Justin Timberlake On Marine Corps Ball: 'It Changed My Life'

Following up on a promise he made this summer, Justin Timberlake accompanied Corporal Kelsey De Santis to the Instructor Battalion Marine Corps Ball in Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday. Timberlake, 30, said yes to De Santis' YouTube video invitation after he publicly urged his Friends with Benefits co-star Mila Kunis to accept a similar invitation from a member of the Marine Corps.

Timberlake compared meeting the soldiers at the Ball to meeting other legendary heroes. "To all of you that serve every day for us Ensuring our freedom, I say: My deepest gratitude to you," he wrote on his web site yesterday. "I've met so many of my heroes, from Michael Jordan to Michael Jackson. And, nothing makes me feel more honor and pride than when I get to meet one of you. Last night changed my life and I will never forget it.

Timblerlake also praised De Santis for her kindliness and spoke of getting along well with her friends. "I had the opportunity to sit with Kelsey, get to know her and get a tiny glimpse into what her life as a Marine was like," he wrote. "She talked about her training in mixed martial arts with a passion, a discipline, and a respect. It reminded me of how I hear my favorite athletes talk about their sport, or how I hear my favorites among my peers in music and film talk about their craft."

Moved to tears, he said, by a video montage of soldiers who responded to the attacks on Pearl Harbor and the World Trade Center, Timberlake effused pride and admiration for the armed forces. "I felt so proud to be there," says Timberlake. "I felt like I was getting a chance to be among my heroes. It's funny too because a lot of them are so younger than me."