John Wayne Airport said it would officially open a site of the Bob Hope USO today in the Thomas F. Riley Terminal B arrivals area.
It’s been open since Monday, Nov. 3, said Bob Hope USO Executive Director Bob Kurkjian.
United Service Organizations provide amenities and entertainment to members of the military and their families at more than 160 centers worldwide, according to the national group’s website.
Bob Hope USO is a Long Beach-based nonprofit “charter” of the national group in Washington, D.C., Kurkjian said.
His group’s area covers Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Bob Hope USO lounges are also at Los Angeles International Airport, Palm Springs International Airport and Ontario International Airport.
The Bob Hope USO Center at John Wayne Airport has food and drinks, movies, video games, travel assistance and wireless access free to troops and guests, and is slated to be open year-round for 20,000 members of the military who come through JWA annually, the airport said.
The County of Orange is leasing the space to Bob Hope USO for five years at $1 per year, according to the airport.
The John Wayne location will be the first USO in Orange County since World War II.
