 Thank you very much. Thank you. Now, you men have a very important mission to make the world safe for our pickets. And I'm lucky I was allowed back this year last year the Kong made secret recordings of my act and accused us of using Durham warfare. And I understand the enemy's all around. So please laugh it up. You wouldn't want them to think we have a morale problem, would you? Yes, sir. Every mess hall should have a baker like that. Thank you. And thank you, Bob, for that lovely introduction. But believe me, I'm thrilled to meet them that they are to meet me. You want a bet? Hey, Carol, I love that gown you're wearing. You mind if I look at the label? What does it say? Off limits. It's on active duty with our troops all over the world, in Europe, from Turkey, around the rim of the Mediterranean, to Italy, and Spain. In the Caribbean, from Guantanamo Bay to Puerto Rico. And across the broad reaches of the Pacific, from Korea all the way around to Vietnam. Over the years, more than 20 million Americans of all services have found that whatever their duty station, in whatever corner of the earth, the USO has been there to welcome them. From a club in a strange city here in the States, to a jungle clearing in a combat zone, where an hour of fun and laughter and the breadth of home are much more than just entertainment. The mere presence so far from home of the USO, its entertainers, its services, its active concern for Americans in uniform is a tangible answer to the question, does anybody care? The American people care. The history of the USO goes back 25 years. When the war was growing closer to the United States in 1940, the agencies that operated separately in World War I were drawn together to share their experiences so as to better serve the armed forces should another national emergency arise. These agencies are the Young Men's Christian Association, the National Catholic Community Service, the National Jewish Welfare Board, the Young Women's Christian Association, the Salvation Army. They were later joined by the National Travelers Aid Association. A federation of these agencies seemed the answer. Accordingly, the United Service Organizations, USO, was born and granted a charter as a non-profit corporation, even before the ink was dry on the new charter. The ideal, the need of the USO, caught on like wildfire. Hundreds of thousands of young Americans were being called to service by the draft and in civic buildings across the nation were making their pledge to defend with their lives the freedom into which they were born. From every corner of the country they came, to military camps geared to making soldiers out of civilians. Time was short. For these men, the transition from civilian to combat-bound soldier was a swift and often confusing change. They bore it well. The nation was proud of them. All over America in 1941, USO clubs were springing up. Volunteers, old and young, screamed in to give every serviceman a hero's reception and farewell for the fighting fronts overseas. Entertainers from Broadway and Hollywood were signing up. These soldiers in grease paint were to bring live entertainment all over the world wherever our troops were deployed. They have written a heroic and gallant chapter in the history of American show business. They wrote it by giving copiously of their own special gifts. The ability to evoke a laugh, to push fear and loneliness out of the mind for a time with the death, light therapy of the clouds. At home, they went on the road, not for box office receipts, but to sell war bonds. No one was too big or too busy, and they sold bonds in the tens of millions. For some, there was a new and challenging role in uniform. Jimmy Stewart. Jackie Cougan. Tyrone Power. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Robert Taylor. Clark Gable. Gable's wife, Carol Lombard, lost her life on a bond tour. And you may remember the four gills in a jeep. Carol Landis, Kay Francis, Betsy Mayfair, and Martha Ray. They hit North Africa in 1942. Al Jolson was there too, belting them out as always and playing MC for other troopers like Merle Oberon. More than 600 entertainers went overseas in the first two years of the war. Patricia Morrison was there. And old crows like Frank McHugh and Alan Jenkins, they dusted off the old board bill routine, worked around the clock, and always left them laughing. In the CBI, Captain Melvin Douglas headed up special services. Anne Sheridan was there. And Ben Bloom. And Jackie Miles. Wherever Americans in uniform might get a lift from the sight of a pretty face, the USO troopers went. And there was magic in what the slack-jointed improvising of a Ray Bolcher could do for the morale of men who knew only too well how much that rifle waved. Or in swapping grins with Mickey Rooney. Jack Benny and Ingrid Bergman gave it all they had, every performance. And it was a thrill to lift a mug with Jimmy Cagney. Or shake Bob Holt's hand between shows and thank him for the laughs he'd brought. The bits didn't need to be original. They were sure fire, because they were played against the background of this fact. Somebody had cared enough to come all this way just to bring some fun, some smiles. Yes, there were well-knowns and the little-knowns. The ones you never see pictures of because nobody was around with a movie camera. Nobody was around, but the audience. Three men in a tent or 3,000 jamming in airfield. Watching entertainers probably unknown to you. They came to give and they worked at it. They worked anywhere under whatever conditions they ran into and famous or unknown, they were appreciated. Two, three, four performances a day on a stage or on a sheet of plywood in a clearing. It made no difference to them or to the men they played for. From soggy jungle islands in the Pacific to the beachhead at