In addition to speaking with Crystal Phillips, today we had a presentation by one of the directors of the United Service Organization. He basically discussed the main goal or mission of USO, which is to "lift the spirits of AMerica's troops and their families." Apparently there are over a hundred USO centers located around the world. The main point that I got from Tony Davis' presentation was that the USO serves as a "home away from home" for American soldiers. They provide a variety of goods and services that will help soldiers adjust to their new surroundings. Something that caught my attention was that the USO also organizes entertainment performances for the troops as well. An example that Tony mentioned was the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders would come and visit the troops. I found that very cool that they also organize fun events like that. I think that all the support that the USO has provided for the troops will continue to move towards successfully making soldiers better adapt to their new settings.

Apart from the benefits that the USO provides for the troops, there is still tension that exists. One of the challenges that was mentioned that prevents positive relations between US military and Korean communities is that they are foreigners. It was mentioned that the older generations may understand and appreciate the US involvement in defending Korea, but the younger university students tend to have a more negative view. I think that if we are able to educate the younger generations of the significant aid that the US has actively provided to the South Korean society, the negative reputations of American soldiers will decline.