Microsoft and the USO Announce Second Annual A Salute to Our Troops

NEW YORK — Sept. 23, 2008 — During this year’s Veterans Day weekend, Nov. 7–9, 2008, Microsoft Corp. will partner with the USO to recognize and thank the military community by hosting the second annual A Salute to Our Troops through a unique New York weekend experience. A Salute to Our Troops is a national program honoring the many faces of courage and inspiration belonging to individuals who demonstrate selfless dedication to our country. The program seeks to inspire others into action and show unified support for our service men and women and their families.

Tickets for a private showing of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular are being made available today for service members and their families and can be reserved online at http://www.salutetoourtroops.org. The private showing of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular maintains the USO tradition of entertaining the troops and gives them a chance to spend valuable time with their families during the holiday season. As part of the commitment to ensuring that troops around the globe get to experience the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the show will be rebroadcast multiple times on American Forces Network and the Pentagon Channel over the holiday season.

In addition, Microsoft and the USO will host 25 wounded warriors from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center to take part in a variety of distinctive activities throughout the weekend in New York City, including a U.S. Coast Guard tour of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty, lunch in Little Italy and an evening at New York’s Hard Rock café.

“Our service members and the USO volunteers who serve them exemplify leadership, duty and discipline, inspiring us to consider the various ways we can give back,” said Curt Kolcun, vice president of Microsoft U.S. Public Sector. “A Salute to Our Troops is our way of recognizing their sacrifices and honoring their efforts by providing some exciting New York moments they won’t forget.”

“A Salute to Our Troops once again aims to bring joy and show gratitude to our service men and women and their families for all they do for this country,” said Brian Whiting, president of USO of Metropolitan New York. “As we host them here in New York, in the proud tradition of partnership with our USO-Metro D.C. counterparts, we hope Americans will join us in considering ways they themselves can give back to those who give so much.”

A Salute to Our Troops also offers the opportunity for Americans to salute a USO volunteer or thank someone in the military for their service through the sharing of online stories in the A Salute to Our Troops community at http://www.salutetoourtroops.org.

About the Radio City Christmas Spectacular

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular creates memories to last a lifetime for more than one million patrons each year and has been seen by approximately 65 million people since its inception in 1933. The 2008 edition of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular is the biggest New York holiday experience ever coming fresh off the show’s enormously successful 75th celebration. This year the Radio City Christmas Spectacular will be the biggest production ever.

About the USO

The USO is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the troops by providing morale, welfare and recreation-type services to our men and women in uniform. The original intent of Congress for the USO, established in 1941 is to represent the American people by extending a touch of home to the military. The USO currently operates in more than 130 centers worldwide, including overseas.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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