Normandy and Eastwood, where American fighting men went, the USO was to follow. It's impossible to estimate the morale value of what these people gave. Or perhaps more truly, it's impossible to overestimate. At last it was over. The big job was done. It was done and the boys who had done it were ready to come home, but they couldn't come home all at once. USO had enlisted for the duration. Who could foretell that the duration for USO, like that of the armed forces, was to continue for decades after the war had been won? Packed houses again. That was career when it came. And again the magic words were passed among the men. USO show today. Perhaps it was a comedian of the old school like Wally Vernon. Or matinee idol John Hall introducing Francis Langford. Back again to sing for the sons of men she had entertained in the Pacific during World War II. Or perhaps some of the latest hits from home served up in a mixture of spice and sugar frosting by Debbie Reynolds. There's nothing the stars won't do for a laugh, especially when their audience has paid the price of admission with hardship and danger. Stars and superstars. Each delivering in his own way the same message, one that men far from home never tire of hearing. We have not forgotten. But the USO shows are only part of today's USO story. When the serviceman seeks relaxation and recreation in his off-duty hours, he goes off post to the nearby civilian community to find it. For the young serviceman, off-duty, undesirable and even dangerous outlets for his leisure hours were and are often the only outlets available. All too often, the situation makes him a vulnerable target for unscrupulous elements, thus endangering his health and safety and as a consequence, usefulness to the service. On post, the army can provide for the needs of the off-duty soldier in many ways and athletics of every kind. Service clubs attractive and comfortable and with facilities for relaxation and entertainment in wide variety for spare time hours when the serviceman is not going off post. Whether he's on the Greenland ice cap or in the tropics, there's always the post exchange which supplies his shopping needs for necessities and comfort items at reasonable cost, an important morale factor. The typical post library is well-stocked and well-attended. There are always feature films available, whether in a large post theater or in a recreation room at some remote station. All posts of any size have facilities for a wide range of hobbies and crafts. The soldier who enjoys working with his hands finds everything he needs readily available. And army chapels provide a further vital element, an unbroken continuity of the religious affiliation the serviceman had enjoyed back home. But all of this is on post. Off post is a different story and one all too familiar to many a serviceman. Walking aimlessly around a strange town can be one of the loneliest, most boring activities on earth. The people here know each other. It is the serviceman who is the stranger and it can be rough, knowing no one with no idea where to go, what to do. Being on the outside looking in is never a happy situation. Yet when he has time off, the serviceman wants to get off post and the army wants him to. It knows that holding onto the old civilian ties is important, important for morale. But big town or small, until a soldier gets to know his way around, he's more or less at a loss to know where to begin. That's when the familiar USO sign becomes a mighty welcome sight. He knows that where that red, white, and blue sign appears, he has a starting point. People interested specifically in him. And a soldier coming into a metropolitan rail terminal knows that where the traveler's aid emblem appears, there will be quick, accurate information available. Where to stay at special rates, how to get there, helpful information provided by people interested in being helpful. There's a USO lounge in most towns near big posts and in all major cities. And the man in uniform learns to make this his first stop. He knows that the USO makes arrangements for dormitories or rooms for people from all services. That through these experienced people, he can find a place to stay that will meet his needs and his budget. And he knows that the accommodations recommended by the USO will welcome him as a service man, whether it's a cot at the Y or a special rate room at a participating hotel. In the smaller towns, the USO sponsors dances through local clubs and churches. And it sure beats wandering around the sidewalk. It's good exercise too. USO is also happy to direct the service man to the local church of his denomination. Getting acquainted with the townspeople gives the man in uniform another way of maintaining that important link with his civilian life, not to mention the important fringe benefits. Service food is good, but nothing can take the place of a home cooked meal enjoyed in the company of friendly people. The USO also offers many services that are little known, such as helping a career service man find suitable housing for his family near his duty station. To the family man in the service, finding the right home is an important recurring problem. The USO is there to make solving that problem as easy as possible. Most service men look forward to visiting the big towns, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, cities they've always wanted to see. USO is there to offer them rest, relaxation and help in many ways. In the larger cities served by the USO, there's an all out effort to make sure that the man or woman in uniform never lacks for a wide range of entertainment opportunities. Free tickets to theaters, concerts, shows of every kind are all part of a long standing arrangement between the USO and the entertainment industry. There are also tickets for