Remodeled USO Center Now Open

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — Thursday, dozens gathered for the grand re-opening of the USO center inside the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. “For a commander who has sent over 17,000 people into battle over the last ten years, for someone who’s commanded over 10,000 in Afghanistan, the value of the USO cannot be overstated,” says Major General Robert Livingston, Adjutant General of South Carolina. The center, which originally opened in 2010, was already being used by troops Thursday afternoon. Crandall Sims reporting,”We’re told the renovations of the center cost about $20,000 and took several months to complete, they include new furnishings, new floors and new electronics.” In the far left corner of the room can check flight times of when they will be going home, but General Peggy Combs, the current interim General at Fort Jackson, says this center itself offers a feeling of home. “The first thing that goes through my mind is the welcoming nature of this community,” says Combs “Columbia has and Fort Jackson has such a tremendous, tremendous important mission to support our Army and make sure that the troops that are deploying and first into the military know how to do their jobs,” says Alex Reyes, Senior VP of Operations for USO. Now,thanks to the USO, Columbia is able to offer something back to our troops, a newly remodeled place for them and their loved ones to let them know just how much they’re appreciated. “They wrap their arms and their hearts around those future soldiers and tell them how appreciative they are for t hem having the courage to say, “Send me, send me to defend the freedoms and the liberties of the great country that we live in,” says Combs