Photo By John Hughel | Oregon National Guard members spend time enjoying an evening of dinner, music, dance,...... read more read more
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PORTLAND, Ore. – On a weekend when training, physical fitness testing, and required military tasks were not part of the official schedule, members of the Oregon National Guard gathered for a much more elegant evening of camaraderie and pageantry during the annual Military Ball held at the Melody Event Center in Portland on February 22, 2025.
With a wide variety of music provided by “Oregon’s Own” 234th Army Band, mess dress uniforms and ballroom dresses replaced ‘Camo and Kevlar’ as the uniform of the day, where guardsmen and their significant others could relax, rekindle connections, and make new acquaintances.
“So much of our time in the [National] Guard is spent conducting our military responsibilities,” said Col. Russell Gibson, Government and Legislative Affairs Director for the Oregon National Guard. “The Military Ball is a chance to unwind during this unique, once-a-year social event – where we get dressed up, bring our spouses together, and enrich our relationships.”
Military balls have a long history of comradeship while providing the opportunity to recognize service commitments, reflect on past accomplishments, and enhance Esprit de corps. Russell said one of the main goals for the 2025 Oregon Military Ball was to allow attendees a chance to strengthen unit cohesion and meet other members of the organization outside of their close-knit units.
“The focus of this year's ball was to make it one of our key social events for the year – where all of our members, including currently serving members, retirees, and our civilian workforce could gather for one evening,” he said. “With music and good food…this gives everyone a chance to interact with their leaders and co-workers in a comfortable and fun atmosphere.”
After an hour of cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres, the evening officially began with the posting colors, an invocation, and a series of formal toast. The host for the 2025 Military Ball was Brig. Gen. Alan R. Gronewold, Adjutant General, Oregon.
“We’ve had one of the most active years in our organization's history, Gronewold said, listing off the highlights of the past year – from mobilizations, intensive pre-deployment training, wildland firefighting activations, and implementing new equipment. “We had a wide variety of mobilizations and demobilization ceremonies, focused on specialized training, got the new F-15 EX (fighter jets), and did a record-setting number of wildland firefighting operations in the past summer.”
Gronewold also emphasized what makes the Oregon National Guard such a distinctive organization and the ‘Service of Choice’ for the state's citizens.
“The Oregon National Guard protects Oregonians and defends America. This ball tonight is a celebration…chance to celebrate us. A time to reflect on our presence, catch up with old friends, and meet some new ones,” he said.
With nearly 250 people in attendance, Gronewold thanked everyone for attending and those who made the evening possible.
“So many of you were involved with putting together his year’s event,” Gronewold said, as he recognized Chief Master Sgt. Sarah Chiapetto who helped organize the overall planning.
With a large dance floor and a fully equipped stage for the band, dinner tables created a semi-circle around the grand 90-year-old ballroom, which was recently restored in 2018 with state-of-the-art equipment and on-site catering.
“I had a team that pitched in when it came to putting the table tents together and all of the ‘whatnots’ around the ballroom,” Chiaptto said. “We kind of shuffled the jobs around to have everything in place but we made sure we had overlapping responsibilities because we didn’t want to have any single points of failure.”
The Oregon Military Ball has had some challenges over the past several years with cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic and having to move the venue after a fire struck one location. Thus, this year's event was a reason to rejoice as couples danced to cover tunes ranging from Carole King, Justin Timberlake, and Johnny Cash – played by ‘45 Away,’ a high-energy group of nearly a dozen soldiers from the 234th Band.
“We wanted to reflect on our traditions and comradeship to make this year extra special,” Russell said, emphasizing all the hard work that went into this year’s Military Ball. “Hopefully this will lead to more participation in the future, but mostly to have a quality event we can be excited to attend for years to come.”
| Date Taken: | 02.24.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.24.2025 15:28 |
| Story ID: | 491392 |
| Location: | PORTLAND, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 709 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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