FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (April 12, 2012) -- Several Fort Meade families were among more than 35,000 people who participated in the 134th annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday.
While more than 200,000 tickets were requested through the White House's website nationwide, a limited number of tickets were allocated by the Department of the Army for Soldiers at Fort Meade.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ernest Maxey, of the 310th Military Intelligence Battalion, and his 6-year-old twins Kaleb and Kaylee, received three of the Army's highly sought-after tickets to the largest annual public event at the White House.
"It is a privilege to be selected to go to the White House and take your kids to the home where the president of the United States lives," Maxey said.
The egg roll, which coincided with the DOD's Month of the Military Child, was an opportunity for Maxey and his children to spend time together while their mother is deployed.
"These types of events, when we're able to participate as a family, dim those past holidays that we missed," he said.
It was a sentiment shared by Staff Sgt. Nathan Leo, of the 241st Military Police Detachment, who spent the day with his wife, Tiara, and their 4-year-old daughter Brianna.
"You can't even put into words [how it feels] to be home and spend time with your family," Leo said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience to go to the White House and share that with my wife and my daughter. It's a memory that you'll never forget."
Leo said he'll look back at the experience when he deploys for a second time early next year.
"It will be one of many things as a family to keep me moving and pushing to do something like that again with my family," he said.
Related Links:
STAND-TO!: Month of the Military Child: Military Kids, Heroes for the Future
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