USO Delivers a Touch of Home to Service Members in Kosovo

Imagine being deployed to an austere environment 4,500 miles from home. Every day, you wake up in the barracks and after morning PT, you trudge through an open field filled with isolated military buildings to formation. For service members deployed to Kosovo for nine months, this is everyday life. The base is appropriately named Camp Nothing Hill; because, honestly, there is very little for service members to do. But that changed in September 2024.

This new unstaffed center marks an exciting milestone as the USO’s first presence in Kosovo, offering the people serving in the U.S. military a dedicated space to relax, connect and recharge. Now after a long day of work, service members have a dedicated space where they can speak to their families, work on their education, enjoy a competitive night of gaming or watch the latest releases on a streaming service.

The journey to establishing this center was driven by collaboration. USO staff members, Luisa Mazzella and Becca Cooper, traveled to Kosovo to meet and do a walkthrough of the facility with military leadership, who provided valuable insight into the needs of the people stationed there.

“Collaboration with the military community is crucial when it comes to establishing and sustaining a USO Unstaffed Center,” said Becca Cooper, Regional Expeditionary Specialist. “Only through our relationships are we able to actually implement quality of life initiatives for our austere locations.”

The space that would become the USO center was a well-loved area and needed some tender, loving care to make it feel like a home away from home. The next morning, with plans finalized and supplies in hand, Luisa and Becca returned, ready to start cleaning. When they arrived, 15 excited service member volunteers were waiting outside, prepared to assist.

During the setup, service members were able to really get to know each other, as they rarely had opportunities to bond outside of work. There’s something about working towards a common goal that encourages people to open up. With the volunteers’ help, furniture and décor was purchased and assembled, walls were repainted, and in just three days, the space was transformed.

The finished area includes a living room with two couches, lounge chairs, a coffee table, sound system, and comfortable décor. There is also a gaming area with a PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, XBOX, Bose sound bar, gaming chairs and a TV. If you walk into the kitchen area, you will see a coffee machine, refrigerator, café tables and chairs and lots of snacks and drinks. Service members can warm up a meal, make a cup of hot chocolate or coffee at any hour or even grab a cold water during summer. There’s also a pool table, foosball table, lockers for sports equipment and a reading nook for service members to record a story for their loved ones through the USO Reading Program.

The completion of this project would not have happened without those incredible service member volunteers. One volunteer, Sgt Brooke Livengood, was a huge help in setting up the center, often being the first one in and the last one out. He even brought tools to assist with the setup and generously donated some of his supplies to enhance the space for his peers.

This space is fantastic,” said Brooke after he saw the finished space. “We now have tables to sit and eat at, and comfortable couches to relax on.

For Luisa and Becca, seeing the support from service members and how invested they were in the project was incredibly rewarding. Their pride in elevating the morale space was evident, especially when they saw the excited looks on the faces of their fellow service members when the center was finished.

“I hope the center becomes a vital hub for service members, facilitating social connections and support,” said Luisa Mazzella, Area Operations Manager. “I envision it hosting regular events and activities that cater to their interests.”

Support for these men and women at Camp Nothing Hill doesn’t stop here. Through this visit and upcoming Joint Expeditionary Team (JET) visits, the service members will have the opportunity to participate in USO Core Programs, such as the USO Reading program, Transitions, Gaming and even become an official expeditionary USO Volunteer.