Standing Together Through the Distance: Honoring Our Nation’s Deployed Military Service Members and Their Families
Deployments are one of the most demanding parts of military life. They bring distance, uncertainty, and emotional strain for those who serve — and for the people who love them most. On Day of the Deployed, the USO honors the courage and sacrifice of deployed service members and their families while reaffirming our mission: to strengthen the well-being of America’s military service members, throughout every stage of deployment.
The USO at Fort Drum in New York sends off and welcomes home deployed service members.
From USO Care Packages to calls home, from comforting USO Centers to the USO Reading Program that helps create recordings that bridge oceans — the USO stands with military families through every mile of separation.
The USO at Fort Drum in New York sends off and welcomes home deployed service members.
Love, Connection, and “Big Army Trips”
For one Wisconsin National Guard family, deployment has become a familiar but never easy journey.
“I’m not sure you can ever truly prepare for a deployment,” said military spouse, Heather Bartels. “During our first one, we read the military edition of The 5 Love Languages, and that helped keep our marriage strong despite the distance. Now we have our post-deployment baby — and she’s learning what we call ‘big Army trips.’”
Heather Bartel and her family.
Before this latest deployment, the family leaned on the USO Reading Program to stay connected. “The books my husband recorded at the USO Center have become treasures in our home,” she shared. “On tough days, our daughter replays them so she can still hear his voice. We say, ‘Daddy sends us the moon, and we send him the sun.’ It’s our way of staying close, even from afar.”
Bartel and his daughter at the Daddy-Daughter Dance, the Military Kids Ball hosted by the USO in Wisconsin in honor of Month of the Military Child.
The family also found comfort in the USO Care Package Program — including one specially designed for children. “Our daughter’s package had a feelings flip book that helps her express emotions she can’t put into words. We loved it so much, we got one for her classroom. That small item has made such a big difference.”
As the family navigates deployment, Heather also serves as her unit’s Soldier and Family Readiness Group (SFRG) Lead, helping others find the same community that carried her through past separations. “Connecting with other military families is powerful — you don’t have to explain, they just get it. My goal is to create opportunities for families to build the village that helps them endure deployment together.”
A Moment to Hold Onto
For Sgt. Farmer, a single mother currently stationed abroad, a pre-deployment photo session at the USO Center in Fort Riley, Kansas with her daughter offered something she’ll never forget.
“It was more than just a photo shoot,” she said. “It was a moment and space in time that only my daughter and I would know what that bear meant to me. As a single mom, I carry the weight of being both the nurturer and the protector. That session gave us a chance to pause, hold each other, and create a memory we can both keep close.”
Sgt. Farmer poses for a photo at the USO Center with the bear her daughter will keep while she is on deployment.
Before leaving, Sgt. Farmer recorded a bedtime story through the USO Reading Program, creating another lasting connection for her daughter. “She’ll listen to my voice while I’m away. That recording will hang in her room and go with her to school — a visual reminder that our bond is strong, no matter the miles between us.”
Even while deployed, Sgt. Farmer finds strength through connection and gratitude. “From the bottom of my heart — thank you,” she said to USO supporters. “What you’re providing isn’t just a service, it’s stability. It’s hope. It’s a reminder that, while we serve, we are not forgotten.”
Connection Across Continents
In 2024, the USO reached people in 134 countries and on all seven continents, including some of the most remote duty stations. With the help of more than 21,000 volunteers, the organization delivered nearly 350,000 Care Packages to troops in nearly 90 countries and welcomed visitors more than 7 million times to USO Centers worldwide.
Through the USO Reading Program, nearly 20,000 recordings and 20,000 books were shared, helping over 3,500 families stay close — one story at a time.
USO Care Packages delivered to military service members on deployment.
Standing Beside Those Who Serve
Deployments may bring separation, but through every moment of distance, the USO helps keep families close — with love that travels across oceans, hope that endures through months apart, and connection that reminds them home is never too far away.
On this Day of the Deployed, join us in honoring the bravery of our deployed service members and their families.
Send a message of support to deployed service members today through the USO by clicking on THIS LINK. Because together, we stand strong — even when miles apart.