By On Saturday, March 8, in their military dress uniforms with dates at their side, Carroll Army ROTC cadets arrived at the Delta Hotel ballroom for their annual dining out event.
“As the MC, I thought dining out went very well,” said Madelyn Eggers, junior biology from Missoula. “I was glad to see all the friends, family, and prior service members show up to support my fellow cadets.”
The traditional Army event allows soldiers to invite friends and family to dinner to foster camaraderie and build relationships with fellow soldiers. This year, family and friends from far and wide joined together to celebrate this year’s accomplishments.
The evening started with introductions of several honored guests, including COL. (Ret) Victoria Miralda and Carroll College President John Cech. The guests then enjoyed dinner along with some entertainment in the form of the grog, a mixed beverage that includes strange ingredients.
The grog is used to punish those who violate the rules of the dining out. Throughout dinner, cadets volunteered their fellow cadets and guests to take a drink from the strange mixture. Every drink began with a salute and ended with a soured face as the participants gulped down their grog.
Dinner was followed by an awards ceremony where cadets received medals and ribbons that celebrated their accomplishments. These awards included special recognition of GPA and physical fitness.
“I enjoyed the awards ceremony a lot. It was a good addition this year,” said Trinity Sammons, junior psychology major from Emmett, Idaho. “It was nice to see people get awards in front of all their loved ones.”
The evening concluded with several guest speakers, including Miralda and Cech. During Cech’s speech, attendees were shocked by a recorded message from actor Mark Wahlberg, who encouraged the cadets spiritually and thanked them for their future service.
“I want to say thank you to all of our brave cadets for their dedication and service to our beautiful country,” said Wahlberg. “I wish I could be there with you guys at Carroll College for this annual dinner, supporting ROTC, but I am shooting in London.”
