Next to the head table in the Hyatt Regency Cambridge President’s Ballroom on Friday, a small table stood, decorated with a white tablecloth, a rose, salt on a plate, a lemon wedge, a red ribbon around a vase, an inverted glass and an empty chair.
These 233rd Navy and Marine Corps Birthday Ball decorations held symbolic meaning for the soldiers who died fighting for the country, like the goodness of the fallen soldiers, their families’ anticipation of their safe return and ‘bitter fate.’ The inverted glass and empty chair symbolized that those who had fallen would not be present at this or any other Birthday Ball.
‘This event is a celebration of our traditions and story, which needs to be recognized by each part of the military,’ 1st Class midshipman Devin Kelly, a College of Arts and Sciences senior, said.
The event started with a social hour in which about 260 ROTC members and their dates mingled, followed by dinner.
Inside the ballroom at dinner, officials showed a video presenting the message, ‘Preventing wars is just as important as winning.’
A slideshow displayed pictures of ROTC members. Then, the color guard performed a march and the national anthem played.’
Rear Adm. James McManamon, the guest speaker at the ball, spoke to the audience of mostly young officers-in-training about how to be successful.
‘You need to have perseverance and humor to stay sane in the world,’ he said.
McManamon discussed how ‘freedom is not free,’ and the need of enlisted personnel to ‘protect what we hold dear.’ He also discussed leadership.
‘There are two kind of leaders: ladder climbers and ladder builders,’ he said.
College of Communication junior and 2nd Class midshipman Jack Wray said he thinks McManamon showed ‘great insight’ in his speech.
‘It’s not about you, it’s about the country and its ideals,’ he said.
The attendees had the chance to unwind and dance with their dates after the speech. ROTC members took part in a ‘four year’ dance off, in which participants were blindfolded and had to dance to contemporary music.
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