Military Ball Brings back Esprit de Corps

  • Published
  • By Capt. Camara Minks
  • 155 ARW/PAO
LINCOLN, Neb. --  Members of the 155 Air Refueling Wing in Lincoln enjoyed a night of music, inspiration, and camaraderie with fellow military members and their significant others August 1st at the Cornhusker Marriott hotel. 

The night's events included music by Flip 3, a local band, a catered formal dinner, and a keynote address given by Air National Guard Command Chief Master Sgt. Christopher Muncy. 

It all started about 8 months ago when Col. Rick Evans, the 155th ARW commander, approached the Chiefs Council about having a dinning in or military ball to rekindle the days when wings were more cohesive and military functions such as balls and dinning outs were common, said Master Sgt. Shannon Nielson, 155 ARW Command staff support. 

Senior Master Sgt. Jeff Horne, 155 Fire Chief, was at that meeting and volunteered to help get the ball rolling. "I think we decided to do it November or December of last year. January is when I started to hit it hard started getting the hotel and band and stuff. "
Overall, everyone involved was pleased with the turn out. 

"I'm a little biased," said Horne, "I thought it turned out really well. We had about 380 people, including military and civilian. The room was full."
 
The balls youngest military member, Airmen 1st Class Hannah Bowder of Services Flight sang the National Anthem with her sister, Staff Sgt. Anita Lovell of the Logistics Readiness Squadron. 

"It was good. It was better than I expected. I had a good time," said Bowder. "I thought it would be a lot of speeches and not very exciting. But there were good speeches." Bowder says that she will go to another one in the future.
 
There will be another military ball in the future, says Horne, but he and the other planners have one common goal, to get more junior enlisted members involved. 

"Some of these younger airmen I wish would take the opportunity to grasp onto one of those free tickets or at least take the leap and find out what the military ball and how fun it can be and actually listen to ...one of the best speakers I have ever heard," said Nielson.