Annual Military Ball held Friday
The USU ROTC annual Military Ball was held Friday night in the TSC Ballroom to boost morale and continue a long-standing university tradition.
The Military Ball began at Utah State in 1910 and was originally named the Governor’s Ball, said third-class Cadet Brigham Moore.
“The governor, the mayor and senators all attended the ball,” Moore said. “It was the premier event to come to.”
The ball was held in conjunction with the Air Force’s 860th Cadet Wing “dining-out” event. Unique traditions govern this occasion beyond the impeccable uniform, the reverent posting of the colors and a tribute to the prisoners of war and missing in action. The Cadet Wing’s witty approach to reprimand a breech of protocol is known as the “grog.”
The grog is a frothy mixture of ingredients, contributed by each cadet division. A cadet can petition the president, in rhyme, to send a fellow cadet, who has broken a rule, to drink a glass from the grog. The last grog included prune and pickle juice, Korean chili powder and other distasteful ingredients to make the mixture unpleasurable, said Cadet Dan Sheets. Third-class cadet Colby Neville agreed, saying he remembered feeling sorry for anyone who had to drink from the last grog more than twice.
Moore, an environmental engineering student, expressed a similar opinion of the last dining-out grog. He said he was relieved to see vanilla ice cream being added to this year’s bowl and later remarked that the grog actually tasted good. When it was mixed, the president began the grog ceremony in rhyme.
“The grog is open, but don’t you fret, only those who have to go are those who have to pay a debt,” said Cadet President Michael Vilven.
After many had been sent to the grog, including the entire Alpha Flight at once, the president ended the ceremony with one last barrier. Vilven called for a coin check – a tradition since World War I to carry a specific coin at all times for identification purposes. Those who did not have their coin were sent to drink, with 17 cadets guilty of forgetting their coins.
A serious note of the evening was a speech given by Lt. Col. Gilbert Bertelson, a retired Air Force command pilot and director of the MBA program in Brigham Young University’s School of Management. Bertelson was one of only 93 pilots ever trained to fly the aviation-altering SR-71 Blackbird aircraft.
Bertelson boasted of the great things accomplished by the SR-71 and told of many of its impressive qualities. He said it operated at 2,100 miles per hour and crossed the country from Los Angeles, Calif., to Washington, D.C. in only one hour and five minutes.
“The fighter jet was so fast, I had to put down my landing gear over Utah Lake in order to land in L.A.,” Bertelson said.
Bertelson said that the world is currently celebrating the many evolutions in aviation history. He spoke of many significant events in flight history that occurred en route to the Blackbird and the outerspace flight advancements of today. He compared the evolution of flight to the evolution of mankind. He said just as the Blackbird set new standards in aviation, war heroes of yesterday and today alike set standards for servicemen and women to live up to in the future.
He said that too many Americans have forgotten these sacrifices that have been made for their freedom. In honor of Veteran’s Day, Bertelson became emotional as he read a poem about those that have protected our country and endured prison camps, nightmares and other horrific things. He said these sacrifices should never be forgotten
“Heroes go to sea and through the air to defend our country,” Bertelson read. “Their spouses may have to raise children alone, but they will do it in a free country.”
Bertelson said his generation is often called the best generation for the many war acts of bravery on our county’s behalf. He said 225 Americans were injured or killed everyday for five long years during World War II, but few people question the decision to fight in that war.
As Sept. 11 and its following events unfolded, Bertelson said he thought maybe his generation had it too easy. He said his generation never experienced an attack on the homeland.
Bertelson challenged the Air Force cadets, saying the future rests in their hands. He asked the servicemen and women to remember that anything worthwhile takes sacrifice.
“Perhaps historians and educators will one day pay tribute to your generation, referring to you as the real greatest generation ever,” Bertelson said.
-lrose@cc.usu.edu, sastewart@cc.usu.edu