ANSBACH, Germany (Dec. 6, 2013) -- The Outreach-KONTAKT Ansbach German-American Friendship Club gathered members of the USAG Ansbach military community with their host-nation partners of all ages to celebrate and share the American tradition of Thanksgiving at the off-post Rezatstuben restaurant here Dec. 3.
Approximately 100 people attended the event, which brought together American Soldiers, families and civilians, and German community members, service members and students from not only Ansbach, but from throughout the area.
Bianca Sowders, USAG Ansbach community relations officer who led the organization effort, said the event met its intent of giving attendees a seasonally appropriate way of sharing a tradition across cultures.
"The attendees were well distributed and you could see animated conversations between Germans and Americans," said Sowders. "In some instances one could not tell the nationalities apart at a mere glance at the tables. There was a large group of German language students who drove all the way from Nuremberg to attend. They sat with young Soldiers and enjoyed practicing their English all night long. There were also several German army language students and their two teachers from the partnering Bundeswehr garrison in Ellwangen."
Col. Christopher M. Benson, USAG Ansbach commander, joined Capt. Chris Meserve, USAG Ansbach's Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment commander, to serve turkey to those in the receiving lines. This was in addition to Soldiers from across the garrison with Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers bringing in and serving up about 20 dishes of their own, which included stuffing, corn, baked beans, deviled eggs, pasta, salad and a range of desserts.
Along with his kudos to Sowders for putting on the successful event, Meserve singled out Spc. Zachary Smith, USAG Ansbach BOSS vice president, for "single-handedly organizing and spearheading the BOSS effort by encouraging the single Soldiers to donate their time and money to make these dishes and to come out and support this German-American Event."Am
Twenty-five new people signed up for notification for upcoming activities with the club and said they planned to return next year.
"The event was definitely a success as so many people not only attended but also actively contributed," Sowders said. "It was great to witness so many people, who just met for the first time a few months ago, pull together and put on such a splendid event. The sentiment was echoed in the many comments I overheard that night as the attendees feasted and chatted with each other."
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