WASHINGTON—Military men seem to be the new attraction on the Washington socialite charity circuit.
Single men in uniform offered themselves to the highest bidders among aspiring high society Thursday night to raise money for the G.I. Film Festival.
Active and former members of the military took in more than $5,000 by baring their chests, posing, attempting to dance and strutting down a runway for an audience of women in 10-inch heels and skintight dresses.
The Bachelor Auction was organized by Sip With Socialites, a group that plans monthly social events and donates the proceeds to charity.
The organization attracted about 250 members by transforming the Austrian Embassy into what resembled a dance club. Neon lights flashed in beat to the deafeningly loud music spun by the DJ as attendees frequented the open bars and posed for professional photographers.
“We’re trying to reach new audiences,” said Brandon Millet, co-founder of the G.I. Film Festival. “We don’t want to just preach the choir to military people or people who are in military families.”
The annual G.I. Film Festival presents films, panels and events about the armed forces for a week in May, as well as additional events throughout the year.
Stars such as actor Scott Elrod, a former airman who had a role in the movie Argo, sportscaster Britt McHenry of ABC7 and singer Vicki Golding drew in the diverse crowd Millet anticipated.
The Millets reached out to their military network of friends, alumni groups and professional contacts to pull the event together. Elrod wanted to participate because the cause supported military and film, two things dear to his heart, he said.
Elrod was the overwhelmingly favorite bachelor, auctioning himself off to two women for $1700 each. Most of the 13 bachelors sold themselves for around $300.
Co-founders Maj. Laura Law-Millet and her husband, Brandon, founded the festival in 2007 to “showcase and successes and sacrifices of service members” in a respectful manner.
“At the time there were a lot of movies coming out in Hollywood where all the GIs were portrayed as rapists, thieves and thugs,” Law-Millet said. “I served time in the military and it didn’t seem right, it didn’t seem to reflect the people that I served with. So we started a conversation to change that perception.”
The only criteria to enter a film into the festival are the inclusion of a GI character and a respectful portrayal of that character, Millet said.
Many of the military bachelors considered the festival a great way for officers to connect with people they may normally never meet.
“There’s a gap between the military and the society we serve,” said Maj. Arthur Moore, one of the bachelors auctioned. “I think this film festival is a great way to educate the civilian population about the military.”
