[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 17, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7975-S7976]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      UNITED SERVICES ORGANIZATION

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I welcome this opportunity to pay tribute 
to the United Services Organization for two vivid recent examples of 
the legendary support and assistance that it provides for the families 
of members of our Armed Forces when their loved ones are serving away 
from home.
  The USO is rightly renowned for the joy, the comfort, and the 
happiness it has brought to our troops and their families over the 
years. It is truly an American treasure, as it has shown once again in 
its extraordinary support for two Massachusetts families during the 
recent war in Iraq.
  Under the leadership of executive director Alice Harkins, the USO of 
New England came to the aid of Sergeant Vanessa Turner who became 
critically ill in Iraq while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom. 
Upon the onset of her illness, SGT Turner was flown back to Germany and 
to the community she left. Sergeant Turner's 15-year-old daughter 
Brittany was left in Germany while her mother was deployed to Iraq. 
Brittany remained strong, finishing the school year while visiting her 
mother in the hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. SGT Turner's family in 
Roxbury, MA, was desperate to fly to her bedside and to comfort 
Brittany. The USO of New England came to the rescue, arranging for SGT 
Turner's mother, sister, and brother to fly to Landstuhl, Germany. 
According to Alice Harkins, this was ``an easy request. Their children 
are our responsibility; if the service members know that the community 
is taking care of their children, then they can relax.''
  In the second case, the Armours family in Athol, MA, was devastated 
to learn that Specialist Jamvis Armours had been critically wounded in 
Iraq and had been flown to the Washington Hospital Center in 
Washington, DC. Problems arose in getting SP Armours' wife and children 
to the hospital. Again, the USO came to the rescue. They assisted the 
family financially and emotionally, and Alice Harkins actually drove 
from Boston toward Athol to see them and to ensure that they had all 
they needed for the trip. Going the extra mile is what makes the USO so 
widely admired throughout our country and by all the members of our 
Armed Forces wherever they serve.
  I commend the USO of New England in all it does so well, and for 
demonstrating in these two cases that its helping hand is always there 
when its help is needed most.
  (At the request of Mr. Daschle, the following statement was ordered 
to be printed in the Record.)
 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, since its inception, the United 
Service Organization what we all know as the USO has worked to bring a 
piece of home to the members of our armed forces wherever they may find 
themselves. From Bob Hope's legendary tours to the latest cyber-
canteens that allow service members to stay in contact with family and 
friends via email, the USO works tirelessly to provide simple pleasures 
to those who venture into harm's way.

[[Page S7976]]

  As the population of the armed forces has changed, so too have the 
services offered by the USO. Today, this great organization provides 
childcare services for kids whose parents are deployed, travel 
assistance for the family of wounded service members, prepaid phone 
cards, the ever-popular celebrity tours, and countless other services 
for our troops and their families.
  Recently, my staff and the staff of Senator Kennedy had very close 
contact with the personnel and services of the USO through its New 
England offices in Boston. Several weeks ago, our staff was contacted 
by the family of an American soldier who had become gravely ill in 
Iraq. She had been evacuated to the American hospital at Landstuhl, 
Germany, where doctors determined she was near death. She was so ill 
that her doctors ordered her medically retired, making her daughter 
eligible for retirement benefits. But that reclassification also meant 
that the Army could no longer pay for her family's travel to Germany to 
be at her bedside. That decision, made for all the right reasons, had 
the unintentional and regrettable consequence of bringing only more 
grief to a family already grappling with the prospect of losing their 
loved one.
  And that is when USO-New England and its director, Alice Harkins, got 
involved. When the situation was explained to her, Alice replied 
simply, ``We're going to do this. This is why we exist.'' And, as 
promised, the USO-New England found the money and paid for the 
soldier's family to travel to Germany.
  Alice Harkins and her capable staff at USO-New England represent the 
best of us. Through their vigorous efforts, their determination, and 
their simple desire to help those who serve in our military, they 
inspire us all. They are people who recognize what's right, and who 
show their love of country and their love for those who serve with 
deeds as well as words.
  The USO receives no financial support from the U.S. Government. Its 
success is due to the countless volunteers who contribute time and 
energy for the men and women of the Armed Forces in times of war and 
peace and the generosity of sponsors who make its operation possible.
  I know I express the sentiment of the Senate and current and former 
members of the Armed Forces when I say thank you, USO, for your efforts 
to bring a slice of home to those on the frontlines and for remembering 
their families while they are away. We should all aspire to make such a 
contribution. Fortunately, the people of the USO, people like Alice 
Harkins, do. And we can all be grateful.

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