Kismayo USO Opening Ceremony
COOPERATIVE SECURITY LOCATION KISMAYO, Somalia – U.S. service members gathered for the opening of a United Service Organization’s location designed for recreation and off-duty activities Aug. 22, 2026, at Cooperative Security Location Kismayo, Somalia.
The opening ceremony included a ribbon-cutting followed by an evening full of events and camaraderie. The facility includes a library, board games, TVs with gaming consoles, ample seating, snacks, drinks, and toiletries. Along with all of the amenities offered, the facility provides a space to host events, giving personnel other options for spending their downtime at the outstation.
“Being away from home can be stressful, so the USO gives us somewhere to take our minds off work for a little while, hang out, play games, and build a stronger sense of community,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Elizabeth Thompson, wheeled vehicle mechanic assigned to Hotel Company, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Seminole, Florida Army National Guard.
Ali Thompson, USO center operations specialist and expeditionary coordinator, previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2010 to 2018, with assignments in Japan and California along with a deployment to Iraq. Ali says that because of her military experience, she understands the value and sense of community that this space brings to deployed service members.
“This project has been a year in the making and seeing it come to fruition has been such an achievement,” said Ali. “During the opening week we have hosted several events to include pickleball and cornhole tournaments, protein pancakes, bingo, and a reading program that allows service members to send audio recordings of them reading books to their children back home.”
Ali and service members at CSL Kismayo worked together to prepare the new space, bringing her prior service experience full circle.
“We put a lot of work into getting the USO ready,” said Sgt. Thompson. “From putting together TV stands inside a tent to planning and hosting the grand opening, seeing everyone use the space and enjoy what we created makes all of that hard work worth it.”
Deployments are filled with missions, long days, and months away from home, but they are shaped by the moments in between.
“Even having a small break from the everyday routine can help alleviate stress and make being away from home a little easier,” Sgt. Thompson said. “It took a team effort to make this happen, and I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish. It feels really good knowing that we built something that has made a difference for the people here.”
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
