Mayor’s Message: Bernie Platt
As we enter this season of giving, I’d like to call attention to a very special cause — an opportunity to give back to those who give so much for every one of us every day.
On Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 24, Jewish War Veterans Post 126 will host the 8th annual Feed the Troops Thanksgiving Day Celebration at the America’s Best Value Inn on Route 70. This annual event is a special way to say thank you to more than 250 soldiers currently training at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and scheduled for deployment overseas.
Due to their training schedule, these service members are unable to be home with their families for the holidays. I don’t need to tell you how difficult it can be to be away from your family at any time — but particularly during the holiday season.
As a way to say thank you, and remind these men and women just how much we all appreciate their daily sacrifices and work to protect our great nation, this special event will provide the traditional Thanksgiving dinner and entertainment — small tokens of our appreciation that will, I hope, ease the burden of being away from loved ones at this festive time of year.
The celebration will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the hotel’s Palace of Asia Ballroom, 2389 Route 70 East. As in previous years, local residents, school children and veterans are invited to gather in the hotel’s parking lot just before 11 a.m. to surprise the troops as they arrive, giving them the patriotic welcome and “thank you” they so very much deserve.
As I noted, this is the eighth year the JWV will host this important event. It is named for one of Cherry Hill’s own native sons, Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy Kane, who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2010.
The men and women of our military are our nation’s true heroes. They put their lives on the line without hesitation so that we can live in a free, safe United States of America. It’s easy to overlook the amount of sacrifice that goes into their service, beyond the physical risks they face.
These brave men and women go months on end without the comforts of home and of family and friends.
Particularly around the holidays — and a holiday like Thanksgiving, to which family is so central — it is so important that our troops know their sacrifices are seen and appreciated; that they are worth making.
This celebration will deliver them just that — warm hospitality, great food, and a welcome distraction for those who are far from home. State Sen. Jim Beach, will serve as the event’s honorary chairman. Entertainment will be provided by special guests including former Philadelphia Eagles Vince Papale, Mike Mamula and Garry Cobb and Miss New Jersey 2011 Katharyn Nicolle. Jill Horner, Miss New Jersey 2000 and a Comcast Network anchor, will also help entertain and honor the troops.
It’s been said time and again, but I believe it can never be said enough: the men and women of our Armed Forces lay their lives on the line every day of the year to protect our freedom and our way of life. We should thank them at every opportunity, but particularly as we enter this holiday season.
With that in mind, I hope you’ll all please support this wonderful cause. For more information, go to www.jwv-post126.org or e-mail mgspevak@gmail.com.
