December 18, 2023
Originally published December 2019; updated December 2023.
Jeanne Congdon never misses a shift volunteering at the USO Northwest Center at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). “I don’t want to miss a Wednesday,” she said. Congdon looks forward to spending time at the USO so much she organizes travel and appointments to make sure she is available for her weekly shift. She has volunteered on Wednesday afternoons since 2013 after attending the annual USO Northwest Five-Star Gala. Hearing the stories of the military members had a huge impact on her. “I cried my eyes out,” she said. “I knew I had to help.”
Home base
The SEA USO Center is one of 220 USOs worldwide, and the second busiest in the Western region (after San Diego). The 7,500-square-foot USO Center, tucked away on the Mezzanine level of SEA Airport outside of security, offers a home away from home for military travelers. It serves more than 61,200 traveling service members and their families each year.
Guests have a place to rest, eat, and make positive connections with other military members and volunteers. Amenities at the USO Center include hot and cold food and beverages; secure luggage storage; a bunk room; a large recliner lounge with four big screen televisions; an Internet bar with computers, printer, and fax machines; free WI-FI access; a movie theater; and a separate family room, all free of charge. As a volunteer, Congdon supports military members and their families traveling through SEA by making sandwiches and snacks, checking in guests, lending an ear, or offering a hug to someone who might need extra support.
She hopes once guests arrive at the USO, they know they are home. “I always tell people that once they walk in the door they can relax and smile. There are no more worries from now on; we’re taking care of you. We serve heroes every day,” she said. “They sacrifice for us — it’s the least we can do.”
Airport oasis
Jerry DiFilice travels to Joint Base Lewis-McChord several times a year for Army Reserve training. While he waits for his flight back home to New Jersey, he stops at the SEA USO Center for a meal, luggage storage, and some relaxation. “The USO is indispensable to us,” he said. “Soldiers traveling can’t afford to spend time in the airport lounges.”
He said military personnel often experience long layovers, so the USO gives weary travelers a place to recharge. “Soldiers feel at home here,” he said. “It’s a sanctuary, a home away from home. The SEA USO is an oasis in a hectic travel schedule.”
Gene Hager and his one-year-old son stopped by the SEA USO Center to enjoy a sandwich and a soda on their layover before heading on to San Antonio. “The USO offers a comfortable place for my family and me to go rather than waiting around the airport for five hours for my connecting flight,” Hager said. “Having a little one, things like that are very beneficial. I appreciate how the USO can take care of active military.”
Career support
The USO also provides career counseling to service members at all stages of their careers. SEA USO Manager, Matt Sult, refers military personnel who come through SEA to Joint Base Louis McChord’s USO Transition Program. Specialists help service members create individualized action plans, identify goals, and build a road map for achieving them. Additionally, this program helps service members plan for life after the military, connecting participants to valuable resources for a smooth transition to civilian life. Sult said the most important support service members need is putting military experience into language readily understood by recruiters.
Volunteers needed
Previously the SEA USO Center was open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Since the pandemic, the USO has reduced its hours due to fewer volunteers, particularly those available to work the night shift.
Now the center is open until 4:00 a.m. on nights when the Commercial Charter from Air Mobility Command (AMC) heads from SEA to Japan and Korea (Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday). The other nights, it stays open until midnight. But whether the late hours can continue depends on the availability of volunteers.
USOs worldwide are powered by volunteers like Congdon. The SEA USO has just two paid staff members – Sult and the Night Manager, Juan Rangel. The rest of the support comes from volunteers. Volunteers work two, four-hour shifts a month, assisting with duties like running the reception desk, answering questions, tagging luggage, making sandwiches, hot dogs, and coffee, and setting up bunks and towels for showers. On nights when the AMC Flight heads from SEA to Japan and Korea, at least three volunteers are needed to run the facility. These flights seat up to 200 people, which often leaves the USO over capacity, with military personnel spilling out onto the Mezzanine. On nights when there are no flights, USO Center operations can run effectively with a staff of two.
Volunteers don’t need any connection to the military. “It’s a simple, meaningful way to give back to our uniformed service members and their families, whether it’s making a sandwich, tagging luggage, making coffee, or connecting with people,” he said.
Sult said he makes a point to talk to each potential volunteer before they begin volunteering or during the training process. “I want everyone to understand the impact and importance of what they do here,” he said.
Fueled by donations
One hundred percent of the programs, services, and food at the USO are provided through community donations or USO fundraising efforts. And, according to Sult, all amenities provided at the facility, from the Top Pot donuts and big screen televisions, to the La-Z-Boy recliners, and even toiletries, are complementary for military guests. For many people visiting the USO, something simple like soap, a toothbrush, or personal hygiene items can make a huge difference..
Every December, USO Northwest volunteers set up gift wrapping stations at SEA, with donations funding needed upgrades to the facility. Past improvements include a new washer and drier, Emeco chairs (originally created in 1944 for warships and sailors during World War II), an upgraded entry ramp, ballistic glass in the entryway, and a women’s shower.
The fundraiser paused in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID, and in 2022 it was reduced to just five days after an ice storm hit the region. This year, the USO is hoping for a rebound. A gift-wrapping station will be set up on the C Concourse from 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. December 15 to December 23. Travelers and employees are invited to bring unwrapped gifts taken through security or purchased from SEA vendors to the station. This year donations will go to the general fund, which pays for everyday expenses for running the USO, like purchasing food and toiletries.
Diana Kain has been running the fundraiser since 2018. She said volunteers have a blast packaging holiday cheer for travelers and employees who stop by. It takes around 15 volunteers a day to run the gift wrapping station.
“Most of the volunteers dress up in some fashion, and wear Santa hats and accessories,” she said. “Even if people don't make a donation we don’t care, we just want people to take part in holiday festivities and have some fun. It can be stressful when there are long lines and planes to catch.”
It’s a wrap
Support the SEA USO Center and get your gifts wrapped between December 15 and December 23 at the gift-wrapping station on C Concourse by Gate C2 between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. each day.
