'American Valor' celebrates 85th anniversary of United Service Organizations
Floating among the clouds, ABC News' Bob Woodruff and comedian Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias peered down at a stunning view of Japan's Mount Fuji.
The pair was heading to Yokoto Air Base, one of the largest Air Force bases in the world. It served as a key launch point for U.S. military missions in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Woodruff and Iglesias, along with three other comedians, traveled to join up with the United Service Organizations (USO), a nonprofit organization founded in 1941 that aims to uplift the spirits of U.S. service members abroad. The USO has been active at Yokoto and other U.S. military bases around the world for decades, and this Veterans Day, the organization celebrates its 85th anniversary.
A Veterans Day series, "American Valor," premieres Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu, with the first episode exploring service members in Japan.
Subsequent episodes will stream on Nov. 18 and Nov. 25, taking audiences to South Korea and Alaska, respectively.
Iglesias performed a stand-up show at Yokoto before the group traveled to Misawa Air Base, the next stop on their Japanese tour celebrating the USO.
"I do enjoy being able to give my time and bring smiles to people that are missing home," Iglesias told Woodruff. "I know what it's like to be away, and these people are out there, and they're not going home for a while."
As American service members and their families moved into the bases and surrounding neighborhoods, they changed local Japanese communities. Americans built houses, frequented local businesses and even took over the military's Pacific radio waves.
While Americans' presence and their impact on local economies were welcomed by some, others expressed hope that Japan's military would be less dependent on the U.S.
Strolling the streets surrounding Yokoto and Misawa, Woodruff spoke with a number of locals -- from a noodle shop owner to a tattoo artist to a motorcyclist -- who have been drastically impacted by Americans' culture and economic activity in their own backyards.
The cultural crossover has led service members to call Misawa, a joint American-Japanese base, the home to "two cultures, one community."
G. Reilly, a comedian and U.S. Navy veteran, accompanied Woodruff on the Japanese tour. Reilly recalled his enjoyment of USO entertainers' performances while he was serving in the Navy himself.
"It's a moment of comfort," Reilly told Woodruff. "The goal here is clear: create a unifying moment of relief for our service members abroad just like the USO has always done."
