Soldiers' Social Service of Savannah (Ga.)

The Soldiers' Social Service of Savannah was organized in 1940 at the outbreak of World War II to provide services and entertainment to the men at training camps in the coastal area. Its board members were prominent citizens of Savannah appointed by the mayor, and the SSS was funded by local citizens and businesses and staffed by volunteers. The Soldiers' Social Service of Savannah operated from 1940 until 1946. The organization was inactive from 1946 until December 1950 when it resumed on a temporary basis. In February, 1951, the SSSS because the 29th unit of the United Community Services, and it merged with the United Services Organization (USO) in July, 1951. The USO merger provided increased support as well as federal funding. The organization provided activities for the soldiers stationed at area installations, as well as for visiting Allied and U.S. military personnel. The Savannah Volunteer Guards lent their building, 340-344 Bull Street, for formal and informal dances, coffees, art classes, dance lessons, sleeping accommodations, and food services. The SSSS later provided sightseeing tours and accommodations, in local homes, for servicemen and their spouses.