The USO: "Coffee and Donuts" and Everything in Between

In creating the story and music of Girl of My Dreams, authors Steve Hayes, Peter Ekstrom, and David DeBoy, in collaboration with the Village Theatre team, conducted extensive research on the USO troupes of the 1940s. As sung in Girl of My Dreams, the USO provided Coffee and Donuts but it also provided — and continues to provide — hope, support, and morale to millions.

WWII: The USO is Created

Formed in 1941, in response to a request from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the United Service Organization (USO) was created to handle the on-leave recreations of the rapidly growing U.S. armed forces. A private non-profit organization, the USO thrives off donations and volunteers, working closely with the U.S. military to provide USO centers and activities. Since its inception, the USO's goal is to be a bridge between the American people and U.S. military. Initially, the USO Centers were created to give soldiers a "home away from home." By 1944, USOs were found in over 3,000 locations throughout the United States. In addition to the USO centers, the USO also focused on raising soldiers' spirits through live entertainment. Early in 1941, the USO began "Camp Shows," expanding the USO to bring entertainment and shows to Americans fighting overseas. For those troops who were unable to see the Camp Shows, the War Department created the Armed Forces Radio Service. The radio service would broadcast the shows live and ship them to broadcast locations.

USO Camp Shows and Entertainers

Like the characters of Girl of My Dreams, entertainers who participated in these Camp Shows often waived pay and working conditions to perform shows for the troops. Entertainers sometimes performed as many as 13 shows in one day, from the back of a pickup truck to a gun emplacement. Camp Shows consisted of a variety of programming — from song and dance to comedy routines. USO performances were intended to not only entertain the troops, but also serve as reminder of life back in the United States. Interestingly, the German and Japanese armies forbade any entertainment for their troops, thinking that it would distract their troops from their main mission. The United States took the opposite approach, believing that entertainment and morale boosting was top priority.

Keeping up morale was so important that certain entertainers, such as Bob Hope, were blocked from joining active service by direct order of the President. Entertainers, however, were not necessarily well-known film stars or stage actors, but often were vaudeville performers, painters, and dancers; any entertainer was welcome. Between 1941 and 1947, over 7,000 entertainers performed in over 420,000 USO shows.

The USO Today

The USO continues to be alive and well today, both nationally and globally. In addition to providing entertainment both at home and overseas, USO centers that exist today are many things to many people: a lively place to dance and meet people; a place to see movies or find religious counsel; a quiet place to talk or write letters; and, of course, the place to go for free coffee and doughnuts. The USO's motto, ãUntil Everyone Comes Homeä still rings true today; the USO currently operates more than 120 centers around the world, including seven mobile canteens, with 73 located in the continental United States and 49 overseas. For more information about the USO visit www.uso.org.

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