USO to Support Holiday Trees for National Guard Troops in Binghamton

BINGHAMTON, NY (11/30/2012)(readMedia)-- Members of the New York National Guard's 204th Engineer Battalion welcome the USO to their headquarters armory here to distribute holiday trees to troops following the unit's holiday celebration.

WHAT: Distribution of donated Christmas trees by the USO to National Guard families.

WHO: Soldiers and family members of the New York Army National Guard's 204th Engineer Battalion.

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012 from noon-3 p.m.

WHERE: New York State Armory, 85 West End Ave, Binghamton, NY 13905

Media Opportunity:

News media may interview USO representatives, Soldiers and their families while gathering imagery of Christmas tree distribution to the troops. Media are asked to contact Amy Hibbard, (607) 343-4331 for access to the event on Saturday afternoon.

Background

The 204th Engineer Battalion Family Readiness Group will partner with the United Services Organization to arrange for local Christmas tree farms to deliver and donate holiday trees to troops and their families. The event is held immediately following the unit holiday celebration.

Soldiers of the battalion recently returned from state active duty, providing response and recover mission support in New York City following the devastating landfall of Hurricane Sandy Oct. 29. The engineers provided a full array of services to emergency responders, including presence patrols, relief supply distribution and debris removal in the hardest hit communities.