(StatePoint) The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a particularly heavy toll on U.S. service members, according to advocates.
âEven without a global pandemic, troops face separation, isolation and unique hardships and risks associated with their military service. As a result of the pandemic, many of these challenges have only intensified,â says Christopher Plamp, senior vice president for Operations, Programs and Entertainment for the United Service Organizations (USO).Â
Over the past year, the USO, a nonprofit charitable corporation chartered by Congress, met the rapidly changing needs of service members by developing and deploying alternative support to frontline troops around the world. Thousands of virtual and distance programming events have reached over 2.5 million participants so far. Here are a few ways these efforts are making the lives of military members and their families easier during the COVID-19 crisis: