LOS ANGELES (AP) - Marine Sgt. Scott Moore has a big date coming up when he returns from military service in Afghanistan.
The data systems technician gained fame _ and apparently a date with actress Mila Kunis _ when he posted a video on YouTube last week inviting the “Black Swan” star to accompany him to the Marine Corps Ball in Greenville, N.C., in November. The annual event marks the founding of the Marines in 1775.
Kunis learned of the video during a recent interview with her “Friends With Benefits” co-star, Justin Timberlake, who urged her to fulfill her patriotic duties. Kunis agreed to the date, saying, “I’ll go.”
Her publicist, Melissa Raubvogel, had no comment Tuesday.
Moore said Tuesday that he made the video after a fellow Marine bet he wouldn’t.
Standing on a base in Afghanistan and wearing his uniform and black sunglasses, he says on the 19-second video: “Hey Mila. It’s Sergeant Moore, but you can call me Scott. I just wanted to take a moment out of my day to invite you to the Marine Corps Ball on November 18th in Greenville, N.C., with yours truly. So take a second, think about it and get back to me.”
He said that though he has not communicated directly with the actress, “I have heard back from her people.”
“I’m very excited about the opportunity to share the experience with Ms. Kunis and would like to thank her for accepting my offer,” he said.
The corps’ anniversary ball is one of the most important events on a Marine’s calendar, according to spokeswoman Capt. Kendra Hardesty. Balls are held at bases and less formal celebrations by units in the field to mark the Nov. 10, 1775, founding of the branch.
Balls at garrisons are formal affairs, following a ceremony established in 1952. At each ball, the Marine Corps commandant’s birthday message is read, along with a 1921 order issued by Maj. Gen. John A. Lejeune summarizing the tradition and mission of the corps.
After that, a cake-cutting ceremony is held in which the first piece is presented to the guest of honor, and then to the oldest Marine present, who in turn passes it to the youngest Marine present.
“This ball will be special not only because of Mila, but also because we will have recently returned from our deployment to Afghanistan,” Moore said. He also served in Iraq in 2009.
Kunis won’t be the first celebrity to attend a Marine birthday ball. Other Hollywood stars who’ve attended over the years include action film actor Chuck Norris and R. Lee Ermey, a retired Marine whose most famous role was an intense drill instructor in the film “Full Metal Jacket.”
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Associated Press reporter Tom Breen in Raleigh, N.C.
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