I Look Forward To...

I've been meaning to post this for awhile... it's been buried in my e-mail since 1 March.


*MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (Feb. 23, 2006) -- *Women hold onto fond memories from their youth throughout their lifetime – getting a driver’s license, the first day of school, their "Sweet 16" birthday party. But more often than not, their most cherished memories include their first dance – the dress, the shoes, the fancy hairdo, and of course their date.
Many young girls created this treasured memory of their first dance Thursday at The Clubs At Quantico. It was not the prom, senior dinner dance, or even a school dance. It was the Father-Daughter Sweetheart Dance hosted by the Quantico Youth Center.
More than 200 people attended; fathers in suits and ties or their dress blue uniforms and girls – as young as 3 years old in their favorite or new dresses.
"It’s their daughters’ first date," said Kim Hammond, director of youth activities. "The father shows them how they should be treated. They set the bar, the standard for which any male in the life has to meet."
The first experience of the night was a buffet-style meal for the older attendees and a platter of chicken tenders for the younger. But the party really got started when the disc jockey turned up the music.
Some dads with very young daughters picked them up and danced with them on their hips. Others danced side-by-side. Either way, there was not a square inch left open on the dance floor.
The crowd danced on the rug and in between tables. The DJ played a mix of music from today and from the "dads’ generation." When today’s music thumped from the speakers, the daughters showed their fathers the way to dance in the new style. But when "Play that Funky Music, White Boy" came on, the men showed the girls how it was done in their day.
"I am surprised at how much fun we are having out there dancing," said Staff Sgt. Santo River, garrison mobile equipment staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge at Headquarters Marine Corps, with his daughter Jasmine at his side.
For a few moments, the dancing ceased because it was time for dessert.
After a few bites of the cake and ice cream, the girls dragged their dads back onto the floor. Plates with half-eaten cake soaked in melted ice cream covered the table tops the rest of the night.
Some scheming girls coaxed the DJ into announcing a break-dancing contest. The crowd cleared an opening on the dance floor, and a few brave men showed off their skills to the rhythm of little voices encouraging them with, "go daddy, go daddy." After the running man, the worm, back spins and the robot, the girls joined back in.
"This is our third one, and we will come as long as we can – until she’s married," said Master Gunnery Sgt. Hodge Jordan, reconnaissance project officer at Marine Corps Systems Command, of his daughter Emily.
For some, it was past their bedtime when the music finally stopped and it was time to go home. But the memories made were ones that will last forever.
"The mother is always the queen, but the daughter is a princess in the father’s eyes," said Hammond. "Tonight is a perfect way to show that."