RDU Update - Winter 2008


	WINTER 2008

Holiday Spirit Alive and Well at RDU’s USO

RDU’s USO helped coordinate what would be called “Operation Christmas Miracle.” Nearly 200 members of the Texas National Guard were stationed at Fort Bragg and expected to be deployed to Afghanistan before the holidays.

When a stroke of luck delayed their deployment, the soldiers were granted a week of holiday leave but were far from where they wanted to spend Christmas. Relatives tried to help but could not get enough money to cover the entire group. The soldiers had made a pact that it would be all or none that go home.

Southwest Airlines offered to foot the bill for the 180 soldiers. The USO at RDU worked with Southwest Airlines to coordinate the details. Soldiers began checking in on December 23 for flights to Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Southwest arranged for a group of 110 soldiers to travel together on a plane exclusively for them.

In daily operations, the USO at RDU continues to be a popular home away from home for military men, women and their families. Through the month of December, over 5,000 military personnel traveled through the USO. For the year, USO volunteers served 26,000 military personnel.

For information on volunteer opportunities at the USO, please visit www.uso-nc.org.

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Marketing Communications Department, Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority
P.O. Box 80001, RDU Airport, NC 27623
www.rdu.com (919) 840-7700 / (919) 840-0175 fax