Just prior to America’s involvement in World War II in 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sought to unite several service associations—the Salvation Army, Young Men’s Christian Association, Young Women’s Christian Association, National Catholic Community Services, National Travelers Aid Association and the National Jewish Welfare Board—into one organization. Those entities became the United Service Organizations or, the USO. For eight decades, the USO has provided programs and services to military servicemembers around the globe—by both boosting morale and keeping them connected to family and home—most notably joining forces with celebrities for concerts and meet-and-greet events both at home and overseas. “What began as six civilian organizations pooling their resources to entertain the troops during World War II has transformed into a community-driven nonprofit that continues to reinvent itself and find innovative ways to respond to service members’ emergent needs,” explains Jennifer Wahlquist, USO Senior Director, Global Entertainment. “Wherever members of the military are deployed—on the front lines overseas or on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic response at home—the USO stands by our heroes in uniform.” Today, on average, the USO works with approximately 150-200 celebrities per year on a wide range of activities. “We are a unique nonprofit in that we leverage talent for our programming but also many other initiatives across the organization, including fund-raising so we are constantly pitching talent on ways to partner with us.” During the unprecedented pandemic, the events range from Sarah Silverman making a video call and offering joy to quarantined service people in Italy to Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans connecting with bases around the world to a customized military performance streamed over the holidays with Idina Menzel and an in-person tour to a deployed location with Olympian Shaun White. “We work tirelessly to provide as many channels of connection between celebrities and our military community as possible,” says Wahlquist. Bob Hope may be one of the most famous faces associated with USO, but over those eight decades, many, many women have played integral roles in the organization. Marlene Dietrich was a morale-boosting entertainer willing to go above and beyond to support our nation’s military. Through her two USO Camp Show tours, she became one of the iconic faces of women in World War II. According to the Library of Congress, Dietrich was the first entertainer to get to rescued soldiers after the Battle of Anzio in Italy. Dietrich then spent 11 months entertaining servicemen and women in Germany and France. There’s no question that the visit has an impact on those serving, but the experience can be just as profound for the stars themselves. After Marilyn Monroe visited Korea in 1954 and entertained more than 100,000 soldiers and Marines, she told Modern Screen, “I never thought I had an effect on people until I was in Korea. It was the greatest thing that ever happened to me.” Country music star Kellie Pickler, who has logged eight USO tours, including multiple trips to Middle East war zones, counts her experiences as one of her greatest blessings. “It’s important that our servicemen and women and our veterans know that we love them and we do not take what they do for granted and I think it’s important that they know that,” Pickler told the USO. “I will continue to work with the USO as long as they’ll have me.” From Marilyn Monroe and Diahann Carroll to Scarlett Johansson and Tarji Henson, to the cast of This Is Us, see some of the women who have entertained our troops and helped make the USO what it is today. Next, Get an Inside Look at the 2016 USO Christmas Show
