Members of U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach in Germany are hoping at least 800 soldiers, family members and civilians will gather May 14 to form a record-breaking human yellow ribbon.

“The event calls for the first 1,000 people to receive free yellow T-shirts to form a ribbon — while hoping for good weather — to break an armed forces record set at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.,” Ronald Toland, USAG Ansbach public affairs, said in a Thursday news release. According to the Miramar base newspaper “more than 750” turned out there to form a chain in 2005.

In the hopes of boosting the turnout, the garrison is opening its gates to Department of Defense ID card holders from neighboring communities.

Even if the record is not broken, community leaders see the event as nothing but positive.

“It’s a real morale booster for the community, our families and rear detachment Soldiers — and also our Soldiers downrange,” Victoria Hanrahan, Ansbach’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation entertainment director, said in the release.

Veronica Martin, an Army spouse and 12th Combat Aviation Brigade family readiness group member, agreed.

“This is a chance for the community to come together and say to our deployed spouses, ‘We are thinking about you guys, we love you, and we want you to be safe,’” she said in the release.

“This is a big welcome-home-and-be-safe symbol, and represents us showing, as a community, our support of our loved ones downrange.”

The 12th CAB, Ansbach’s largest unit, is halfway through a 15-month deployment in Iraq.

The event at the Storck Barracks airfield will also feature a free concert by country artist Granger Smith, as well as food and drinks from 5 p.m. Concessions will close for participants to form the ribbon at 5:45 p.m, and reopen 45 minutes later.

To register, e-mail name and T-shirt size to ansbachyellowribbon@eur.army.mil. For details, call Hanrahan at 0981-183-636 or DSN 468-7636.

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