17th District Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard

Date: Dec. 19, 2005 
Contact: Petty Officer Gail E. Dale 
(907) 463-2065 

After 4 p.m. Alaska Standard Time, (907) 463-2000

Press Release

Coast Guard chiefs dish out holiday cheer

Colored lights twinkled around the room and garland sparkled around the door frames as the sound of holiday music filled the room with cheer.  The mouth watering aroma of turkey, ham and stuffing sweetened the air.  The Juneau Chapter of the Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer's Association had planned for months for their annual holiday dinner, held Dec. 11, and now with the tables set they were ready to host their guests, all 300 of them.

The Juneau senior citizen's Christmas dinner began 31 years ago when the late Senior Chief Petty Officer C.T. Barger, who along with other chiefs, wanted to do something positive for Juneau's senior citizen community.  The holiday dinner began modestly as the chiefs hosted about 40 senior citizens in 1974.  Today, more than 64 local business and organizations contribute to the event.

Chief Petty Officer James Mints, president of the Juneau Chapter of the Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer's Association, thanked all the contributors who made the night possible.  The dinner has become so big the Chiefs couldn't do it without the help of the whole community, he said. 

When the senior citizens entered the Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall they were greeted with smiling faces.  Volunteers helped the them remove their coats and pinned white or red corsages on their shirts or sweaters.

As the seniors sipped coffee they enjoyed the music of the Juneau Douglas high school jazz band and choir.  After the high school's performance Coast Guard Chaplain Lt. Cmdr. Steven Souders gave the invocations and finally it was time for the main event; the holiday feast.

The kitchen staff worked in an assembly line serving turkey, ham and all the trimmings onto each plate. The Chiefs, and others including Mayor Bruce Botelho and Lt. Governor Loren Leman, balanced large trays stacked with plates and carefully walked to the dining room.  Within an hour, approximately 300 meals had been served and desert was already being handed out.

As the seniors enjoyed their dessert, the evening concluded with raffling off prizes such as artwork, airline tickets, and flower arrangements.  After the last prize was handed out, the guests wrapped themselves tightly with their winter coats and thanked all the volunteers for another successful dinner.

"The dinner is definitely something to look forward to," said Annabell Revels, 70, a yearly guest at the holiday event.  "With the exception of only a few years I've been at every holiday dinner.  Each year it is better than the last," she said.

When the last guest left the hall the Chiefs reset some of the tables for themselves.  After a long night, they sat down and enjoyed each others company as they dined on the holiday dinner they had just served to so many of Juneau's senior citizens.