Giving G.I. Joes a break

East Atlantic Beach resident Owen O’Shea is digging his toes in another kind of sand these days. O’Shea is stationed at a USO base in Qatar, in the Persian Gulf, where he organizes activities for American soldiers on leave from Iraq and Afghanistan.

When the 25-year-old lost his job running a supportive housing program for AIDS and HIV patients in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, last May, he thought of joining the military. After researching opportunities with the USO, a nonprofit organization that provides programs and services for military personnel, O’Shea found a way to make the most of his humor, spirit of fun and athleticism to help the troops.

“I noticed a way to bring morale, recreation and a positive environment rather than using a gun,” said O’Shea, a self-described jock. “Which is so much better for me.”

One of four paid staffers at the base in Qatar, O’Shea is contracted to spend 335 days overseas, with only 30 days of personal time to visit family and friends back in the U.S. With 13 USO bases in the region and only 90 days under his belt, O’Shea plans on spending time at each one before his contract expires.

While the USO is famous for its comedy tours and concerts, O’Shea organizes the daily programs and activities, like basketball, bocce, poker and dominos. The center also has computers with Internet access, which troops use to contact their family via Skype or SiteSpeed, two video phone services.

Troops can also take part in the United Through Reading program, in which they are videotaped reading books for their families or local schools. “You see these big Marines — gigantic guys — come out with tears in their eyes,” O’Shea said of the program’s impact.

He also helps to organize Pros vs. G.I. Joes events that link professional athletes, like Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O’Neal, with the troops. Using a large flat-screen TV and an Internet connection, the stateside pros take on the troops in Rock Band, Guitar Hero, Modern Warfare and other video games. O’Shea, a lacrosse and surfing enthusiast, is looking to recruit professional surfers and lacrosse players to get involved in the program.

While O’Shea enjoys his time with the troops, he admits that danger is always on his mind. “It’s the truth that not a lot of people like Americans, especially in this region,” he said. “My eyes are constantly looking over my shoulder.”

His mother, Jean O’Shea, said that she and her husband, Patrick, are proud of their son, but acknowledged that it is tough having him so far away in a hostile environment. “It’s somewhat unsettling,” Jean said, noting that Owen was in Afghanistan during the holidays. “That was very, very, very tough.”

Jean said her son had never expressed any interest in serving overseas, but as a business major at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, Calif., he did a semester in Nairobi, Kenya, working with the State Department, and taught local children how to play lacrosse. “It was a big shock for me because I thought he would … work for an insurance company or bank,” Jean said.

But she pointed out that her son always liked to work “outside the box.” “I don’t think he would be happy working nine to five,” she added.

O’Shea’s friend Tara DelGrosso said she wasn’t surprised when he told his friends about his opportunity, since he’d always wanted to help make a difference in people’s lives. “The job that he’s doing now is absolutely perfect for him,” DelGrosso said. “I just think he’s a phenomenal person. They’re lucky to have him over there.”

Jean said she believes the experience has matured and humbled her son. “When you live in a little community like Long Beach, kids don’t realize what is over the bridge and over the water,” she said.

She expressed her hope that her son can remain positive, which he admits is his biggest challenge. “There’s no feeling bad for myself,” he said, noting that many of the soldiers he interacts with are much younger than he is and will spend only a short time relaxing in Qatar before heading back into a war zone.

Asked how the experience has changed him, O’Shea replied, “I realize that anything could happen at any given moment. Why waste time doing unproductive things and things that aren’t bettering me and bettering society?”

Before he left for the Middle East, O’Shea organized a fundraising event at the Inn on West Beech Street, which collected $6,000 to be used for assembling care packages for soldiers overseas. To donate to the USO, visit uso.org or call (888) 484-3876.

Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.