WORLD WAR II - The United Service Organization

 

THE USO 

" A GI' S HOME AWAY FROM HOME"

The USO really came into its own in World War II. Organized in February 1941, with the mission to boost the morale of soldiers home and abroad, it set up anywhere it could find a space. It was a place to share a comradery with fellow soldiers. The canteens always had coffee and donuts, sometimes movies or shows, music and dancing, as well as supplies on hand for letter writing or art.

USO mobile canteen

Each USO had a paid director and assistant director, and then all volunteers. Women 35 and older volunteered to be Senior Hostesses and those 18-30 were Junior Hostesses. Strict rules applied for proper dress and deportment. Slacks were not allowed, for example, and a girl couldn't refuse a dance unless the soldier was "ungentlemanly."  The volunteers served food, talked to the soldiers and sometimes had a dance. The Senior Hostesses were there to be "mom" figures for the men.

The only charge was for cigarettes; everything else was free for the soldiers. No liquor was allowed or sold.

Four circuits of "Camp Shows," were the most popular feature of the USO. Two circuits traveled to bases around the United States. One traveled in both the U.S. and overseas

USO show in Italy

 One circuit went only overseas - the Foxhole Circuit.  Some of the big Hollywood names were on this circuit. They donated their time, dressed like the troops (when not on stage), ate with them and slept in their areas.

This was not necessarily a safe trip for them, as often the shows were near the front lines.

The Bob Hope shows were very popular with the troops. Through the war funds, the USO, according to one source, raised 33 million dollars in donations during the war.

(That's $433 million today.) The USO reached out to the soldiers and tried to give them times that they could forget about being on duty. It was some fun to make them laugh and have a little bit of enjoyment.

This is a link to an enjoyable three minute video of a Bob Hope Camp show from 1944. (Sorry that you will have to suffer a brief advertisement before it starts.)

Bob Hope Camp Show

Dianne Kline, Researcher

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