By Howard Wilkinson
Cincinnati Enquirer

Cincinnati Ben-Gal cheerleader Kristen Schneider with a photo of her and her brother Brandon, taken when the cheerleaders visited US troops stationed overseas during a recent USO tour. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

The Cincinnati Ben-Gals cheerleaders lifted the spirits of thousands of U.S. soldiers when they toured American bases in Kosovo and Bosnia last month.

But there was no soldier more happy to see them than Spc. Brandon Schneider. For him, it was a chance to see his little sister.

"He had a permanent smile the whole time we were there,'' said 20-year-old Ben-Gal cheerleader Kristen Schneider, who was reunited with her brother in Kosovo. "It was wonderful.''

The 22-year-old soldier was given a five-day leave so he could spend time with his sister and her fellow cheerleaders.

For Kristen, the youngest of the 28-member cheerleading squad, it was a chance to spend time with the big brother she had not seen in more than a year.

"All the girls just loved him,'' Kristen said. "It was so cute.''

Kristen performs at Paul Brown Stadium during a dress rehearsal in early March, prior to the USO tour. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

It was the first overseas USO tour for the Ben-Gals cheerleading troupe. It came about because, last fall, Brandon Schneider had a conversation with an officer about his sister being a Ben-Gal. The officer thought a visit by the dance troupe would boost morale.

In Kosovo, the cheerleaders stayed in military housing, six women to a room. "It was like a big slumber party,'' Kristen said.

Wherever the Ben-Gals went, a military escort in armored vehicles accompanied them. "With most USO shows, the performers don't spend much time with the soldiers when they aren't performing,'' Kristen said. "But we got to hang out with the guys.''

Her brother, Kristen said, was the typical protective older brother.

"I went out on stage once with a Band-Aid on my knee; I'd scraped it somehow,'' Kristen said. "I could see Brandon down there with a worried look on his face. He's always been that way.''

Kristen brought back hundreds of photographs - her brother surrounded by Ben-Gals, Kristen driving an M-1 tank, sightseeing tours through the Balkans and in Vienna.

For Kristen, it was more than a reunion.

"It was worth it just to bring a little joy into some soldiers' lives,'' Kristen said. "They're over there a long way from home, serving their country and it's hard work. I was just glad to be able to give them something to smile about.''

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