Photo By Janecze Wright | Visitors enjoyed popcorn and refreshments during the Spring Fling event at Casey...... read more read more
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FORT HOOD, Texas -- Soldiers and families braved the windy but sunny springtime weather to enjoy the Spring Fling event at Casey Memorial Library March 17 here. The annual event celebrates the last days of spring break and gives military families an opportunity to connect and have some fun before the kids head back to school.
“It’s a chance for the library and everybody else to have a little bit of fun at the end of spring break,” Rachel Bethel, Casey Memorial public services librarian, said about the festivities.
“There’s always a bit of a slump those couple of days before you have to start up for the rest of the school year,” she said. “So, we figured it’s a good time to do something fun to celebrate and say ‘hey, winter’s over and spring is here.’”
Bethel explained that events like Spring Fling are important to the community because it’s very easy for Fort Hood families to feel like they’re overlooked. She added that although there are lots of different programs that cater specifically to the Fort Hood community, family friendly events that are just for fun are hard to find.
Spc. Robert Manning, 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, shared the same sentiments. “I think with living on an Army post, a lot of kids, they may go to school, but outside of that there’s not a lot of social activities for them to participate in usually,” he offered. “You got something like this, everybody can come out, have a fun time, kids can meet other kids they’ve never seen before and it’s just a fun time.”
Although the windy conditions nixed the traditional bouncy house for this year’s event, there were plenty of other activities that kept fun in mind.
Stations set up outside provided a variety of sensory driven activities suitable for the young as well as the young at heart. But the most popular activity seemed to be hula hooping. While some had to work at maintaining their momentum, others made it look effortless.
Denise Vega and her husband Sgt. 1st Class Pedro Rodriguez Ortiz, Operational Test Command, cheered as their sons Jeremiah, 12, and Elias, 10, showed off some serious hula hoop skills. Vega delighted in recording her sons’ antics and expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to have fun with her family.
Friends Chloe Rusk and Cierra Rood, who both have spouses that are currently deployed, appreciated the support provided in the absence of their loved ones.
“I think it’s a good opportunity to have military spouses and families know that there is a range of support for people,” Rusk conveyed, “especially in our situation where we’re constantly away from our families.”
“It’s a really great thing just to have free events for families just to keep morale up,” Rood expressed, “especially on a base that deploys so constantly, you just need stuff for the families.”
Spc. Taylor Turnage, Forward Support Company, 62nd Engineer Battalion, who enjoyed the day with his wife Panhia and one-year-old son Taxden, also felt the event lifted families’ spirits and provided support for spouses.
“It’s very important, especially having spouses at home that’s not working, coming together on weekends, getting together and having fun with the kids, the family and everybody else,” he conveyed. “So, it’s very important to build morale, especially for active-duty Soldiers. Thank you for the opportunity to come out here with my family and have fun.”
| Date Taken: | 03.23.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.14.2023 14:57 |
| Story ID: | 441942 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 14 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Spring Fling bolsters morale for families at Fort Hood, by Janecze Wright, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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