In the military, everyone is expected to show their admiration for serving, but there’s one night for all cadets to let loose at the Military Ball.
Military Ball is a formal event that allows cadets to have a night of fun and respect for all those who serve. According to the Tech, an educational website, the Military Ball is a night for cadets to freely socialize with others, be praised for their work, and to honor soldiers, soldiers who were prisoners of war and who are missing in action. To honor them, there is a table with a white tablecloth to indicate the purity of their actions. The table is surrounded with four chairs for each service of military. Salt is sprinkled over the table to resemble the dignity of their services.
The origin of the Military Ball stretches far back into our past times. Referenced by Central Washington University, an educational website, the origins of Military Ball are traced back to 1895, where cadets and guests were dismissed from services to hold a night of honor and fun. Naval UCLA, an educational website, states “The Military Ball was a tri-service social event in early spring to honor the Army, Navy, and Air Force ROTC during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Just like a homecoming, a dance was held with commander officers of each ROTC unit being crowned as honorary commanders.” Military Ball continues today with the same traditions as before. According to Reference, a learning website, traditions are carried on each year for the attire for men and women to wear as expected. Women were and still are encouraged to wear a conservative formal dress, one either floor length or at the knee (not showing excessive amounts of skin). Men were and still are expected to wear a tuxedo or formal dress for their uniform.
Personally speaking as a former cadet of Junior ROTC at Lincoln Northeast High School, I attended the Military Ball two years in a row, every year in December. The experience and expectations were definitely carried on through past traditions. I was expected to wear a conservative formal dress. Each time I attended the Military Ball, I would show up at 6 p.m. sharp at the doors to be seated at a table. Where I got to socialize with fellow cadets, and wait for a toast to be made. Toasts usually made by my head master sergeant and other military officials. A few cadets would stand to sing the national anthem too. After a toast was made, we could eat, but before that we had to honor the soldiers. I remembered each year I went, how we would stand up to look at the display table with the white tablecloth and four chairs, to represent the soldiers missing in combat and those who were prisoners of war. Once we shared a moment of silence with our respects given to the soldiers, we would be dismissed in a formal order to go eat. Dessert and dancing followed dinner with cadets dancing to the songs played. Only certain songs were played, usually group’s songs, slow songs, and formal ones. During this time, I could socialize with more cadets from others schools, talk to other officers of the military, and enjoy a good time. Everything was so strict and formal, with the timing of how everything was done, but honestly it was a lot of fun. I liked the feeling of being dressed elegantly and being able to act fancy too. I had a lot of fun with many memories that I made with friends that night. I personally suggest any cadet or student, who knows about Military Ball, to attend Military Ball for a night for fun and fancy.
