Anyone who has waited on a friend or family member at an airport knows the face of the young military man or woman as they walk down the runway from a plane that has taken them far away from their family and friends. You can see that anxious and sometimes frightened look that wonders what this new town or city will bring and how long they might be there before they are deployed to where the dangerous battles and wars are being fought.

On June 3, life was made a little better for those in Columbia serving their country as the USO opened its first center in South Carolina at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

Joanie Thresher, the center director at USO South Carolina said opening this center was labor of love and the city rallied to get it done.

“All of the city leaders and military personnel worked diligently to bring this center to Columbia,” she said. “The Airport Commission graciously donated the space for us, and there were many key players representing Fort Jackson and our business community who donated their time and money to make this a reality.”

This 900 square–foot facility will serve approximately 46,000 service members traveling through the airport each year, along with the 65,000 active duty troops and their family members stationed at Fort Jackson, Fort Gordon, Shaw Air Force Base, 81st Regional Support Command (USAR), and McEntire Joint National Guard Base.

“We have so many veterans in the Columbia area who wanted this USO to be there for our troops,” Thresher said. “It usually takes three to four years to get a center in a city, but we did it in five months.”

She said the center started out as a lounge for the military on layovers.

“When we began, we saw roughly 1,000 troops a month,” Thresher said. “Today, we are seeing almost 5,000.”

A large part of the USO guests are new recruits arriving in Columbia for basic training, Thresher said.

“These are very young men and women who have never left home before, and most have never flown either,” she said. “They come to us scared and confused, and we are able to guide them through the process, let them call home, or send an email. It can mean the world to a young soldier.”

The USO is totally supported by donations and volunteers, Thresher said.

“People think we are a government agency, but we aren’t,” she said. “I am the only paid staff member, and everyone else is a volunteer. And they are wonderful people who go overboard to make the men and women who are serving our country comfortable while they are with us.”

The center is located in the airport atrium, and will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. All programs and services offered there are free to troops and their family members. Computer stations and Wi–Fi access will allow troops to check email and stay connected to their loved ones. Xbox® 360 video gaming systems, large screen TVs and books will entertain troops during long layovers. Snacks are available for those with empty stomachs.

The USO is back in SC after it had to close its doors during the Viet Nam war, Thresher said.

“That war was so unpopular it really wasn’t safe for the troops to wear their uniforms and to have a place where a lot of military men and women gathered wasn’t a good idea.”

All that has changed today, she said.

“Today when you see someone in uniform, people go up and thank them,” she said. “If you want to thank someone for their service, the USO is a wonderful way to do it.”

She said the center survives totally on donations and will take anything people care to give. Food must be in separate packages but it all goes to the troops. She said the new center goes through hundreds of cases of water and one thing the troops really like is sunflower seeds.

“We go through 600 packs of sunflower seeds a month,” she laughed.

She said no donation in cash or supplies was too small.

“If someone wants to give us a case of water or a box of bagged potato chips, we’ll meet them at the curb to get it,” she said. “And if you want to volunteer to interact with the men and women coming through our center, I can promise you a rewarding experience.”

To make a donation of money or supplies or to request a form to volunteer, call (803) 822-7953.

It’s a great place to be,” Thresher said. “We are there for the people who lay their lives on the line for us. We are there to welcome them home and we are there to hug them before they fly into active duty.”