Fort Stewart Soldier named finalist for USO Volunteer of the Year

A Fort Stewart Soldier deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom was honored as the United Service Organizations' 2013 Southwest Asia Volunteer of the Year in a ceremony, here Tuesday. Spc. Raymond "RJ" Castle was presented the USO Volunteer of the Year Medal by Brig. Gen. Peter Jones, 3rd Third Infantry Division deputy commanding general -- Support, and Mary Lou Austin, president, Georgia USO, for 433 hours of service as a USO volunteer during his off-duty time while deployed to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, in 2013.
"It's a complete surprise," said the Kingsport, Tenn., native. "I didn't do it for any personal recognition and I never thought it would get this far. I had a lot of fun doing it and it [was] good to help out my fellow Soldiers [who] may have not had as much down time as I did."
There are more than 26,000 USO volunteers. Each year, the USO awards a USO Volunteer of the Year Medal to one outstanding volunteer among nominees from four regions: Southwest Asia, Europe, the continental U.S., and the Far East. Castle was the Southwest Asia Volunteer of the Quarter in the summer of 2013, and is now one of four finalists. "Volunteers are the heartbeat of the USO, and a Soldier willing to give up free time in a combat zone is very unique," Austin said. "We are thrilled to be able to honor Specialist Castle."

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Written by Master Sgt. Krishna M. Gamble, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

Retrieved 15 Jan 2014 from:

http://www.army.mil/article/118249/Fort_Stewart_Soldier_named_finalist_for_USO_Volunteer_of_the_Year/