definitely better than chasing him through the airport crowds in the terminal!

The USO has a noble mission to "To lift the spirits of America's troops and their families" and that is exactly what they did for us when we visited. The larger USO organization is also responsible for bringing big name bands and performers in theatre to provide entertainment for our deployed troops. When my husband was in Iraq, he got to see concerts by Kid Rock and the Zac Brown Band to name a few.

The USO Bay area has locations in the San Francisco Airport, the San Jose Airport and is opening a new center at Travis Air Force Base soon. More information can can found on their Facebook page or to donate, go here.

I am happy to be able to give directly to this USO center as they provided us with a quiet escape and perfect beginning to our long red-eye flight back to New England. My donation will be matched 100% by my company.