In downtown Savannah, Georgia, on a Friday evening, the area was filled with Rangers in dress blues, with beautiful dates on their arms, but not the dates you would expect. The dates this evening were their daughters.

1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment held a Father-Daughter Ball, Dec. 1, to provide dads with quality time to spend with their princesses.

"You can see the excitement in these little girls faces," said Capt. Matthew Buchanan, Headquarters and Headquarters Company commander. "We're having a blast and making great memories."

About 87 Rangers and daughters participated in the event.

The battalion chaplain's office hosted the event to give fathers the chance to spend some quality time with their daughters, and provide basic training on the impact a father's involvement makes.

The ball took place aboard the Riverboat Georgia Queen. As the father-daughter couples prepared to board, a herald announced the princesses' names and the dads escorted their daughters down a red carpet, underneath arched sabers. Meanwhile, the royal "paparazzi" snapped pictures of the excited couples.

"It was pretty magical for my girls," said Cpl. Riker Haggard, an infantryman with Company C, "Just getting on the boat was exciting."

As the boat cruised the Savannah River, families enjoyed dinner, music, games, crafts, and a surprise visit from four fairytale princesses.

Queen Elsa sang "Let it Go," with the daughters all singing along. A disc jockey spun dance tunes ranging from "The Hokey Pokey" to "YMCA," while the couples danced the night away.

The guest speaker for the ball was Chaplain (Maj.) Light Shin, a chaplain from the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School, Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

He shared a powerful message with the dads on strategies for raising girls and the example men set for their daughters.

"Of all the responsibilities we have in life, being a father to your little girl is one of the most important," Shin said.

Also, urging the father's to set a great example for their daughters Shin said, "You (fathers) are your daughter's first love," and that daughters will most likely find a spouse that resembles their fathers.

Later, dads and daughters spent time posing at the photo booth and making craft tiaras, masques, and wands to complete their princess looks.

As the evening came to an end, and guests exited the ship's gangway, one little girl remarked enthusiastically, "This was the best night! I can't wait for next time!"