Neatly pressed suits and gowns of all styles and colors could be seen filing into Bryant-Denny Stadium for the University of Alabama’s Army ROTC annual Dining Out. The cadets were in full uniform, each with a respective date for the ball.

The event, which featured guest speakers, hosted current cadets, both active and reserve.

Familiarity with the work that goes into putting together the ROTC ball was no stranger to Master of Ceremony Brett Swanson.

“The purpose of the ROTC ball is to get together the core cadets and enjoy each other’s company and go through traditional Army customs,” Swanson said.

Retired U.S. Army Chaplain Major Jeff Streuker was one of the guest speakers for the evening.

“The students get an opportunity to be at an event with people who are important to them, and I am glad to get to be a part of that,” Streuker said.

Among the other speakers was one of the University’s own in Lt. Col. Jim Shaver, professor of military science.

“It’s a chance for the battalion [to get] together in a formal setting and celebrate the year that we have had as a battalion,” Shaver said.

Shaver said it was just one of the many traditions the Army has.

Clayton Smith, a senior in the Army ROTC program, was excited to attend the event again.

“It’s a time when freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors can come together in a setting like this and get away from training and the classroom and take a little escape,” Smith said.

Smith comes from a family of military personnel and will soon be commissioning as a military intelligence officer.

“I enlisted in the Army,” Smith said. “I did my freshman and sophomore year here at the University and decided that I wanted to do something extra with my life.”