Pressed and polished
The JROTC Military Ball at Heritage Pines Country Club is an event that requires attendees to be up to snuff.
By MICHELE MILLER
Published March 1, 2005
HUDSON - Saturday night with 21/2 hours to go before the "Mil Ball" had William Somma shaving a few days of black stubble off his 18-year-old face.
He already had pressed his white shirt and the green Army JROTC uniform hanging in his room. He had sat for the buzz cut, given courtesy of his mother's boyfriend, Mike Batchler, "retired Air Force." Next in line were the shoes and brass belt buckle.
"He usually does this at 6 in the morning when I'm still in bed, so I never get to see it," said Somma's mother, Angel Schmidt, as her son polished his shoes on her kitchen counter with the can of Pledge furniture polish stashed under the sink. "I know when he's done it though," she said with a laugh. "He always gets some polish on the floor, and I go sliding."
According to Somma, the military ball is the next biggest JROTC event after the annual inspection. As for any event that requires wearing of the uniform, all Hudson High cadets better be up to snuff. It's not quite as intense as annual inspection, says Somma, as his mother straightened his clip-on bow tie, "But if we don't look right, we'll hear it later from colonel and first sergeant."
As a senior and a "Lt. 4," this was to be the last military ball for Somma who was "kind of - sort of" going with a friend and fellow cadet Danielle DeMonaco. As the public affairs officer it would be up to him to record the event for the JROTC yearbook and video that was sure to be judged by future cadets. Because he was "Lt. 4," his mom and Mike would attend. "It's a night to say thank you to the parents because they've basically been our support for four years," Somma said.
It would definitely be a night for celebration. A night to let loose; to do the Electric Slide , the Chicken Dance and the "Chandler Dance" (think Friends).
"It's great to see," said Somma. "Thirty of 40 people doing it across the floor."
Of course, that would be after the formalities.
With two hours to go, Somma kissed his mom goodbye, packed the camera equipment in the white Chevy Corisca with the camouflage-colored "Support Our Troops" metallic ribbon and the Bush/Cheney an d Sublime bumper stickers, and hit the road.
This was the night Samantha Isom had been waiting for since May when she was first promoted to executive officer.
Isom, who was in charge of organizing the military ball, had enlisted a committee to assist her in choosing the site, the food, disc jockey and gifts for the parents of the Lt. 4's - bouquets for the moms and special Army coins for the dads.
"This is special because this is my baby," said Isom, who arrived about 4:15 p.m. with her date, Lt. Col. William "Charlie" Kaylor, after spending the day running last-minute errands and helping her dad move a sewer pipe.
Now she was carrying an armful of flowers and wearing a long burgundy and black strapless dress. "I clean up pretty good, don't I?" she said with a laugh.
Isom and Kaylor, both Lt. 4's, are a couple in more ways than one. Their ranks place them both at the top of the chain of command - he's first, and she's second.
While the military is in the future for Kaylor, who plans on "having as much fun as I can" before heading off to Parris Island for basic training on Aug. 1, Isom has no such designs. She wants to be an elementary school teacher.
Just the thought of his leaving makes her eyes well up.
"I don't like thinking of him going into harm's way," said Isom as she laid another place card on the table.
With an hour to go, six cadets were getting a last-minute lesson on how to post the colors in the ballroom at Heritage Pines Country Club for 1st Sgt. Robert Cain, who teaches the program alongside Lt. Col. Tony Taranto.
Both Taranto and Cain had extra bow ties in their pockets just in case. Taranto would be ready to give "the evil eye" if anyone acted up.
"The prom is nothing compared to this. We're a lot more formal than that," said Cain, as the cadets practiced the posting one more time. "A little bit of hair goes down after the dinner and the guest speaker. Then the dancing starts. Off come the shoes and off come the jackets, but that's okay because they dance respectful."
A little after 6 p.m. the cadets, their dates and special guests began making their way through the reception line and to their tables.
"Get that toothpick out of your mouth," said one female cadet to her tuxedo-clad date. "I'm already going to hear it about your hair."
The colors were posted without incident (at least to the untrained eye). The invocation and the JROTC Creed were said. The parents of Lt. 4 cadets were asked to stand and be recognized along with a handful of cadet alumni.
Dancing was still a couple of hours away, after the formalities that continued with an order from their lieutenant colonel.
"Gentlemen," said Kaylor, as he stood at the podium. "Seat your ladies."