Celebrating Independence Day: USO Brings a Touch of Home to Service Members in Africa

The heart of the USO’s mission is the commitment to strengthen the well-being of the people serving in the U.S. military and their families, no matter where they are in the world. This mission comes to life daily through the efforts of USO staff and volunteers, even in the most remote areas.

This includes the Horn of Africa, where USO teams are significantly enhancing quality of life for service members, both during the holidays and throughout the year. This morale boost is achieved through in-person visits, sending USO Programs in a Box (PIB), establishing Unstaffed Centers and providing USO2GOs.

At USO Camp Lemonnier, staff wanted to help service members celebrate Independence Day in a fun and creative way. Alison Thompson and Ericka Rodriguez ensured that men and women forward deployed to Kenya and Somalia could experience a touch of home, despite being in challenging locations.

Being able to celebrate the 4th of July with our service members is incredibly important.

For our expeditionary efforts, we need to understand the unique conditions of each base,“ said Alison. "Some locations have cooking amenities, while others do not. This year, we sent a ‘Party Box PIB’ filled with décor, American flag swag, mullets, fanny packs, cowboy hats and USO 4th of July t-shirts.”

But the festivities didn’t stop at decorations. Alison and Ericka also designed a workout to commemorate the holiday, cleverly themed around the date.

“The workout consisted of 7 rounds of 4 burpees, 4 tuck jumps, 4 air squats and 4 pushups, all performed for time,” said Alison. “It was a great way to bring everyone together in a fun and challenging way.”

Ericka added another layer of excitement with a scavenger hunt. “We hid mini-American flags around the post for service members to find and bring back to the USO for raffle prizes,” she said. “Prizes included coin displays, patch displays, American Hawaiian shirts, tactical water bottles and USO swag bags.”

Planning these special events in remote locations comes with its own set of challenges. Coordination starts a few months in advance to make sure service members receive the support they need as soon as possible. “Planning happens months in advance,” Alison said. “Turnover is a huge obstacle, making networking and maintaining connections crucial to understanding what each base can support.”

Alison and Ericka frequently communicate with base leadership to understand the current challenges faced by deployed service members and determine how USO programming can enhance holidays or daily life.

But when these activities are in the hands of service members, the efforts of the USO staff are deeply appreciated. A service member deployed to Somalia expressed heartfelt gratitude: “We don’t have much out here and it’s nice knowing that the USO provides support, so we can properly celebrate the 4th of July like we should!”

Another service member in Kenya shared:

We cannot thank you enough. It felt like we had an actual party - everyone was really excited about the work out. Thank you for making that for us.

The joy and morale boost that the USO provides cannot be overstated. “It’s the most rewarding thing to receive pictures of the service members enjoying themselves and smiles on their faces,” said Alison.

“Words truly cannot explain the amount of joy it brings to know we have boosted morale,” said Ericka.

The creative and thoughtful planning of staff members like Alison and Ericka ensures that even in the most remote locations, service members can feel a sense of normalcy. These men and women face a wide range of challenges and the USO is here to support them. Bringing connection and fun to help them destress and enjoy a break from their demanding duties is so important.

A service member in Kenya said “Thank you, USO. I was having a really bad day until I saw what you guys were doing and it really turned my day around!” The sentiment is widely shared among the military, reaffirming the vital role that the USO plays in the lives of those who serve.