LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

McCarran International Airport will get a USO lounge for military personnel after years of stalled attempts.

USO leaders announced plans Thursday to open a $1.5 million airport "hospitality center" where members of the military can congregate, wash up and rest. They said their goal was to finish it by summer.

"We're really eager to get this done," USO spokesman John Hanson said. "We know a lot of troops and families use that airport."

Critics have said that McCarran is the only major airport in the country with no designated rest area for military personnel, including those en route to war zones.

The nonprofit USO had rejected earlier requests for a lounge from veterans groups and local leaders.

Hanson said the USO finished its centers in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait and at several bases where troops deploy. After that, Las Vegas was high on the list of prospective sites, he said.