King for a day at Castle Park

Fathers reigned at Castle Park on Sunday as the USO held a fun-filled festival honoring Dads on their day. More than 125 dads and their dependents enjoyed food, fishing and crafts on a warm, breezy Father's Day afternoon.

Fathers, mothers, sons and daughters varied in age from newborns to teenagers and from active-duty to retired, but all seemed to enjoy the event.

"I like pretty much everything," said Joseph Montgomery, 8, with a relish-dabbled smile as he and his father ate hot dogs in the shade.

"I'm just enjoying the beautiful day, the food and location Ö and being outdoors," stated 1st Sgt. Monty Montgomery an area National Guardsman.

Sgt. 1st Class Eric Devine of the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps attended with his four daughters ages 2, 4, 8 and 9. "This is a time to spend time together with them and just be able to play." Devine's duties as a dad didn't end at the park, as he and his family planned a cookout later that evening.

Staff Sgt. Cory Kohn, a squad leader in the Old Guard also had four children playing in the park. Kohn reflected on his own father, "My father wasn't able to spend a lot of time with us because of work, but when he did, he made it count.

"A lot of the lessons I teach my children are the ones I learned from my father, one is how to adjust and be patient. As a dad I want to be able to show them how not to take things so seriously and find the positive in everything," he said with a smile as he chased down his 4-year-old son Jayden.

Maj. Robert Taylor, who works at the Pentagon, was feeding his 10-month-old daughter Roberta Delrosario in the shade. "Being a parent has changed my whole outlook on life. Now the children come first. From the day they were born we realized we were no longer in charge," he said.

Manny Manan, father of 2-year-old Gabriel and a stay-at-home parent, added another perspective. "I'm creating a bond with him that will last forever, my mother stayed at home with me and I truly valued her. Now, I get to see everything and not miss out. I saw the first steps and heard the first words.

"It's the second Father's Day I have experienced and it makes me appreciate and also miss my own father more. Now, I always tell him how much I love him, because as a parent I realize how much it means."

The USO received a $5,000 corporate contribution from VISTA, a technologies services company in Herndon. VISTA also provided 20 volunteers to help run the event.