Soldiers and their Families at Fort Moore Now have a New USO Center to Call Their Own

Fort Moore leaders and USO representatives hosted a ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony Feb. 1, officially opening the doors to the 14,768 square foot USO center on Fort Moore, Ga.

Major Gen. Curtis A. Buzzard, commanding general, Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Moore officiated the ceremony, and was joined by Lisa Marie Riggins, regional president, USO Southeast Region, and Mary Lou Austin, executive director, USO Georgia.

With over 250 centers world-wide, service members and their families refer to their local USO centers to be their “home away from home,” turning to the USO first for support and connection to home and to each other throughout the duration of their service.

“The USO’s presence on Fort Moore is a testament to the enduring support our nation provides, and I am confident it will enhance the quality of life for our community,” Buzzard said. “After all, the USO’s mission is to strengthen the well-being of the people serving in America’s military and their families, and we are grateful to have a USO center here on Fort Moore.”

This new center is the product of a dual project between U.S. Army Garrison Fort Moore, the USO and the USO Georgia Advisory Council to provide programs and services to over 40,000 active duty service members and their families who call Fort Moore and the surrounding community home.

In a collaborative effort, the command team and Directorate of Public Works identified an existing facility on the installation that was centrally located on Fort Moore and easy to access. Working with the USO, together they renovated the building and repaired utilities, ensuring a safe, inhabitable, and functional space to benefit the Fort Moore community.

The USO serves as a beacon of support for various military installations, to include Fort Moore whose young soldiers receive support from the USO as they make their way to training from the Atlanta Airport each year.

According to the Maneuver Center of Excellence’s website, Fort Moore is the home of the Army’s maneuver fighting force. Since its establishment over a century ago, this Army post has symbolized strength, courage and sacrifice.

The mission of Fort Moore is to produce trained and combat-ready soldiers and leaders and develop the maneuver force to respond to any challenges across the globe that may threaten our way of life, and the USO is honored to contribute to the readiness and quality of life for the soldiers and their families who call Fort Moore and the surrounding community home.

“The USO is grateful for the tremendous support and coordination we have received from Maneuver Center of Excellence leadership in establishing a USO center at Fort Moore,” said Riggins. “USO centers are the cornerstone of USO service delivery, and we are excited to provide high quality, generationally relevant programs and services to the over 40,000 service members and their families who call Fort Moore home.”

The new USO center will serve as a home away from home, where service members and their families can go for special programs, offering a warm, welcoming, alcohol-free lounge; internet connectivity for guests; healthy drinks and snacks; and various forms of entertainment such as board games, video games, TV, books, and more.

This USO center will also deliver additional programming during special observances and holidays throughout the year, to include support from the Mobile USO Program that travels throughout the state and across the U.S. southeast region providing USO programs and services to service members and their families.

“The establishment of this center has been a passion project of mine for quite some time now,” said Austin. “Not only has it been my passion project, but our local USO staff – Jazmine Murphy and Christina Shively as well as Chelsea Saint Louis, Sarah Bostic, Vanessa Rangel, and Pam Horton who have poured their hearts and souls into preparing this center, all while supporting the local military community.

The USO Fort Moore Center is the USO’s newest center, and its opening was made possible thanks to the support of our donors. Primary funding for the construction of the center was made possible through a generous gift from the Amos Family, The Chu Family Foundation, The Benjamin F. Brady Charitable Foundation and The Armed Forces Family Foundation, which has been a significant partner and source of support for numerous construction and renovation projects at USO centers throughout the southeast.