The USO began considering RAF Lakenheath, U.K., as a possible location for a USO center in 2016, at the request of the 48th Fighter Wing commander at the time, then-Col. Robert G. Novotny. But a lack of space and commitments to support deployed forces elsewhere put the idea on the back burner-until the 2019 short-notice deployment of the 494th Fighter Squadron to Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates over Christmas. That's when the Air Force Association stepped in. AFA President Lt. Gen, Bruce "Orville" Wright learned that the families at Lakenheath needed some extra support, so he called on the USO to help. The USO responded immediately with programs and care packages, but also revisited the idea of a center. The RAF Lakenheath USO center is slated to open March 1. A USO center in Poland should open around the same time.
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