24K GOLD: George Washington Command Birthday Ball

NORFOLK, VA, UNITED STATES

03.03.2018

Story by Seaman Steven Young 

USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73)

Sailors from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) celebrated George Washington’s birthday at the annual George Washington command birthday ball at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott. Over 800 George Washington Sailors, along with their friends and families, convened to eat, dance and interact with their shipmates in a different light than their general working atmosphere.
The annual event is coordinated around the ship’s namesake, George Washington’s birthday which is Feb. 22, and was spearheaded by the Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) team with help from several representatives from various departments.
“I was overall in charge of coordinating the party, but I had a team that handled different aspects of it,” said Chief Boatswain’s Mate David L. Brown, the recreational service officer of MWR. “I think it turned out magnificent. 835 of our Sailors attended. There was a lot of dancing between two floors with DJs on each floor. We had a full casino with 18 tables for poker, blackjack and craps. There were two picture booths with professional photographers all free of charge for the crew, live statues, carrier ice sculptures, CO (commanding officer) and XO (executive officer) aircraft ice sculptures, and a ship’s seal ice sculpture.”
In addition to these amenities Sailors were able to participate in a best dressed contest, a dance contest, and raffle giveaways with prizes that included game consoles, a 65-inch television and a $2,000 vacation.
Extramural events such as the command birthday ball give Sailors an opportunity to connect with the individuals that they work with every day in a more relaxed setting. This can improve sociability among Sailors, which in turn creates a close-knit crew.
“I think that events like this help build comradery and bring the crew closer together,” said Brown. “That’s why we do these types of things. It gives everyone a chance to let their hair down and see a different side of their shipmates. They get to interact with us [khakis] in a different sense; not as a boss or a superior, but it shows our Sailors that we’re human too, and we like to have a good time.”
For the Sailors who attended, the opportunity to enjoy a night out with their shipmates was a welcomed occurrence.
“All-in-all I had a really great time,” said Airman Jessica Addison, a Sailor whom attended the event. “I occasionally hang out with a few people from the ship outside of work, but it was really cool to see everyone all dressed up, dancing and having a good time. This is the first event like this that I’ve been to since I’ve been on the ship, and it was amazing. I’m definitely all for going again next year.”
Even with overall success of the command ball, the MWR coordinators already have their sights on next year’s event, and ways to build on the success of this year’s party.
“I think we hit every wicket this year, but there’s always room for improvement,” said Brown. “We’ll go back and evaluate everything from this year’s ball and see what changes we can make to make it even better next year.”

• Date Taken: 03.03.2018
• Date Posted: 03.03.2018 12:34
• Story ID: 268003
• Location: NORFOLK, VA, US