Justin Timberlake on Marine Corps Ball: ‘I knew I would have an evening that I wouldn’t forget’

Justin Timberlake is a man of honor.

After the singer-turned-actor attended the Marine Corps’ 236th Birthday Ball in Richmond, Va., Sunday, he took to his blog to describe the event as “one of the most moving evenings I’ve ever had.”

It was especially magical for his date. Last summer, Cpl. Kelsey De Santis posted a sassy video on YouTube asking Timberlake to attend the ball on her arm. She had been inspired by his “Friends With Benefits” co-star Mila Kunis accepting another Marine’s invite to a similar Nov. 18 event.

While Timberlake is currently dating on-again girlfriend Jessica Biel, De Santis was open to all the possibilities.

“Of course, I’m single!” she joked when “Access Hollywood” recently asked about her relationship status. “I don’t know [if a kiss will happen]. I guess that’s all up to JT and what his plans are.”

Always the gentleman, Timberlake, 30, would never kiss and tell. Instead, he gushed about how grateful he was to De Santis.

“Thank you Corporal Kelsey De Santis,” Timberlake wrote on his blog. “Thank you for inviting me. And, thank you for being my hero.”

Timberlake then spread his love around to all the Armed Forces.

“I’ve always felt like they offered us the opportunity to live our lives freely without the fear that so many other nations have to endure still to this day,” blogged Timberlake. “And, they do it without asking for anything in return. I had this very feeling walking into this dinner. So, to say I was stoked to be there would be more than accurate.”

He was also humbled.

“It was a surreal moment to be in that room with so many of our great Marines who have such a different type of connection to those stories,” Timberlake wrote about watching a tribute with the Marines that included footage from Pearl Harbor and 9/11.

“I glanced around the room at young men and women, spouses and soldiers … At kids way beyond their years, really … All so deeply entwined,” he wrote. “Not just by battle, even though we who have never endured anything remotely close to those experiences and have NO position to comment on … But, by having such life changing experiences through them and to not ever waver in their love and respect for our homeland.”

While those in attendance undoubtedly will always remember the ball, the star will too.

“I knew I would have an evening that I wouldn’t forget … Something I could tell my friends about,” Timberlake said. “What I didn’t know was how moved I would be by the whole experience