Fort Belvoir, Va. (May 15, 2014) - Military Families who walked into the USO Warrior and Family Center Monday had the chance to be part of a live radio show with country music station WMZQ (98.7 FM) host "Boxer."
The live broadcast was held in honor of Military Appreciation Week.
Malynda Echols, Army spouse, visited the USO purposely to meet Boxer and check out the show's live broadcast. She ended up talking with Boxer on the air with her Family.
"It was pretty cool," she said. "He's bubbly, very friendly."
During the show, Boxer talked with military Families, accepted song requests through the Fort Belvoir Facebook page, and gave "shout outs" to community members.
He even tried a new workout on the show with Joe Castro, fitness director at Fort Belvoir's Kawamura Human Performance Center.
Boxer also interviewed Families and garrison leaders about life in the military to give civilian listeners a glimpse into military life, and share about some of Fort Belvoir's programs.
"We're going to talk a little bit more about what goes on here on Fort Belvoir, all the different moving parts and pieces that make it great," Boxer said.
Special guests on the show included U.S. Army Garrison Fort Belvoir Commander Col. Gregory D. Gadson, USAG Fort Belvoir Headquarters Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Brian Zarchin, and HQ Bn. Command Sgt. Maj. Carolyn Reynolds.
Boxer hoped the show would help "people who are not in the military have a better understanding about how much of a sacrifice it is … and have a better appreciation for our men and women and their Families," he said.
This was Boxer's third Military Appreciation Week show at Fort Belvoir, including one at the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital last year and another Graves Fitness Center two years ago, sponsored by the USO.
He said he came up with the idea for a live Military Appreciation Week show four years ago, after military listeners wrote to him about their unique struggles.
"They have to sacrifice quite a bit, so I thought, well, let's throw them a week of gratitude and throw them a little bit of an on-air party," he said.
"It's a great dynamic for us to be here," he added. "WMZQ is country music; it's all about family, so I think Fort Belvoir fits right into that."
Fort Belvoir's partnership with WMZQ and Clear Channel Communications is just one example of the many public-private partnerships that work to show servicemembers how much they're appreciated, said Pam Horton, USO Warrior and Family Center manager.
"We're very fortunate in our partnerships with all of the other groups on Fort Belvoir to come together and make these things happen. We're a team here and we all share in our successes," she said.
The radio broadcast showed military Families that they're valued, she added.
"I think it just gives them recognition that we're thinking about them," she said.
May is National Military Appreciation Month. For more information, visit www.nmam.org.
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