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Local military officers aiding USO

  • Published
  • By Nick Wartonick
  • Military Officers Association of America
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  For the third consecutive year, the Southwestern Illinois Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America is wrapping up a collections drive to help the USO replenish stocks drained by the heavy holiday travel surge at the end of last year. In a drive that concluded Saturday, the chapter used its own resources and enlisted cooperation from various local sources to maximize the effort.

The "Wish List" items provided to the MOAA Chapter by the USO are all individually packaged food and travel-sized personal items and a few specialty items. Among many others, they ranged from microwave popcorn to fruit cups, candy bars and beef jerky, and from tooth paste to hand sanitizer and sun screen. Specialty items include copy paper, acoustic guitar strings and phone cards.

Before last Christmas, with up to 5,000 uniformed personnel transiting through the USO at Lambert daily during what is known as the holiday exodus, a special collection was made. Cooperating with the MOAA Chapter, the students, faculty and staff at Scott Elementary School contributed more than 300 pounds of goods as well as money for phone cards. Collections have been on-going at O'Fallon Township High School under the auspices of the ROTC cadets, at Scott AFB at two drop-off sites, at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in O'Fallon, by the Scott Officer's Spouses' Club, and at four volunteer home drop-off sites in the immediate area.

The MOAA Chapter's major collection will take place Saturday during its regular membership meeting at the Scott Consolidated Club, which culminates this year's drive. Following that meeting, all collections will be consolidated for delivery to the USO March 17.

The chapter's aspirations are to exceed the more than 1,000 pounds of items, $960 in cash contributions and 600 minutes of phone cards handed over to the USO last year. Therefore, the theme of this year's drive was "do it again, only better." After all, it is those who know about service to country honoring those who serve it today.