all sorts of sports events free for the asking. This includes major league baseball games in all cities where the big teams play. If a man wants to do a little sightseeing on his own, the USO will furnish all the directions he needs to locate the local points of interest. If it's his first trip to the big town, he can also get the VIP treatment. An organized tour with a specially trained USO guide. It's a lot more fun than wandering around wondering which way is crossed out. And what goes for the big cities in the United States is equally true overseas. As any sailor can tell you who has ever started a liberty at the scenic bay of Naples. Right there on the dock is the familiar sign of the USO and a friendly smile behind the counter of the information booth to start the service man tourists off on the right track. The right track, of course, begins at the Naples USO. Next stop, the ruins of Pompeii until now pictures in a book, a name on a map. From now on, thanks to the USO, a lasting personal memory. At the information desk in Athens, a USO hostess organizes a tour of the famed acropolis, seat of a civilization long gone, but reflecting even in ruins the grace and clarity of thought which became a heritage to the Western world. In Turkey, a tour group from the USO may find its way to an historic mosque for an insight into yet another civilization, another way of life. And off the curving beach in Waikiki, an old surfer from California may shed his uniform and see if he still has the knack. Through the USO, the service man on duty anywhere on earth finds a key to new friendships, new understanding of people and nations he might otherwise never have known. And so indirectly the USO functions as a round the world goodwill ambassador on a people to people basis. There is no single factor that makes for greater or more lasting understanding than the opportunity to visit together informally, face to face, to learn at first hand how true it is that the individual human being is basically the same the world over. And so it goes in an oriental street market differences and language background customs begin to shrink. Worldwide, through thousands of personal contacts, introductions through courtesy of USO are better understanding growth. With the buildup of American forces in Vietnam, USO has greatly expanded its operations there. The operation of the clubs in Vietnam goes back to 1963 and the opening of the Saigon facility. Since then, clubs and lounges have been opened in other locations throughout Vietnam. Each club serves between 1,000 and 2,000 men each day. For the first time in all its history, the USO is now operating regular clubs in an active combat zone. The Saigon USO is a popular spot offering as it does just about all the services and facilities available at any USO club anywhere. It's also one of the few fully air conditioned buildings in Saigon and in this steaming part of the world that in itself is no small attraction. Here is the familiar feel of home. A club like the one near the post back in the States, a place to spend a few hours in cool and comfort, relaxing in any of a dozen ways. But there are differences too, the special line for making a long distance call to the family back home. And the tape recorders which replaced the V-Mail service of World War II, letting a service man send not only his thoughts, but the reassuring sound of his voice to those he loves. There are tapes for listening too, stereo from jazz to classic. And there's a big lift for morale in having a place to make your own music. Good chow never did anything to dampen the spirits of a fighting man and the dining facilities in the USO clubs of Vietnam are on a par with those in any stateside city, though the eating utensils add a local flavor all their own. One of the most attractive of the dozen or so USO clubs in the combat zone is the one at Danang. A break from the constant need for a litmus is deeply important to these men. A time to loosen up, let the tensions unwind. Time to discover the scenic beauty which is always there, but is hard to see when you're standing ankle deep in the mud of some rice paddock. The clubs in Vietnam are perhaps more dramatically welcome to the men they serve because they contrast so sharply with their combat zone setting. A man from a muddy security post can walk into a familiar world of ice cream sundaes and the best milkshakes and malts this side of a hometown drug store. And so the job of the USO continues. To be there, wherever they go, to have the welcome sign out for men who need a touch of home. To provide a relaxed atmosphere in which the boredom and loneliness and tension of men far from home can be forgotten for a time. To serve the men and women who serve our country. Many distinguished and patriotic citizens give freely of their time to serve with the USO. Speaking for them is Mr. Harvey Firestone Jr. Chairman of the Board of USO, Mr. Firestone. We are most grateful to the Army for this truly big picture of the worldwide activities of the USO and their effect on morale and military performance. The USO is able to do its job because the American people are behind it. For men and women in uniform, USO is a link with civilian life that makes them aware that we care and lets them know that the people back home have not forgotten them no matter how far away they go. All over the world, our volunteers play an essential role in making it possible for USO to perform its mission of serving the members of the armed forces with kindness, with personal attention and with sympathy and concern. The generous support of the American people has kept USO going strong for more than a quarter of a century. We appreciate the solid backing we get from Americans everywhere and we hope to continue to deserve it in the years to come.