The White Falcon - 29.08.1980, Blaðsíða 4

Pape 4
August 29, 1980
The USO-- a place
Everyone knows they can get good fish and a good
game of pingpong at the USO, but it has more to offer.
The USO is open almost 24 hours a day, and its only
purpose is to serve you.
"We try to create as unmilitary an atmosphere as
possible on base," said Pat Lockwood, the Program and
Activity Director. The USO achieves this with pool
tables, pinball machines, games, TV, and food like
Icelandic fish, tacos, and waffles.
Classes such as belly dancing, yoga, knitting, in-
terior design, cake decorating, and conversational
Icelandic are offered, while shopping trips from 8:30
a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays allow a chance to use your
new skills in Reykjavik.
The USO is in the process of redecorating, because,
according to Pat, the USO building "is a former mess
hall that still bears the scars of years of service."
Softer lighting, wood paneling, wall-to-wall carpet,
new furniture and booths are being acquired along with
new kitchen equipment.
This will enable the USO to expand its areas of en-
tertainment and offer food specials, such as Spaghetti
Night, complete with an Italian setting and candle-
light. Completion of the project is expected to take
until September, when the USO will hold an Open House,
"so everyone can come and admire how beautiful
we've become," Pat said.
While the new kitchen is installed, the old grill
is open from 6:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. - 1 a.m.
on Monday through Thursday, and from 6:30 a.m. - 7:30
p.m. and 9:30 p.m. - 3 a.m. on Friday.
to go in Keflavik
Every Friday and Saturday a Fish Fry is held, fea-
turing deep-fried Icelandic fish, with side orders of
macaroni salad, baked beans or cole slaw. On Saturday
and Sunday the grill opens at 9 a.m., with tacos
served on Saturday, and waffles on Sunday.
As Pat puts it, "The motto of USO world wide is
'your home away from home' and we'd like to have peo-
ple think of our USO as their family rec room with a
built-in snack bar."
Among the new programs planned for the USO is a
"Coffee House", which will utilize local talent and a
musical band. Anyone who has a talent is encouraged
to participate. Also planned is a "Gong Show", which
anyone with no talent is encouraged to participate. A
The USO gets no government funding, and operat^
only on the money it takes in. "Unlike other USO^
overseas, in Iceland there are no American corpora-
tions—we get no contributions from outside sources,"
explained Pat. Hence, to keep the USO running in Kef-
lavik a constant influx of people-grabbing ideas are
needed.
"We try to get involved with people, because that
gets people involved," Pat said. "When someone comes
to us with an idea, our goal is to turn that idea into
a reality. For example, on the questionnaire we put
out awhile ago, many people said, 'Why can't we have a
pool tournament?' and now we're having one."
The USO needs your ideas to be the 'home away from
home' you want it to be. In other words, the USO
needs you! So get involved. Check it out today.
PHOTOS—(clockwise from above) Pat Lockwood talks witj^
a patron; a customer uses one of the USO's four p
ball machines; Pat displays the USO T-shirt; Pete B
and Jim O'Connor rehearse for a USO play, "Infancy."