‘America’s Sweethearts’ bring holiday cheer to Osan

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Eric Burks
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader team visited Team Osan Dec. 29 as part of their 72nd United Services Organization tour.

During their visit, the cheerleaders had lunch with Airmen at the Gingko Tree dining facility, held a free cheer clinic for kids at the Youth Center gymnasium, then performed at the base theater, signed autographs and posed for photos with Team Osan members.

Senior Airman Travis Paecht, 5th Reconnaissance Squadron, said having lunch with the cheerleaders was a great experience.

"It was definitely a morale boost," he said. "It's tough being away from family every holiday, but the cheerleaders were really nice and they were appreciative of everything we're doing out here.

While Cowboys Cheerleaders have been boosting the sprits of Soldiers and Airmen here for decades through the USO tours, the cheer clinics are a relatively recent addition, designed to support the growing number of family members here.

As tour normalization initiatives brought more families to the peninsula, the Cowboys Cheerleaders, working with the USO, began holding the cheer clinics during tours here just a few years ago. As more dependents arrived, the level of support grew - this holiday season, the cheerleaders held clinics at Osan, Yongsan Army Garrison, Camp Humphreys and Camp Casey.

Katie Chargualaf, a Team Osan family member, said her daughter loved meeting the cheerleaders at the Youth Center.

"They worked really well with the kids," she said. "It was very nice of them to take time away from their families during the holidays to spend time with ours.

Meredith Oden, a fourth-year Cowboys Cheerleader making her first visit to the ROK, offered advice for cheer clinic participants who aspire to, one day, join the ranks of "America's Sweethearts."

"Just keep dancing and put your heart into it," she said.

"A lot of people are amazed that not all of us are from Texas and not all of us are fully-trained dancers from the age of three," said Meredith.

"Everyone has a different background, but we like to call ourselves a big bouquet ... every person is a different type of flower. Everyone has their own background, and that's when we come together, that's what makes us the squad that we are," she said.

"If you work hard and put the effort into it," Meredith said, "it's something you can achieve."

"We got to meet with a lot of fun little ones today," she said backstage, just prior to the evening performance at the base theater. "We had a really big group and I can certainly hear them out there. We're excited and can't wait to perform for them."

Meredith, whose mother is a former Cowboys cheerleader who participated in USO tours - and even performed at Osan - in the 1980's, said, "Watching the cheerleaders growing up, it was something we really aspired to do."

"Every time - watching them dance - each performance seemed more phenomenal. We're excited to get to do that tonight and we hope we inspire a couple little ones," Meredith said.