Christmas for Veterans Hosted by Elks

NORTH WILDWOOD – Greater Wildwood Elks Lodge 1896, the largest lodge in the state, held its Christmas party for veterans Dec. 20. A group of 19 veterans from the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home in Vineland were transported to the lodge and treated to lunch, gifts from Santa, and singing by the Wildwood High School Choir.  
Adding to the festivities were some Elks members who were also veterans. The crowd filled the large room as they were served a hot all-American meal of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans and chocolate cake.
More “youth friendly” fare of hot dogs, fries and hamburgers were available for the choir members.
Santa and Mrs. Claus circulated, ensuring that each veteran received an envelope with a cash gift from the lodge.
Master of ceremonies Charlie Finney kicked off the afternoon with introductions of state and local Elks leadership that had turned out for the event including past New Jersey State President Bill Oakley, current state vice president, George McMahon and District Veterans Chairman Joseph Magilton.
One of the more moving moments came early as the choir of 25 students led the veterans in singing the national anthem. Most of those young people, scattered across the room amid veterans of wars from World War II to Iraq, had not even been alive when the older men defended the freedoms they enjoy. 
Many of those veterans had not been much older than the choir members when they served. Almost all in the room had joined in the singing by the time the anthem was concluded.
This was the fourth year in this tradition at the lodge. Cape May County is home to one of the state’s largest concentration of veterans on a per capita basis. It seemed that everyone connected to the event had served in the armed forces. Even the bus driver who drove the students to the lodge, known to many in Cape May as Stan the trolley man, sat to enjoy the event as a veteran himself.
Good-natured banter showed that the rivalry among the services does not die when enlistment is over. A shout out to the Marines in the room is greeted with the “disrespect” one would expect from the army.
Yet also a comment that used the phrase ex-marines elicited the reply “There is no such thing.” For these men and women, service was real and is real, a part of who they are not just then but now.
Table discussions drifted inevitably to the problems facing veterans, especially in Cape May County. 
The lack of a veterans’ court, the long distance travel required for certain healthcare, the number of the county’s homeless who have served in the armed forces. 
These issues trouble many who turned out. It has become popular to honor veterans in many small ways, but there were those in attendance who wanted to keep visible the many larger problems we still have to tackle.
Joe Griffies, an advocate for veterans, praised the Elks for all the activities they undertake every year to help those who served.
The lodge’s commitment to veterans is not limited to this Christmas event.  A veterans committee works on services and activities year-round including an annual summer cookout at the memorial home.
The lodge located in North Wildwood is involved in some civic causes, and many are front and center at this time of the year. All those who showed up for the veterans lunch passed by a decorated Christmas tree with piles of wrapped presents collected by the lodge for distribution to needy area youngsters.
It was another successful event for a lodge that works hard to live up to its aspirations for service to the community.
For the veterans, it was a day in which they once again got to experience some small measure of the debt owed them by all of us who enjoy the freedoms they so honorably protected.
For the young people, it was perhaps an opportunity to see and understand that the country’s blessings were not won lightly.
For all in attendance, the hope was that these events are not seen as discharging our obligation to our veterans but rather reinvigorating our commitment to move forward and deal with the larger issues that still plague many of those who served.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.