The power of connection with USO in the coldest place on Earth

It might not technically be the coldest place on earth, but it sure felt like it. A few years back, I flew with the USO to Thule Air Base in Greenland. Picture this: 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle, the sun disappears for months, and when I was there the temperature hit -47 degrees. If you’ve seen The Empire Strikes Back, imagine Hoth but without the tauntauns. Now imagine living there.

The USO was opening a new center on base, which for people stationed that far from home is more than a building. It’s a lifeline. A place to gather, to feel human again, to remember there’s still a world beyond the snow and the dark.

While I’ll never forget my time there, one moment in particular has stuck with me. I was talking to the Colonel of the base, and he told me the way he stays connected with his kids is by playing video games with them. Think about that. Thousands of miles away, surrounded by ice, and yet he and his kids were laughing and talking like they were sitting in the same room.

That’s the role the USO plays. When you see them bringing consoles and games to locations or centers, what they’re really delivering is connection. A sense of belonging. A piece of home, even in a place that feels like another planet.

And it’s not just Greenland. What I saw at Thule happens everywhere the USO shows up. They bridge the distance. They fight isolation. They remind people that no matter how far from home you are, you’re not forgotten. That’s the bigger story of the USO - they’re creating lifelines. Every console, every call home, every shared laugh across thousands of miles is proof that connection is what sustains people.

For me, this experience also reinforced what it looks like when purpose is more than a statement on a wall. It’s action, The USO doesn’t just talk about supporting service members. They live it. And that’s why their work resonates so deeply. Long after I left Greenland, the lesson stayed with me.

Connection is what endures. And in the coldest, darkest corners of the world, it’s what matters most.