MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. --
The sound of rock
music playing echoed around the air station as the flash of colored lights and
the smell of hamburgers and hot dogs searing on the grill lured Marines,
Sailors and families to the 2015 Rocktoberfest at Marine Corps Air Station
Cherry Point, Oct. 16.
The annual festival
gave the service members and their families the chance to enjoy live
entertainment from a local DJ and a concert featuring the bands: Switchfoot,
Devour the Day and First Decree. The event was hosted by Marine Corps Community
Services as a way to build relationships and recognize the service members for
their constant hard work and dedication.
Events like this can
give the Marines, Sailors and families a chance to have a little fun, said Dane
Lopez-Smith, the guitar player for the band First Decree.
“We have the utmost respect for any branch of
the military and everything that they do,” said Lopez-Smith. “It is a really
humbling experience for us to play here for service members.”
Patrons from the air
station attended the event to listen to the live music and build camaraderie
between service members and families.
Events like this are
good for boosting morale and meeting new people, said HN David Ostenson, a hospital
corpsman with staff and education training at the Naval Health Clinic. They
give service members the chance to meet people they wouldn’t necessarily have met
otherwise.
“I would encourage
service members to attend more events like this because it is a great
experience,” said Ostenson. “We appreciate everything the bands and
organizations do. They are the ones who put on the show and without them, this
event wouldn’t happen.”
“Thank you for having
us here,” said Lopez-Smith. “It was the first time we have ever done anything
like this, and we hope it is not our last.”