On Nov. 27, Thanksgiving Day, the Whiting Elks are hosting a dinner for 100 of the recruits from Great Lakes Naval Base.

These young men and women protect and defend us and our country and the Elks want to show their appreciation and support for the jobs that these young people do by inviting them to an old-fashioned Thanksgiving meal.

They're putting together a gift bag for each of the guests and are looking for donations of envelopes, stamps, snacks and other small items as well as cash donations since the Elks members have to transport the recruits roundtrip. The Elks are also looking for people who might give up a few hours of their Thanksgiving Day to help prepare or serve the dinner to the troops. If you're interested in helping, contact Karen Edge at (219) 659-6816.

I think this is such a lovely and unselfish gesture on the part of our Elks who are a really dedicated organization here in town. For years they have donated their kitchen for the preparation of the pierogies for the tossing and eating contest for Pierogi Fest, too.

Karen Edge, who has had a son in the service, said that she knew how much it means to these young people who are away from home to be guests of a family during the holidays.

Whatever your feelings about the war, these young men and women and those overseas are there to protect us just as our contemporaries were in Vietnam and our fathers during World War II. They deserve the same respect and honor. So infrequently during our busy lives, sometimes only on Memorial Day and Veteran's Day, do we stop to remember all they do.

During my college days, I was part of two separate USO tours that entertained at various Army and Navy bases throughout the country. We also had the privilege of visiting with those who were in base hospitals, many who had lost limbs in 'Nam. I was probably too young then to completely understand what they were going through and it was very difficult to make small talk when you saw the physical devastation of so many men your own age. What was most impressive was their spirit. They were not defeated. They made jokes and were as amicable as could be.

At one base during Easter tour, we started to sing the "Hallelujah" chorus. There were only a few of us at this particular hospital and we didn't have all four parts. We apologized before we started singing that we were missing our tenors and one of the soldiers from his bed chimed in that he was a tenor and he remembered learning the song when he was in a high school choir. So we all circled his bed and his clear tenor voice took over the missing part of Handel's wonderful uplifting masterpiece.

Today I don't think I ever hear the "Hallelujah" chorus without thinking of this young man and the look of pure joy on his face as he joined us.

The opinions expressed are the author's own. Reach her at puccini99@aol.com or (219) 659-8129.