Ocean City Legion Group To Host 50 Coast Guard Recruits For Thanksgiving

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Ocean City's Sons of the American Legion Squadron 524 will again host 50 Coast Guard recruits from the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, organizers announced. The holiday event is planned for Thanksgiving Day and is designed for recruits who are away from home during the family-centered holiday.

According to the announcement, a charter bus will pick up the recruits at 9 a.m. at the Cape May Coast Guard Training Station and bring them to the Ocean City Welcome Center. From there, they will be greeted by an Ocean City police and fire company brigade and formally escorted to the Morvay-Miley-Cruice Post 524 building at 46th Street and West Avenue for a daylong celebration.

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"Cape May County is a proud Coast Guard Community," said Sons Commander Mike Byerly. "Many of us spend a good deal of time on the water, and it is always reassuring to know that if things go sideways, the Coast Guard has our backs."

Mayor Jay Gillian is scheduled to formally greet the recruits, and Philadelphia's Channel 6 News Team is expected to record the day's events, according to the announcement. After coffee, donuts and breakfast sandwiches, the recruits will be offered activities including pinball, pool, shuffleboard, darts and cornhole. Music and televised sports are also planned throughout the day.

Dinner is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will include turkey, tenderloin, pulled pork and traditional Thanksgiving side dishes. The main dishes are being prepared by Dave Newman, identified in the announcement as owner and executive chef at Ocean City's Blitz's Market/Deli. Volunteers from Post 524's veterans, auxiliary and Sons groups will help host the recruits.

"I can't think of a more fitting way to celebrate Thanksgiving than to demonstrably express our gratitude to these young men and women who have chosen to serve our country and our community," Byerly said. "Hopefully today's festivities will ease the burden of being separated from their families, and serve as a reminder that their fellow Americans appreciate their sacrifices and service."

The announcement says the Coast Guard Training Center at Cape May is the birthplace of the U.S. Coast Guard Enlisted Corps, where all nationwide recruit training functions were consolidated in 1982. It says about 4,600 new recruits begin their careers there each year in an eight-week training program.

The Thanksgiving dinner is aided by the American Red Cross New Jersey Region and its Operation Fireside program, which connects recruits and Thanksgiving dinner sponsors directly, according to the announcement. More information about Operation Fireside is available at opfiresidenj@redcross.org or 609-562-3483.