Like many combat-injured servicemembers, Army Pfc. Matthew Castillo del Muro has found comfort in family and support.

Organizations such as the USO, Microsoft Corp. and the Washington Nationals have helped the airborne infantryman’s recovery in ways he never expected, he said.

“The USO is great,” Castillo del Muro said today at Nationals Park here. “All of the groups really go out of their way to make [wounded warriors] feel appreciated.”

According to AFPS’ Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, Castillo del Muro was one of 200 wounded warriors, active duty military and military family members honored at the Nationals game today against the San Francisco Giants. The celebration was part of USO of Metropolitan Washington and Microsoft’s 4th Annual Salute to the Troops.

Castillo del Muro is recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here. He lost his lower right leg to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on June 6. Although he endured almost a year of patrolling Afghanistan’s rigid terrain with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team, the 22-year-old is learning that recovering from his injuries may be his biggest challenge.

“It’s tough, but events like this and support from my family really makes a positive difference,” he said.

The troops and their families started the day with a VIP welcome from the Nationals. The Nationals rolled out the red carpet, literally, as their guests enjoyed food and drinks at the ballpark’s rooftop party deck before the game.

Army Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the Army’s vice chief of staff, lauded the organizations for their support. He acknowledged each of the groups for their steadfast and continued commitment to troops and their families.

“This is an event that happens only once a year,” Chiarelli said. “Their support of our soldiers, all of our soldiers — our wounded warriors, our soldiers who are deployed — it’s absolutely fantastic.”

Nationals’ games, in particular, have become known for paying tribute to the military community, he noted. Such recognition goes a long way for military families and children who are dealing with deployed loved ones, he added.

“It means so much to the kids, that they know their parents are doing something special, and their country supports them,” he said.

“We’ve become Nationals fans, even though those of us in the military have teams back home that we support,” the general continued. “You can’t turn on a Nationals game or come out to the ballpark without seeing someone from the military being recognized.”

Today, several wounded warriors were out on the field to meet players. One lucky troop even got to hand off the team line up card to the head umpire. The troops also were recognized in the third inning with a special salute on the big-screen monitor in centerfield. Troops waved their hats, smiling proudly, as the stadium roared with cheering fans.

“This is pretty amazing,” Army Sgt. Matt Lavoir said. “Events like this go a long way in the healing process.”

Lavoir, 23, also is recovering at Walter Reed. He was injured by a roadside bomb in September 2008 in Iraq, and has only partial use of his right arm, he said. He’s participated in more than 20 USO-sponsored events while in rehabilitation here, he said proudly.

“I can’t say enough good things about USO and what they do for us,” the infantryman said. “USO and events like this are a huge help to all of us in uniform. Their events are a big pick-me-up, getting us out of our rooms and trying to live life again.”

Curt Kolcun, Microsoft’s vice president of U.S. Public Sector, and Elaine Rogers, USO-Metro president, said it’s an honor for their organizations to reach out in support of the military.

“We’re honored by the sacrifice the troops and families make every day for us,” Kolcun said. “This is just a way for us to recognize and give back to those who’ve given so much.”

“This is all of us, our way of really saying to our active duty military and their families, we really appreciate what you’re doing for our country,” Rogers added. “It doesn’t get much better than a special day like today.”

Although the Nationals fell behind early, and were down 5-0 in the top of the seventh, they sparked a late-game comeback. The Nats scored two runs, but left the bases loaded going into the eighth. The Giants closed the game 6-2.

However, it wasn’t a total loss, Lavoir attested.

“It’s a great day for baseball, and it was a great tribute to our military,” he said

As the rest of Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport bustled with holiday travelers yesterday, its USO Lounge offered military travelers — many returning home from overseas deployments — a welcome sanctuary of solace.

The lounge, according to AFPS’ Donna Miles, is conveniently positioned near the international departure gates on the airport’s lower level. Yet, to the dozens of servicemembers who took refuge here yesterday afternoon, it felt a world away from the frenzied holiday travelers, beeping airport carts and blaring overhead speaker announcements.

Marine Corps Gunnery Sgts. Nao Lewis and Rachel Gause, both transiting home from Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, were relieved to arrive at the festively decorated lounge shortly after their Air Mobility Command charter flight landed at 1 a.m.

