Email   Print   Share By Gloria Montgomery, WTB Public Affairs

Facebook Digg Delicious September 27, 2012 | Living

Staff. Sgt. Stephen Berry nabs the first slice of “Porky the Pig,” guest of honor for the WTB luau. Gloria Montgomery, WTB Public Affairs

Killeen’s Baila Pacifica dance troupe performs fire dancing during the luau. Gloria Montgomery, WTB Public Affairs

WTB Family members mimic their instructor’s dance movements. Gloria Montgomery, WTB Public Affairs

Reyna Camacho, a dancer with the Baila Pacifica, accessorizes Maj. Mary Smith’s uniform with a colorful lei. Smith is WTB’s S-1 officer-in-charge. Gloria Montgomery, WTB Public Affairs

The east met the west Friday night when a ceremonial pig, steel-guitar music and Polynesian dancers with tiki torches lit up III Corps’ Sadowski Field Friday night, turning the parade ground into a colorful Hawaiian adventure for nearly 1,000 Fort Hood Warrior Transition Brigade Soldiers, Families and caregivers.

The Hawaiian luau, sponsored by the Red Cross, was the charity’s way to show support for WTB’s wounded and ill Soldiers, said April Griffith, Family Readiness Support Assistant.

“The Red Cross wanted to hold a party for us,” Griffith said, “as a way to show support for our mission,” adding that the luau was the second of two events sponsored by the nonprofit. “We celebrated summer with a July Family event at the Killeen Aquatics Park.”

Funding for the party, Griffith said, came from a Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) grant.

“We have a great partnership with WWP,” said Mary Basiliere, Fort Hood’s senior station manager of the American Red Cross. “They thought it would be a great way to close out the summer.”

Praising the Red Cross for their morale-boosting efforts was Roberta Lathrop, wife of Spec. Ben Lathrop, who is assigned to D Company, 1st Battalion. “I just can’t thank them enough for coming out here and taking time to support our wounded warriors. We’ve had a lot of fun.”

About 30 volunteers from 3rd Cavalry Regiment and Division West and 20 from the Red Cross helped prepare the field for the party early Friday morning by setting up gigantic tents, chairs and tables. They also had a second mission: serving up the Hawaii grub to the hungry Hawaiian-shirt-clad WTB team.

One of the volunteers, Capt. John Pagano from Division West’s 120 Infantry Brigade, said he didn’t mind giving up a Friday because the Soldiers and Family members should be enjoying the party and not working it.

“It’s a good cause,” Pagano said, as he shifted from setting up to dishing out pork and cabbage, beans, rice and chicken. “We’ll do anything to support our wounded Soldiers.”

Staff Sgt. Richard Gallego, who is a platoon sergeant with A Company, 1st Battalion, said it was awesome that Soldiers like Pagano had volunteered to assist with the party preparation.

“I can’t believe all these Soldiers from other units were volunteering their own personal time, especially being that it’s a Friday, to come out here and do all this just so we could enjoy this event,” Gallego said. “It just shows you that we’re all one Family.”

Gallego added that he appreciated the Red Cross for sponsoring events like the WTB luau.

“This is a great event because it brings all the units together,” he said, “plus it broadens our horizons to see the different cultures of our military members.”

Guest of honor for the Hawaiian-themed event was the traditional roasted pig with Staff. Sgt. Stephen Berry nabbing first slice.

“Wow,” the Soldier assigned to D Company, 1st Battalion said. “This is pretty awesome. Tastes pretty good, too.”

Guests especially enjoyed the cultural dancing of Killeen’s Baila Pacifica dance troupe who “wowed and awed” the audience with choreographed dancing with lit tiki torches.

“It was a fun event,” Griffith said. “I’ve already been asked when we’re having another one.”