Ohio soldier awarded USO Volunteer of the Year

DAYTON, Ohio ( WDTN ) — A local soldier is being recognized for his service and commitment to fellow service members while deployed in Syria.

Isaiah Pleiman has been named a 2023 USO Volunteer of the Year, an award brought about by his unwavering support for his fellow soldiers while deployed at a remote, frontline base in Syria.

Pleiman enlisted when he was 18 years old, and during his first deployment, he created a small event to celebrate Christmas that would become the foundation of something much bigger.

Armed with board games and a music speaker, Pleiman organized a get-together so service members could celebrate the holidays while away from home. After talking to his commanding officer, Pleiman began creating weekly events, from games and movies to karaoke nights.

The events became popular on base as a way to relax and get to know one another, and Pleiman discovered his military career taking a new direction.

“I tell people all the time, soldiers deploy and you hear about how they’re fighting for us and how they’re taking care of us,” said Pleiman. “I wanted my job to be more geared specifically towards them, making sure they’re getting everything they need.”

Originally from Anna, Ohio, Pleiman credits his tight-knit community at home for inspiring him to bring his fellow service members together while deployed.

“I wanted to create that community, I wanted everybody to know who everybody was, who they were married to, if they had kids, what their lives were like back home,” said Pleiman. “And that’s actually what helped our deployment thrive because you’re there, not just with your coworkers, like you’re actually learning and digging deeper into their lives.”

Pleiman says his favorite event he’s planned was a 5K color run, which took around six weeks of organizing. Due to the high temperatures in Syria, the event was scheduled for 6 a.m., which Pleiman thought would deter people from joining.

“I didn’t think anybody was going to show up,” said Pleiman. “And then at 5:45, I had about 60 people out there ready to run and get color thrown in their face.”

Pleiman found inspiration for events from being a youth leader at his church in Ohio. Many ideas were initially created for teens at the church, where Pleiman’s mom is also the youth director. Pleiman would then revise the activities to fit better with base personnel.

“I would call my mom and I would get ideas,” said Pleiman. “My fiancée 100% is a person I would bounce ideas off of. Just to make sure I was doing the right thing, and they encouraged me as well.”

Eventually, the events and activities caught the attention of USO Regional Expeditionary Operations Manager Becca Cooper, who visits remote bases to offer events and programs to service members. Cooper helped Pleiman secure funding to build a space solely dedicated to these activities.

Through grants and additional planning, Pleiman’s efforts led to a USO Center on base — a place that service members could step away from their work life and have some fun.

And now, Pleiman is being recognized for his service, being named a 2023 USO Volunteer of the Year.

The United Service Organizations recognizes two volunteers each year for their outstanding service and volunteerism — one based in the U.S. and one based overseas. Pleiman says he was shocked by the award.

“I never actually got into doing the USO thing for these awards and everything, it was just something that needed to be done on my base,” said Pleiman. “I wanted to pick a job when enlisting, of taking care of soldiers.”

Pleiman has now returned home to Ohio, where he works at his father’s ice cream shop and his mother’s flower shop. He plans to one day take over both businesses.

But his work for his fellow service members lives on. The USO Center in Syria continues to provide support, offering a sense of community to those stationed on base.

“I mean, your morale is just building,” said Pleiman. “Everybody’s going through it together.”

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