The Faces Behind The Forces: Andrea Berry

Andrea “Andi” Berry has been an instrumental part of the USO Guam family, earning more than 1,678 hours of service in under 19 months. She dedicates a minimum of 8 hours per week at USO Andersen, ensuring military service members and families are provided with the best connectivity, delicious hot meals, and quality hospitality when they walk through the front door. Beyond supporting daily center operations, Andi has been an inspirational force, lending more than 300 hours of leadership, creativity, and support to more than 60 highly-acclaimed programs.  Her exceptional work ethic, appreciation for our military, and remarkable contributions led to her recognition as Volunteer of the Quarter, Spring 2018, for USO Andersen, USO Guam, and the entire USO Pacific Region.

Military service and family members visiting USO Andersen during the week delight in the special dishes that Andi spends hours preparing. Favorites include her Hungarian goulash, freshly baked loaves of bread, tiramisu, and crepes drizzled in hazelnut. Outside of the kitchen, Andi assists with weekly center inventories, supply pick-ups, and laundry. She consistently goes above and beyond what is expected of a USO volunteer – from securing USO Andersen during tropical storms and typhoons, to power washing all the sidewalks and gazebos at USO Andersen, to cleaning the USO van, and even deep-cleaning the center until after midnight!

One of Andi’s most significant contributions to USO Guam has been her creative craft program initiative that has served more than 500 to date and provides a phenomenal opportunity for military service and family members to connect with each other and their community. Some of the most in-demand crafts required countless hours of cutting, sanding, nailing, and hot gluing bulk amounts of wood – missions Andi would gladly accept with the help of her husband, Chuck, a retired U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant who now serves with the Defense Logistics Agency. In addition to craft programs, Andi has participated in more than ten outreach BBQs which served hundreds of service members working on the Andersen flight line and in remote areas of Northwest Field. She has supported all USO Andersen holiday celebrations, spouse networking events, deployments, homecomings, and Team Andersen annual events including the Tree Lighting Ceremony, Rota Walk, Easter Bash, Pumpkin Patrol, Airman Cookie Drive, and Wingman Day. Andi has also volunteered for signature events including the USO Guam/GTA Golf For Our Heroes, USO Guam/Matson Rock and Run For Our Heroes 5K, USO Guam/GNOSC Bazaar, United Guam Marathon, and Liberation Day Parade.

Andi’s passion for helping others and her desire to make a difference in her community have been evident in her family’s involvement in beach clean-ups and participation in a dozen 5k/10k fundraisers to support cancer care, programs for the elderly, sexual assault prevention and awareness, local schools, and more. She is also a member of the Haggan Canoe Club. Andi’s strong values trace back to her upbringing in Budapest, Hungary, where she was raised in a close-knit family and was taught to be humble and appreciative of her environment and culture. Andi and her husband, Chuck – whom she met in 1999 during his deployment in support of NATO operations during the Kosovo War – are the proud parents of daughter, Aletta, who is completing 8th grade at Andersen Middle School, and son, Brandon, a Guam High School senior who enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and will be reporting to Basic Military Training next month. Andi has made an everlasting impact on USO Guam by her dedication to the USO mission and tireless efforts to help improve the quality of life for our military service members and families.