Shaquille O'Neal and John Elway Among Celebrity Guests at USO Gala Honoring Gen. Richard B. Myers and Military Heroes

Shaquille O'Neal and John Elway Among Celebrity Guests at USO Gala Honoring Gen. Richard B. Myers and Military Heroes

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal and Hall of Fame NFL quarterback John Elway will highlight the celebrity guests at the annual United Service Organizations (USO) gala honoring Gen. Richard B. Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and five service heroes from each branch of the armed forces Sept. 14 at the Hilton Washington in Washington, D.C.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031119/USO )

O'Neal, the 7'1", 12-time All-Star center for the Miami Heat, was raised in an Army family, growing up on military bases in New Jersey; Georgia; San Antonio, Tex.; and Germany. He credits his father, retired Army Sgt. Philip Harrison, and mother Lucille most for his success on and off the basketball court. O'Neal and Elway will join an impressive list of celebrities to honor Gen. Myers and the service heroes, including Chelsea Cooley, MISS USA(R) 2005; Kathy Kinney; Wayne Newton; Tito Puente, Jr.; Henry Rollins; Jeff Ross and Leeann Tweeden. Entertainment will be provided by award-winning country music performer Neal McCoy and soprano Harolyn Blackwell. Deborah Norville will serve as master of ceremonies.

The USO Gala enlists entertainers and includes military fanfare to commemorate more than 64 years of service to military personnel and their families. In addition, senior representatives of the Department of Defense, top government officials, corporate leaders and Members of Congress are expected to attend.

Myers is being recognized for his distinguished service to his country, his leadership and his inspiration to our men and women in uniform. The five enlisted service members, selected by Senior Enlisted representatives from each service branch, will receive the "USO Service Member of the Year" award for their acts of heroism.

For more than 64 years, the USO (United Service Organizations) has been providing morale, welfare and recreational services to U.S. military personnel and their families. The USO is a nonprofit, charitable organization, relying on the generosity of the American people to support its programs and services. The USO is supported by World Partners Anheuser-Busch Companies, AT&T Corporation, Avon Products, Inc., BAE SYSTEMS, Bass Pro Shops, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Computer Systems Center, Inc., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Military Channel, National Football League, Northwest Airlines, Inc., S&K Sales Company and TriWest Healthcare Alliance. Other corporate donors, including Walgreens and the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-0600), have joined thousands of individual donors to support the USO. For more information on the USO, please visit our Web site at http://www.uso.org/.

CONTACT: Erica Stone, +1-703-908-6471, estone@uso.org, or Donna St. John, +1-703-908-6458, dstjohn@uso.org, both of USO.

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, +1-703-908-6471, estone@uso.org, or Donna St.
John, +1-703-908-6458, dstjohn@uso.org, both of USO

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

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Profile: Sport