USO Makes Back to School Special for Deployed Service Members in Eastern Europe

Back-to-school season is always a busy and exciting time. Children head into a new year of learning and growth, while parents make sure they’re ready by packing school supplies, snapping that first-day photo and sending them off with encouragement. It’s a moment many deployed service members miss when deployed far from home.

USO Romania recognized this milestone as an opportunity to bring a piece of home overseas. By hosting a special back-to-school event, the team gave deployed mothers and fathers in Eastern Europe the chance to create personalized bundles for their children, helping them stay connected and share that first-day experience, even from miles away.

Instead of hitting up the store stateside, the USO’s “Back-to-School Bundle Bash” created an opportunity for service members to create personalized pencil pouches for their children and loved ones. Each bundle was filled with practical supplies including pencils, erasers, stickers, keychains and fidgets. Each pack was topped off with an inspirational hand-written note and a Polaroid snapped at a school-themed photo booth. The result was simple and powerful: a care pack that felt as personal as a hug.

For many, the event wasn’t just a checklist item before the first day of school; it was a moment to feel like Mom or Dad again.

“The Back-to-School Bundle Bash proved to be a valuable experience for me as a parent, offering a chance to bond with my son, Justice,” said SGT Donald McGraw.

By personalizing school supplies to align with his favorite color and characters, I felt more connected to him. Events like these empower parents to nurture their relationships with their children, even when separated by distance.

Throughout the event, the focus stayed on small details that mean so much in military families. Parents chose colors and characters with the same care they’d bring to a Saturday Target run back home, pausing to remember their preschooler’s favorite animal or which superhero their middle-schooler won’t put down. Those choices (maybe green instead of blue, Barbie versus Labubu) became a language of love.

Community support partners helped make the experience deeper than a craft table. Military and Family Life Counselors (MFLC) were on site to share resources for staying connected while stationed abroad, from communication tips to coping tools for kids navigating a new school year without a parent at home. The team also highlighted the USO Reading Program, which lets parents record themselves reading a children’s book and send both the video and the book home at no cost - another way to bridge the miles at bedtime.

“My wife and I look forward to school shopping together for the kids every year, just making a day of it together,” said SSG Mathew Annis.

This year will be my youngest’s first year of school as a Kindergartner and I was super bummed that I wouldn’t be there for the start of it. The back-to-school event at the USO helped me feel reconnected and involved without physically being there, and now my kids will have a little feeling of Dad there with them for their first day.

Creating opportunities for connection—even when geography says it’s impossible—is what the USO is all about. This year, the USO hosted 17 Back-to-School programs across Europe, reaching nearly 6,000 service members, families and teachers. From first-day celebrations with hot dogs and music to sharing opportunities through our Youth Advisory Councils, USO staff and volunteers were proud to be there to celebrate this season of new beginnings.

“Moments like this remind me why I love what I do,” said USO Romania staff member, Tara Barnes. “As an event programmer, I strive to create more than just events—I aim to create opportunities for connection, community and support for families separated by distance.”

As service members sealed the pouches and signed their notes, they were sending more than school supplies. These packages carried a message that travels well across oceans: I’m thinking of you. I’m cheering for you. I’m with you, even from here.