WASHINGTON — Although the Armed Services YMCA has supported the military since the Civil War, it will now continue to do so under a mutual agreement signed in early December at the Pentagon.
Charles Abell, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, and retired Navy Rear Admiral S. Frank Gallo, who is the Armed Services YMCA's national executive director, signed the memo.
“The agreement just spells out the relationship and clarifies some of the gray areas that existed before,” a YMCA official said in a release about the agreement.
The nonprofit organization has 16 branches in the United States, six affiliated organizations and 10 affiliates overseas. Similar to other YMCAs, it offers health and fitness programs and after-school and enrichment programs for military children.