They’d already been traveling for days; their flight from Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan was delayed after a record-breaking snowfall brought East Coast airports to a standstill. Now, all that stood between them and their families at Camp Lejeune, N.C., was a 15-hour layover before a short connecting flight.

Lewis couldn’t think of any place better to wile away than hours than at the USO.

“This is a nice, quite place, where they let you take a load off your feet,” he said, looking up from his laptop computer as he took advantage of the USO’s free Wi-Fi service. “It’s quiet here. It’s a place you can feel comfortable and know your stuff is safe.”

Three paid staffers, reinforced by an army of 230 volunteers, keep the lounge bustling from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and through the night whenever an Air Mobility Command flight arrives in the late or early-morning hours.

When a severe snowstorm hit during the past weekend, the lounge went into 24/7 operations, using every bit of floor space to accommodate stranded military travelers. The airport management offered up additional space, and volunteers poured into the facility to pitch in any way they could.

Airman Ronald Carr, who just finished Air Force basic training, grew up in a military family that taught him to appreciate the USO.

“It’s good to know that this is basically an all-volunteer operation, with a volunteer staff and donations that keep it running,” he said. “It makes me feel good about my service, knowing that people care about what I do.”

Army Pfc. Taylor Walther, a California National Guardsman returning home for a holiday break from training at Fort Eustis, Va., said he’s already had the chance to check out several USO facilities, and never walks away disappointed.

“They’re all good. When you go there, they’re all friendly, they all tell you to help yourself and make yourself at home,” he said.

“Home” is exactly how Mississippi Army National Guardsman Jamie Peters, returning home via BWI airport from a deployment in Afghanistan, said he feels when he steps foot into a USO facility.

“They treat you just like family when you come in,” he said. “They give you a place to watch TV, use the wireless or just relax. They’re really a blessing to us.”

“When you go into a USO, you get a welcoming sense,” said Army Spc. Gerald Reed, an Army reservist from Upper Marlboro, Md., traveling with his 2-year-old daughter, Chris, to spend the holidays in Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

“It’s a friendly environment, staffed by overall, good people.”

Among them is Geraldine Verrier, who started volunteering at the Baltimore USO when her Army Reserve husband deployed to Yemen shortly after 9/11. Eight years later, she still spends one morning each week at the lounge, greeting military travelers and showing them amenities that include a baggage storage room, reclining lounge chairs, an X-box video game system and a children’s room.

“We’re here to provide them some peace and tranquility, and to make sure they know someone cares about them and wants to help make them comfortable,” Verrier said. “It can be a small thing – even just making a cup of coffee for them. But you never really know how much that cup of coffee might mean to them.”

Twyla Hirrilinger has spent a lifetime of volunteer service, but said she’d be pressed to find a more fulfilling way to give of her time, or to a more appreciative group to serve.

“When [the troops] come in here, they thank me just for being there. It gives you chills,” she said. “I just love doing this. Being here makes me feel happy.”

The Marine Corps is getting a chance to put the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to the test.

Security preparations in western Iraq’s Al Anbar province are already underway for January’s national elections.

The Army’s Vice Chief of Staff General Peter Chiarelli joined other Army leaders Tuesday for a roundtable on suicide prevention at the Pentagon.

The Nation’s largest USO facility celebrates 10 years of service.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger returned to Iraq to visit the troops.

Iraqi Security Forces now control the security situation in Basra while some U.S. Forces remain at the request of Iraqi leadership.

The USS Stout is in Georgia to participate in joint naval exercises with that country.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen met with troops in Afghanistan Tuesday.

Veterans returning from service in Iraq or Afghanistan are facing one of the highest unemployment rates in decades.

The Pat Tillman Memorial USO at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan was recently reopened after receiving major renovations.

Pentagon Press Secretary, Geoff Morrell, told reporters Wednesday that no more F-22s will be included in future defense plans.

Family and friends remember two soldiers who deaths marked the start of the Vietnam War. Plus, Army Ranger Pat Tillman is honored with the grand re-opening of a USO.

The USO is making it easier and cheaper, for soldiers to call home.