“It showed her the importance of everybody supporting the soldiers,” said her mother, Sgt. Andrea Johnson, who also brought her husband, Andrae; daughter, Adrianna, 2; and niece, Alayna, 3, to the party. “She now knows how important it is for her mommy to do what she does.”
The Christmas party, held at the Patrick Kessler Armory on South Main Street, was organized by a group of Middletown residents who call themselves “Friends of the Military.”
Last month, the chemical unit, based in Middletown, invited residents and city officials to attend an informational meeting. Only David and Dawn Spencer, whose son, Lance Cpl. William “Billy” D. Spencer was killed in Afghanistan; their daughter, Beth; and military supporter Deb Morrison and her boyfriend showed up.
Johnson explained the unit needed someone to support its annual Christmas party.
The group stepped forward.
“This is something we can do,” Morrison told the others.
In three weeks, the Middletown group collected gifts for the 50 soldiers and their 48 children, enough food to literally feed an army; and $2,400 that was donated to the unit’s Family Readiness Group, which will support the unit when it’s deployed.
“It turned out excellent,” Morrison said. “We are really happy. Just seeing the kids with Santa Claus was worth it.”
Dawn Spencer called the soldiers “hometown heroes,” and said serving them gave her “an awesome feeling.”
Morrison said about 25 volunteers bagged the gifts, prepared and served the food and cleaned up the armory. Morrison said the extra food from the party was donated to Hope House, Middletown’s homeless shelter.
When asked what the party meant to her, Morrison carefully chose her words: “It’s kinda hard to talk about. I have a 26-year-old son. ... I couldn’t imagine ... I can’t even talk about it ... I can’t imagine him being over there right now.”
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