The USO and GM Racing Bring National Hot Rod Association Drivers to Visit Troops in Germany

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2005 -- The USO and GM Racing, in partnership with the 435th Services Squadron, will send National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drivers to "meet and greet" wounded service members recuperating from injuries at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany Nov. 13-18. The drivers also will hand out 1,000 GM Racing goodie bags, which contain hats, t-shirts, cards and magazines.

The tour, Operation Support Our Wounded, will include six-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson, two-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Jim Yates, NHRA Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr., and NHRA Top Fuel veteran Cory McClenathan.

The trip will include three days of visits with wounded troops, hospital staff and military personnel assigned to the Kaiserslautern Military Community. The group also will spend time at Ramstein Air Base, the largest air base in Europe and responsible for aeromedical evacuation missions. Once there, the NHRA drivers will stop at several squadrons to watch demonstrations on how they fly and maintain their fleet.

This tour continues the USO tradition of bringing professional sports stars to troops serving far from home. Several celebrities have made trips for the USO so far this year, including NBA All-Star Charles Barkley; NBA Legends Artis Gilmore, Gail Goodrich, Spencer Haywood and Dan Roundfield; NFL standouts Roy Green, Warrick Dunn and Larry Izzo; World Boxing Organization Heavyweight Champion "Relentless" Lamon Brewster; legendary boxing promoter Don King and PGA Professional Bobby Lopez.

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, AT&T Corporation, Avon Products, Inc., BAE SYSTEMS, Bass Pro Shops, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Military Channel, National Football League, 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/.