Sailors assigned to USS Iwo Jima and USO staff talk at the grand opening of the first USO afloat recharge center on an amphibious assault ship, July 28, 2025 in Norfolk, Va. (Erickson Magno/U.S. Navy)
The amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima is the latest Navy vessel to host an afloat USO center designed to improve shipboard life for deployed sailors and Marines, the service said this week.
Iwo Jima is the first amphibious assault ship to have one of the centers, which also are on 10 aircraft carriers and five destroyers, the Navy said in a statement on Tuesday.
Like their ashore counterparts, shipboard USO centers include comfortable seating, TVs, video and board games, and snacks.
They offer sailors and Marines a home-away-from-home environment and a way to relax while serving in high-stress operational environments, according to the statement.
The center aboard Iwo Jima gives the ship’s 2,200 sailors and Marines a place to reset, recharge and de-stress, Capt. Kathryn Wijnaldum, executive officer of Iwo Jima, said in the statement.
That allows them to “resume their duties that enable us to accomplish our mission and get the job done when our nation calls upon us,” Wijnaldum said.
Capt. Kathryn Wijnaldum, executive officer of the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, left, and Jeff Hill, USO expeditionary region vice president, open a USO recharge center aboard Iwo Jima on July 28, 2025 at Norfolk, Va. (Erickson Magno/U.S. Navy)
USO shipboard centers are among the latest efforts by the Navy to address service member health and well-being, particularly during deployments that can include weeks or months at sea without a port call and limited contact with family and friends.
In May 2023, the service deployed a yellow Labrador retriever on the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford as an operational stress military working dog. The pilot program came as the service worked to address quality of life issues and expand services amid concerns about mental health and suicide. The program has since expanded to other ships.
The first USO shipboard center opened in June 2023 on the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush.
