Sailors assigned to aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) stowed their uniforms, put on their best suits and dresses, and rolled out the red carpet for the George Washington Birthday Gala at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, Feb. 16.

More than 800 guests attended the party, which was spearheaded by the ship's Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) team. Sailors and their family members had the opportunity to socialize, eat shrimp next to a large ice sculpture of the ship, and enjoy themselves on the dance floor after eating dinner.

"I wanted to show myself and a special someone a good time, and the party definitely nailed it," said Aviation Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Carlos Arevalo. "The food was amazing and I even got to show off my 'Electric Slide' on the dance floor. Everyone looked like they were having a great time."

Sailors exchanged their entrance tickets with prize tickets upon arrival. Different members of the crew randomly picked out the winning tickets throughout the night. Prizes included watches; tablets; gaming consoles; a 65-inch, high-definition TV; and a grand-prize trip to Puerto Rico.

"Tonight was a celebration of all the hard work the Sailors have put in for the past year," said Derekca Collier, the ship's MWR Fun Boss. "A part of the reason we had the party was to celebrate George Washington's birthday, [Feb. 22], but the main reason was to let the Sailors know that they are appreciated for all that they do."

Collier and members of the MWR team began planning the party several months prior. Together, they came up with a theme of making Sailors feel and look like stars.

"I went around the mess decks to talk with Sailors, and used what they gave me as the inspiration for the theme," said Collier. "They told me what they wanted to see and we tried our best to meet their needs. This was a party for them, by them."

Toward the end of the night, Sailors E-1 to E-6 had the opportunity to model their formal attire to determine who was best dressed. Audience members voted by applause, and the male and female winners each received a gift card.

"Any excuse to dress 'to the tee' and look fancy is good by me," said Airman Julien Olynick. "It is unfortunate I did not win, but it was still fun seeing the Sailors show off their attire for the night. I would have never guessed how fashionable some of the Sailors are from seeing them on the ship. This really brought out a different side of them and it was great."

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from USS George Washington (CVN 73), visit www.navy.mil/, www.facebook.com/USSGW and www.twitter.com/GW_CVN73.