Uniting Branchesthe

Veterans

Ball

BY TRACY BELL

Offers Fun And Fundraising

Agroup of friends with military connections gathered at Applebee’s in north Stafford for a free Veterans Day meal eight years ago.

Little did they know that their conversation that day would spark an idea that led to creation of a new nonprofit.

Stafford resident Ozzy Ramos took the suggestion and turned it into reality, founding the American Veterans Ball in 2015 to bring all military branches together for an evening of fun and fundraising.

The organization ultimately became its own 501(c)3 nonprofit and will hold this year’s American Veterans Ball on May 12 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor in Maryland.

“It’s a unique event of camaraderie and connection,” said Ramos, who is retired from the U.S. Marine Corps. “It’s a way to reconnect post-active service – and the unique thing is it’s the only one in the country.”

Lissette and Ozzy Ramos at last year’s American Veterans Ball.

First held in Fredericksburg, the annual ball has grown in popularity, said Ramos, who lives with his family off Andrew Chapel Road in the Aquia District.

The veterans ball is “his baby,” said Ramos’ wife, Lissette, who was among those at Applebee’s that day when the idea was born. None of her immediate family served in the military, so she counts her husband as her first real connection to military life.

The couple hails from Brooklyn, N.Y., but met in Virginia when Ramos was stationed at Quantico. They have lived in Stafford since 1999. Ozzy Ramos retired in 2006 from the Marine Corps, where was a program coordinator for presidential support programs.

Their blended family includes four grown children – Tony, Alex, Luis and Amanda – and a 12-year-old daughter, Izabella, who attends Stafford Middle School.

Tony and Amanda graduated from Brooke Point High School, while Luis, who also served in the U.S. Marine Corps, lives with his own family in Stafford and is a cofounder of the American Veterans Ball.

Ozzy Ramos said the American Veterans Ball event will include an elegant dinner, music and dancing in the spirit of celebratory comradeship and patriotism. The ball provides all veterans of the Armed Forces the opportunity to participate in an annual service ball similar to the military balls they cherished when in active service. It’s a way to reignite and reconnect, but also to advocate for those who struggle to find the camaraderie they once knew. Ramos acknowledged that losing military veterans to suicide is an ongoing struggle.

“Over the past decade, we’re losing 22 a day to suicide,” Ramos said. “That’s a big problem. We could do 22 pushups, situps, walks or runs to honor fallen veterans – but we can’t bring them back.”

So, he said, the focus could be on the flip side – those who remain. Once service members leave active duty, Ramos said, life happens – both the good and the bad.

“We go through life events – separation, divorce – we aren’t invincible; we no longer feel like warriors,” he said. “Some gravitate toward drugs and alcohol.”

There’s an immediate disconnection from the loss of that military family, Ramos said, and that can be jarring.

So, the all-inclusive veterans ball will welcome every branch of the military – veterans, active-duty, reserves, those separated or retired from the military and their guests, civilian and military alike.

The event will include a VIP reception and a JROTC color guard ceremony. Entertainment will be provided by comedian impressionist Sylvia Traymore Morrison, U.S. Navy veteran and recording artist Dave Bray USA and local singing group Voices of Service, a finalist on “America’s Got Talent.”

Ramos said funds raised from the ball are generally divided four ways – with a quarter of the proceeds going to JROTC and youth leadership camps and another quarter going to a veteran’s individual initiative or organization. Another 25% is used to support the following year’s ball, and the final 25% is used to cover operational and administration costs.

Ramos ran a separate youth humanitarian nonprofit called HOME (iwannagohome. org) before starting the ball.

Last year’s American Veterans Ball drew 850 people and raised $20,000, Ramos said. This year, it cost $190,000 to put on the ball, and Ramos expects more than 1,000 people representing every branch to attend.

Tracy Bell is a freelancer who lives in Stafford County.