An NCIS star is receiving a prestigious honor during Memorial Day week 2025.
Actor Wilmer Valderrama, 45, star of NCIS and That ’70s Show, is being honored by the United Service Organizations (USO) on May 29 at the annual USO Gala with the distinguished USO Merit Award, the organization announced in a press release.
The USO Merit Award is awarded annually to a public figure using his or her platform to interact and integrate with active-duty service members in the U.S. Armed Forces. Valderrama has been a USO Global Ambassador for years, becoming “deeply involved with the military community…and participating in various shows worldwide,” according to the USO’s official website.
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“We are thrilled to honor USO Global Ambassador Wilmer Valderrama and the USO Service Members of the Year during our 2025 USO Gala, which is dedicated to raising awareness for our mission to strengthen the well-being of the people serving in America’s military and their families,” said USO CEO and President J.D. Crouch II in a statement. “Wilmer Valderrama has gone on more than 12 USO tours since 2007, delighting thousands of service members and their families across a dozen countries, becoming a USO Global Ambassador in 2021.”
Past recipients of the USO Merit Award include Atlanta Falcons executive Steve Cannon, country music star Craig Morgan, comedian and former U.S. Senator Al Franken, TV personality Jon Stewart, NFL legend Peyton Manning, and The Bacon Brothers, the music duo comprised of actor Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael Bacon.
The USO Gala will also honor the USO Service Members of the Year. Other celebrities who will be in attendance include the Food Network’s Carla Hall, Miss America 2025 Abbie Stockard, former Washington Nationals player Ryan Zimmerman, and Monte Durham, the host of TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress.
There will also be performances by America’s Got Talent finalists 82nd Airborne Division’s All-American Chorus, world-renowned saxophonist Mike Phillips and motivational speaker and combat veteran Vann Morris.
