‘Wagonmasters’ flash back to ’80s
Posted On: Tuesday, Oct. 27 2009 03:20 PM
By Cpl. Jessica Hampton
15th Sustainment Brigade public affairs
Soldiers of the 15th Sustainment Brigade's rear detachment, 13th Sustainment Command, helped students, family members and teachers flashback to the 1980s as they geared up for this year's annual dance and fundraiser "Footloose Flashback" at Clarke Elementary Oct. 19 at Fort Hood.
"Everybody cut … Footloose" were the words the students, all decked out in their '80s fashion, heard playing in the background as they walked through the doors of the cafeteria and stepped back in time.
The cafeteria was turned into a dance floor and decorated with pictures and props of pop culture icons like Madonna, the Transformers, Rubik's Cubes and The Smurfs.
Brigade volunteers sold food and game tickets at the front door; handed out refreshments, helped the teachers with numerous games and face painting and danced with students.
Members of the faculty sold raffle tickets for prizes that included a dinner for four and a spa day.
Pfc. Brandi Sheard, Alpha Company, 15th Special Troops battalion, volunteered for the cake walk in the school's library.
"It's like musical chairs but with cake. You walk around until the music stops; if you are on the number that is called, you win a cake.
"(The teachers) let some of the soldiers play and I won, so I got to pick out anything that I wanted from the table. I picked cupcakes so I could share with my battle buddies," Sheard said.
"It was a lot of fun," she added.
The dance was the perfect alternative to Halloween and a great way to raise money for the school's needs, Sgt. 1st Class Yusef Davis said.
"It gave me an opportunity to be around kids since I can't spend time with my own, because of the deployment," Davis, a father of three, added as he handed out drinks and hot dogs.
Many soldiers danced the Cupid Shuffle and the Cha-Cha Slide.
"The kids really liked that," Sheard said.
As the dance was ending, soldiers received many "thank you's" from teachers and parents.
A few soldiers even received hugs from the students.
"It was great for the kids to see that military people just don't go to war," said Staff Sgt. Tameka Banks, a rear detachment platoon sergeant with the 15th Sustainment Brigade.