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Okinawa, Japan, November 21, 2022 – Military service members and their families will celebrate the relocated and new USO Camp Schwab center opening on December 1, 2022. The USO center, located inside the brand-new Camp Schwab Exchange Complex, will serve more than 80,000 Marines, Sailors, and family members aboard Camp Schwab annually through engaging activities and meaningful connections.
“Making our service members and families feel connected to family, home, and country while overseas is an important part of our mission daily,” said Maria Paige, USO Camp Schwab Center Manager. “With plans of immense growth for our camp and a desire to impact our service members while here on the island, USO Camp Schwab has been preparing to unveil a new USO center they so much deserve after many years of planning. In opening our new center, our team is most excited to enhance our services by providing our patrons with new and improved media and service connectivity, state-of-the-art amenities, functional furniture, and even more impactful programming.”
USO Camp Schwab welcomes a modern design concept based on interchangeable components to increase flexibility and comfort in day-to-day operations providing ease and convenience to the lives of military service members and their families.
“The installations in Okinawa are changing over time, as is the laydown of our U.S. forces, and USO Okinawa is proud to be part of planning that change as a tenant organization,” said J. Phil VanEtten, USO Okinawa Area Director. “It is critical for the USO to remain relevant to our service members, their families, and the commands we support to ensure we bring the best to our service members. We are moving from a building extensively used during the Vietnam War into a state-of-the-art facility. I cannot emphasize how important this new USO Camp Schwab center will be to our service members, their families, and the commands on Camp Schwab.”
The USO on Camp Schwab has a long and rich history of strengthening Marines and Sailors by keeping them connected to family, home, and country while aboard the installation. Since 1976 USO Schwab has provided comfort, connectivity, and companionship to our nation’s heroes stationed on Camp Schwab and the neighboring community, which is in a remote area far north of most installations on Okinawa.
“In the 10-plus years I’ve been involved with this project, the USO has proudly been by the side of our nation’s service members stationed at Camp Schwab,” said Henry Hughes, USO Okinawa Area Operations Manager. “While the former center has an unmistakable air of nostalgia for Marines who visit, we are excited to make new memories in this brand-new location.”
Military service members and their families looking for more details or a center near them can visit the USO app or USO Centers web page.
