By Justin Creech/Belvoir Eagle Staff writer
Servicemembers and military spouses ages 18 and older at Fort Belvoir tested their trivia knowledge during CACI's "Trivia Night," Aug. 14 at Belvoir's USO Warrior and Family Center.
Attendees enjoyed brownie sundaes while playing pub trivia in teams of three or four persons. Questions covered topics like literature, pop culture and history while participants mingled and built friendships.
"Trivia night is popular in bars and restaurants, so we wanted to try to re-create that opportunity," said KJ Stevens, USO Troops and Family Programs coordinator. "There are people that want to go to trivia night, but can't because they would have to go off post, it costs money or they aren't 21. So, we wanted to give them an opportunity to participate."
Four teams participated in the trivia game, answering questions like "What is the official name of the U.S. national anthem?" "What are the two colors on the Polish flag?" and "Which rock band recorded the 2009 album titled ‘Wild Hearts?'"
Soldiers who participated enjoyed talking to and learning about other Soldiers they didn't know before the event, like Sgt. Donald Turner, 249th Engineer Battalion power station mechanic.
"I figured I'm on leave, so, I might as well have some fun and exercise the brain a little bit," said Turner. "I got to meet different people, so I loved it."
Turner isn't the only Soldier who met new people. Spc. Alex Brandt, Fort Belvoir Warrior Transition Battalion, is new to the area and came to the event because he wanted to make new friends.
"I've been at Fort Belvoir for four months," said Brandt. "So, these events are great opportunities to meet new people."
Brandt, Turner and Maj. Carolyn Deshaies, Warrior Transition Battalion, formed a team for the trivia game. Brandt said meeting two new people and playing the trivia game in a laid-back atmosphere is good for his therapy.
"It helps with my depression problems," said Brandt. "If we got a question wrong everyone laughed about it together. You didn't have to know anyone's name, you just high-fived and had fun."
In order to improve the event, Stevens said future "Trivia Nights" might include a bonus round covering military trivia like what different terms mean, questions about military culture and other aspects of military life.
Watching Soldiers get to know one another and building new friendships is satisfying, according to Stevens, because that is the point of this type of event.
"We are focused on socializing and being a place people can come and meet other Soldiers," said Stevens. "So the event was a success because people build friendships while they were here."
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