ANSBACH, Germany -- This fourth of July marked the 247th anniversary of the Second Continental Congress declaring the Thirteen Colonies officially free of the rule of the British empire. The Declaration of Independence, signed by 56 patriots and ratified on July 4, 1776, declared the former colonies free and independent states, marking the birth of the United States of America.
In 1870, Congress established Independence Day as a federal holiday and ever since, Americans around the world have celebrated with various displays of patriotism – making parades, barbecues, and fireworks an integral part of the annual festivities.
At U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Ansbach, the annual celebration took place at Hangar 2 on Katterbach Kaserne, which was filled to the brim with Soldiers and their families. The hangar, which was decked out in a multitude of red, white, and blue streamers and balloons, served as the hub for the main event – an opportunity to meet celebrity Chef Robert Irvine, who served in the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, routinely travels to military bases around the world to interact with servicemembers and their families.
This year’s event, put on by the local branch of the United Services Organization (USO), featured a barbeque dinner, games, and music by local members of the USAG Ansbach community. Chef Irvine and his team, who cooked more than 1500 meals for the attending community members, roamed the event to interact with the families, play games with the children, and even organize a traditional July 4th hot dog eating contest.
Together with USAG Ansbach Commander Colonel Dixon and Mrs. Ashley Dixon, Chef Irvine served burgers, hot dogs, and a lot of smiles for those who came out to meet him.
“4th of July is always a special time to get together and remember that freedom comes through sacrifice. There are few who know that fact more intimately than those who serve in the U.S. Army so it’s great to gather together as brothers and sisters in arms,” said Colonel Dixon. “Having Chef Irvine and his team here, cooking and joining in the celebrations just took it to a whole other level for our garrison community.”
After the event at Hangar 2 concluded, community members continued their celebrations over at the Katterbach Bowling Center’s Biergarten where the Ansbach MWR team setup games, played music, and provided additional meals for those still hungry enough to partake. The evening concluded with fireworks, which people enjoyed from the different viewing areas across the installation.
On behalf of the Garrison Command Team, thank you to all who worked so hard to make this event a success and thank you to the community members who showed up in force to celebrate America’s birthday.
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The U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach military community is located in the Franconian region of Bavaria and is spread across six sites and nine kasernes dispersed around the city of Ansbach and the village of Illesheim. Today, Ansbach is home to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, the community's largest tenant unit, as well as the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment. The garrison takes pride in its support to more than 8,000 Soldiers, civilians and family members working and living in the Ansbach area.
For more news from U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach, visit:
https://www.army.mil/FranconianNews or
https://www.facebook.com/usagansbachcommunity/
| Date Taken: | 07.05.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.07.2023 09:00 |
| Story ID: | 448680 |
| Location: | ANSBACH, DE |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, USAG Ansbach Celebrates Independence Day with Chef Robert Irvine, Fireworks, by Randolph Goldmann, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
