FORT HOOD, Texas - On a beautiful spring morning, the football field at Hood Stadium was littered with thousands of brightly colored eggs. Children ran around the track to participate in a variety of Easter games and craft activities. They almost seemed to forget the main event that everyone was waiting for.
The 4th Sustainment Brigade and 1st Medical Brigade came together Mar. 27 for an Easter Egg Hunt. Volunteers began preparing early in the morning and families started arriving at 10 a.m.
Children visited different tables set up by Wrangler Family Readiness Group volunteers, while other volunteers scattered more than 21,000 Easter Eggs throughout the football field. The Easter Bunny also made a special appearance to surprise the kids.
"We were expecting around 500 children to come out today," said Lt. Col. Jason Kuroiwa, the officer in charge for the event. "The estimate may have been a bit high, but there's really no way of knowing. We had a great turnout though."
The YMCA donated more than 5,000 hot dogs, and provided volunteers to work the grills and prepare the hotdogs. Soldiers volunteered to serve them, along with drinks and chips.
Ten-year-old Ronald Kirklin II won a three-legged race with his father, Col. Ronald Kirklin, the Wrangler Brigade commander.
"We had a strategy for the race," the younger Kirklin said. "We took really big steps, which helped us move faster than everyone else."
"So far, my favorite thing is the snow cones. But I can't wait for the egg hunt." he said.
Around noon, hundreds of children began lining up along the edge of the football field, ready for the main event to start. As the different age groups were told to start, children began pouring onto the field.
Each child filled a basket with eggs. All of the plastic eggs were collected within minutes and the field was filled with children sorting through their eggs and discovering what was inside. Volunteers had filled the eggs with more than 65 pounds of candy.
Brianna Perry found a golden egg inside one of her eggs. She won an Easter basket filled with candy and toys.
"I was really excited when I found the golden egg," she said. "It's my birthday tomorrow so it was like a birthday present." Brianna turned nine on Sunday.
Wrangler Brigade Soldiers and volunteers, under the guidance of Mrs. Vicky Word, the 4th Sustainment Brigade Family Readiness Support Assistant, helped make the unit's Easter egg hunt possible.
Soldiers and volunteers worked up to the moment of the event to ensure the four-hour celebration was a success.
"My daughter, son and I took advantage of the cold weather the weekend before and filled thousands of eggs," said Word. "We watched New Moon and The Princess and the Frog while stuffing eggs. It took every waking hour."
Word said children were separated into age groups to make the egg hunt fun for everyone.
"There were thousands of eggs for each age group," she said. The eggs were hidden for children of all ages. For the younger children and special needs, the eggs were scattered throughout the football field."
The 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) also held an Easter Egg Hunt Mar. 27 at Guidon Field. Nearly 50 children attended that event, and there were 150 eggs for each of the three age groups. There were games, snacks and prizes at the event, and the Easter Bunny paid a visit as well.
Social Sharing