Wayne Newton Leads USO Tour to Gulf Coast to Entertain Service Members Assisting in the Katrina Disaster

Wayne Newton Leads USO Tour to Gulf Coast to Entertain Service Members Assisting in the Katrina Disaster

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Wayne Newton, Chairman of the USO Celebrity Circle, will travel to the Gulf Coast Sept. 21 to host four USO shows for military personnel serving in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Service members will be treated to a variety show featuring country music singer Neal McCoy, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and comedian Jeff Ross. The entertainers will sign autographs, pose for pictures and provide as much one-on-one interaction as possible, boosting the morale of troops who are restoring the lives, communities and dignity of those devastated by Katrina.

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This marks the 10th tour in the past four years for Newton. Over the years, he has entertained service members around the globe in every military conflict since and including the Vietnam War. Newton was the first USO performer to go to Afghanistan and participated in the USO's first tour to Iraq.

A USO tour veteran with five overseas tours under his belt, Neal McCoy has traveled to Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait to entertain troops, and recently headlined the Annual USO Gala.

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have a 25-year history with the USO, participating on more USO tours than any other entertainment group. This trip, their 57th for the troops, comes just days before the squad is scheduled to travel to Cuba to "meet and greet" service members stationed at Guantanamo Bay.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the USO is expanding its U.S. operations, opening new satellite locations in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Through these centers as well as USO locations in Florida, military families from those bases destroyed or damaged by Katrina can find temporary housing, food and clothing, while the restoration of the Gulf Coast continues. Service members engaged in this enormous task will find respite and relief from the exhausting and overwhelming days ahead through the services and entertainment the USO provides.

CONTACT: Erica Stone of USO, +1-703-908-6471, or estone@uso.org

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031119/USO AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: USO

CONTACT: Erica Stone of USO, +1-703-908-6471, or estone@uso.org

Web site: http://www.uso.org/

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