Organization day shifts gears

By Lauren V. Poindexter, JBM-HH Public AffairsAugust 23, 2013

Organization day shifts gears
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. - Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall gathered for a day of fun by celebrating its annual organization day Aug. 15 at the Spates Community Club. Organization day was for JBM-HH assigned and attached servicemembers, Department of Defense employees, Family members and contractors as well as Radar Health Clinic employees. This year's theme was centered on a "Car and Bike Show" theme.

Offering a stationary bike ride, the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Company allowed everyone a chance to put their "pedal to the metal." The bike ride included a basic tutorial lesson and allowed participants to press the gas pedal as if they were actually riding.

There was a buffet of traditional cookout food which included barbeque chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs and ice cream.

Music by Lee "DJ Sinbad" Purnell filled the air as he provided a variety of songs that included Usher's "Yeah," "Cotton Eyed Joe" and the highly requested "Wobble" which evoked participation amongst the crowd.

Fifteen-year-old Evelyn De Jesus said her favorite part of the day was all of the dancing and fun she was having. Evelyn came with her father, Sgt. Cirilo De Jesus of Headquarters Command Battalion, along with her brothers and sisters.

The excitement continued when five people were requested to participate in five "Minute to Win It" type challenges. The first challenge required the contestants to sort cereal box tops. Then came "down the chute," a game which challenged participants to roll a ping-pong ball down a metal measuring tape into a small cup.

Spc. Charles Berkstresser and son Zander Berkstresser, 5, won the first two challenges. They said they were excited and surprised about it.

The next challenge was "hanky panky," during which contestants held one hand behind their backs and used their other hand to empty a box of 200 tissues. Rules dictated that contestants were not allowed to place their hands in the box.

Eric Proctor, chief of plans and operations for the Directorate of Logistics, said, "The cookie-eating contest was my favorite event."

The cookie eating-contest, formally known as "face to cookie," had contestants place a cookie on their forehead and manage to get it into their mouth without touching it. The final game, "bouncing tic tac toe" required contestants to bounce ping-pong balls into cups of water to get three in a row.

Proctor also said that Lisa Taylor's 1967 yellow Chevrolet Camaro was his favorite car in a contest matching up different vehicles. The Camaro was a crowd pleaser as it won the people's choice award and the best of show competitions. Taylor is the engineering business systems analyst with Directorate of Public Works. The People's Choice award was selected by participants attending organization day, while the best of show and brunch at Spates awardees were chosen by JBM-HH's Commander Col. Fern O. Sumpter and Command Sgt. Maj. Earlene Y. Lavender.

Khalid Mustafaa's 2009 Harley Davidson Street Glide won the best of show and brunch at Spates bike awards. Rich Richards' 2012 Chevrolet Camaro won the brunch at Spates award for his automobile.

Overall the event was a success. The weather was good, and the staff of the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation worked hard. Employees had the opportunity to network, dance and enjoy the JBM-HH atmosphere.

Staff Sgt. Daniel Hood, Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers president, said he enjoyed having the opportunity to let everyone know about the BOSS program and its future events.

For more pictures from Organizational day, log onto www.flickr.com/photos/jbm-hh.