Photo By Sgt. Marco Gutierrez | American Idol singer Diana DeGarmo dances with Master Sgt. Eugene Holiday Jr.,...... read more read more
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – The USO brought some excitement to service members along with a chance to relax and let loose by bringing celebrities to speak and meet with service members during its Spring Tour Event, April 18, at Camp Leatherneck.
“I actually got to see actors and people who got emotional from what they saw out here from us, because we were so motivated that it brought them to tears,” said Master Sgt. Eugene Holiday Jr., assistant operation chief for I Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarter Group (Forward).
The event started with the guest celebrities introducing themselves to the crowd of service members and giving short motivational speeches. Actor Anthony Anderson was brought to tears during his speech from seeing the joy of every service member in the tent.
The USO Spring Tour was here and it had everyone hanging onto the edge of their seats for a chance to meet actors Anthony Anderson, Dennis Hayberst, and Jason “Wee Man” Acuna, along with baseball legend Randy Johnson, and American Idol singers Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young. To top it all off, the service members also had the chance to meet three National Football League Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.
“Everybody was happy, and this place probably had like 700 people,” said Bill Hargesheimer, the Morale, Welfare and Recreation director for Regional Command Southwest. “Just seeing them happy that was the biggest success,” said Hargesheimer. “Just to see the happy faces from the troops, the decompression, smiles and the talk afterward, these guys will be talking about this show for months after it happens.”
The introductions were followed by a short performance by the two American Idol singers Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young. They engaged service members into the show by asking them to come onstage and having them participate in the singing and dancing.
The cheers from the service members grew louder and camera flashes lit up the inside of the tent as the service members let loose for a few seconds to truly enjoy the show.
“I was asked to get up on stage and dance,” said Holiday. “I’m not a dancer, but I really enjoyed getting up there dancing and showing everyone else they can take a break in their day.”
Finally, after the performance, the guests did a meet and greet with service members. Every service member had a chance to take a photo with the guests and shake hands with his or her favorite celebrity, bringing a successful show to a successful end.
| Date Taken: | 04.18.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 05.11.2012 06:28 |
| Story ID: | 88285 |
| Location: | CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF |
| Hometown: | JASPER, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 253 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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