Veterans receive thank-you show

Veteran Charles Smith talks with Santa as he receives a T-shirt from during a party at the North Chicago VA Medical Center on Dec. 21. (Candace H. Johnson photo)

E-mail this story

Print this story

Share

NORTH CHICAGO – Glenn Warr wasted no time when he heard the song “Black Magic Woman” being played the way Santana would have done it.

Warr, 60, found a dance partner and hit the floor at the North Chicago VA Medical Center on Dec. 21. Live music can quell loneliness, he said, but the tunes better be good.

“It does make a difference to have quality entertainment,” Warr said of having his spirits lifted during the holiday season. “It’s very important.”

Veterans of all ages enjoyed the rock and blues music that was performed by the Windy City Rev Ups as part of a free holiday show hosted by Rich Kingsley, a disc jockey for WRLR LP-FM 98.3, a radio station in Round Lake Heights.

The show was complete with a rib dinner and the distribution of greeting cards, hygienic products, T-shirts and bags filled with candy.

Kingsley hosted the event in honor of those who have served the United States. Military men and women are his heroes, he said.

“It’s so nice to give them something to do,” Kingsley said of being able to provide area veterans with a holiday program. “It doesn’t matter what branch of the service [they] were in. [They] protected our country. It makes my heart feel good to give back.”

Veterans at the medical center appreciated the gesture. About 100 attended the event.

“It’s just nice to know that someone actually cares,” said 56-year-old Jim Higgs, a South Florida native who served in the Navy for nine years. “Illinois – as a whole – has welcomed me. [It] is so veteran conscious.”

Fellow veteran Laurence Holmes also enjoyed the festive occasion. The former Marine thought the food was top-notch.

“The ribs were totally falling off the bone,” he said.

Kingsley collected monetary and other donations from community businesses for the holiday affair. He also had several “elves” help him organize the event.

One such helper was Holly Crites of Ingleside, who led Girl Scout Troop 1747 in creating the greeting cards that were given to the vets at the party. She also had the scouts collect the 1,500 hygienic items that were distributed to those who have served.

“They love it,” Crites said of the scouts’ involvement. “This is the girls’ favorite project because they know where [the cards and supplies] are going.”

The holiday season is a particularly important time to host events at the VA medical center, said Pat Sullivan, director of the facility, explaining that some veterans have little contact with their friends and family.

“It could be a depressing time for them,” he said. “But the medical center gets tremendous support from Lake County, whether it’s the service organizations, the schools or individuals, like Rich. It’s a way for them to say thank you.”

Kenneth List, chief of community affairs at the medical center, tipped his hat to Kingsley.

“This is cool what Rich has done,” he said. “His heart is in the right place. He’s a great guy.”