Airport needs a USO

In response to “Airport plan to see changes” (Amy Edelen, Aug. 24):

Another airport expansion is in the works, one of several that have taken place in my nearly five decades of living in Spokane. This expansion will again expand gates, improve security and baggage claim, and add a connector between terminals to already installed high-definition, flat-screen monitors that display scenes of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. In the millions of dollars invested in airport expansion to add comfort and convenience for travelers going to and from Spokane, one service that never seems to make the priority list of airport leadership and Airport Board is a USO.

Spokane is home to a major Air Force facility, Fairchild AFB, that carries out an important mission in protecting our nation and training our service members for survival at the Survival School. There are also reserve units and Air Guard units located in the Spokane area with military personnel of all branches arriving and leaving Spokane each day.

In all the square footage that has been added to the airport over the years, is there not a few hundred square feet that can house a USO? A USO lounge can provide an area for military families that includes snacks and beverages, luggage storage, TV area, reading material and even shower and sleeping areas.

It looks and sounds like the Airport Board wants to have first-class airport facilities in Spokane. It is long overdue to also include a first class USO.

Pete Casimir, U.S. Army, 1968-71

Spokane