Fort Sill celebrates Army birthday

There’s no better way to celebrate a birthday than cake. That’s why soldiers at Fort Sill gathered at Vessey Hall on Friday to acknowledge 249 years since the emergence of the U.S. Army.

On June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress enlisted a group of militiamen to serve the original 13 colonies after the skirmish at Lexington and Concord. This group formed into the Continental Army, now the U.S. Army, and is the oldest national institution in America.

Friday’s celebration began with a ceremony to add campaign streamers onto the U.S. Army flag. Each campaign the Army has been a part of gets its own streamers, the number of engagements in each campaign represent the number of streamers the campaign gets.

Fort Sill Commander Maj. Gen. Phil Brooks recognized the soldiers of the past who made their sacrifice for us to be here, followed by thanking the soldiers in the room for allowing us to have a future.

Tradition at Fort Sill is to let the youngest and oldest soldier on post cut the cake with a sword. This tradition is meant to symbolize and honor the generations who have served in years past and years ahead. This year’s cake cutters were Chaplain Maj. Lisa Northway, 64, and Pfc. Sebastian Otero, 17.

Northway and Otero held a sword and cut right down the middle of the cake. Following this, cake was given out to all who wanted some.

“To be honest, I’m honored,” said Otero when asked how he felt about the cake cutting. He’s only into his fifth week of basic training but is excited for what the Army has to offer. “I wanted a stable job and benefits to take care of my family.”

Northway said she was pleasantly surprised to get to cut the cake, saying, “It’s really great. When I started in 1988, I didn’t ever think I’d get picked as the oldest.”