9th Battalion of JROTC celebrates 30th annual military ball in Ansbach

By Ms. Bianca Sowders (IMCOM)April 14, 2014

Guests and attendees of the ball arrive
1 / 10 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Guests and attendees mingle in the Ansbach Hofgarten in front of the Orangerie, before entering the ball room. The 9th JROTC Battalion of Ansbach High School celebrated its 30th annual military ball at the Orangerie in downtown Ansbach April 3, 2014.... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Guests are entering the ball room and looking for their seats.
2 / 10 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Derek Hyde, USAG Ansbach School Liaison Officer, helps incoming guests at the seating chart during the JROTC military ball. The 9th JROTC Battalion of Ansbach High School celebrated its 30th annual military ball at the Orangerie in downtown Ansbach A... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
The receiving line.
3 / 10 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Col. and Mrs. Christopher M. Benson welcome Ansbach High School Vice Principal Esther Harrison and Principal David Carlisle during the JROTC military ball. The 9th JROTC Battalion of Ansbach High School celebrated its 30th annual military ball at th... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
The guests and attendees enter the ballroom.
4 / 10 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sidney Ward and Keanu Vaughn, both seniors and part of the Ansbach High School JROTC program, enter the ball room together. The 9th JROTC Battalion of Ansbach High School celebrated its 30th annual military ball at the Orangerie in downtown Ansbach A... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
The grog is finished.
5 / 10 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Cadet Lt. Col. Joshua Pleake, commander of the 9th JROTC Battalion, samples the grog after it is finished. The 9th JROTC Battalion of Ansbach High School celebrated its 30th annual military ball at the Orangerie in downtown Ansbach April 3, 2014. Abo... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Keynote speaker Col. Benson
6 / 10 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Col. Christopher M. Benson, U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach commander, addresses the students in his speech during the JROTC military ball. The 9th JROTC Battalion of Ansbach High School celebrated its 30th annual military ball at the Orangerie in downtow... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
The receiving line is ready for the guests.
7 / 10 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The JROTC command group and their guests of honor of the garrison headquarters get ready to welcome the incoming guests. From left: Cadet Lt. Col. Joshua Pleake, Cadet Command Sgt. Maj. Kaitlynn Carson, Col. Christopher M. Benson and Kellie Benson, P... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Preparing the grog
8 / 10 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Thomas Fink adds "sand" to the grog mixture during the JROTC military ball. The 9th JROTC Battalion of Ansbach High School celebrated its 30th annual military ball at the Orangerie in downtown Ansbach April 3, 2014. About 300 students and guests expe... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
The JROTC cake
9 / 10 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The ceremonial cake waits to be cut during the annual JROTC military ball. The 9th JROTC Battalion of Ansbach High School celebrated its 30th annual military ball at the Orangerie in downtown Ansbach April 3, 2014. About 300 students and guests exper... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
JROTC cadets enter the ball room.
10 / 10 Show Caption + Hide Caption – JROTC cadets start streaming into the ball room of the Orangerie at the annual military ball. The 9th JROTC Battalion of Ansbach High School celebrated its 30th annual military ball at the Orangerie in downtown Ansbach April 3, 2014. About 300 studen... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ANSBACH, Germany (April 8, 2014) -- The Junior ROTC Cougar Battalion of Ansbach High School celebrated their 30th annual military ball at the Orangerie in downtown Ansbach April 3. The ball program featured many military traditions, including a receiving line, the separate table set for the fallen Soldier, the posting of the colors followed by a rendition of the American national anthem, a toast, a grog ceremony and a cake cutting.

Col. Christopher M. Benson, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach and guest speaker at the ball, talked about how the JROTC program is designed to teach high school students a variety of values, including leadership, diversity, character development and engaging in civic and social concerns in the community. He emphasized how important it is to volunteer and give something back to the community.

"No matter what path you choose to take in life, I hope you never lose that spirit of engagement, involvement and volunteerism," said Benson during his address. "It's the difference between a nice community and a great community."

The 9th Junior ROTC Battalion has earned the Honor Unit with Distinction Insignia (the highest JROTC unit award, also known as "gold star") every year since 2004; with 122 cadets enrolled -- or 59 percent of the high school students -- the cadet command minimum of 10 percent has been surpassed many times. Participation is the highest percentage of any Department of Defense Dependent Schools.

In the course of the evening, the cadet command honored the members of the successful rifle team, who made first place in their regional conference and third place in the DoDDs Europe championship, and bid farewell 32 seniors who will graduate this June.