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Naval recruits kick back at Arlington Heights Christmas party

The plates were piled high with a filling Christmas meal, and the smiles were as wide as the trays the naval recruits carried as they maneuvered through the line in the cafeteria at Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights.

For six weeks they had been enduring boot camp, but on Friday they could take a breather and enjoy a traditional Christmas meal.

Before eating, they crowded the academy's corridors, phones in hand, talking or Skyping or FaceTiming with family, bridging in some cases thousands of miles.

A number of them were also seated in a computer room on an upper floor, resembling volunteers at a telethon command center, communicating with friends and family via Facebook.

Forty-five sailors from the Great Lakes Naval Station participated in what has become a tradition since 2012.

The event was started by Bob and Linda Stack of Arlington Heights, whose 20-year-old Marine son, James, died Nov. 10, 2010 - shot while on foot patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

The group of recruits, hosted by the Northwest Bible Church, arrived at Christian Liberty Academy in four busloads that were escorted by the Warriors' Watch Riders. They were welcomed in a ceremony in the gymnasium, which was draped in a huge American flag.

The food, prepared by Christian Liberty chef Timothy Almy and his crew, was shrimp scampi, roast beef, roasted fingerling potatoes, French rolls, green beans almondine and Caesar salad.

"I like to serve the Lord with my talents, because he has given me a gift of cooking," Almy said. "So I would like to use that to glorify him by serving these recruits."

And although it could hardly be called a White Christmas, the strains of "White Christmas" and other seasonal favorites could be heard leaping from the accordion of Jeff Morello, Christian Liberty teacher.

"It's wonderful. I really appreciate what everyone is doing here," said Seaman Zachary Jones, 20, from Norman, Oklahoma, who noted that much of his boot camp experience involved "folding clothes."

"This is awesome," said Jake Tartamella, 18, from Pennsylvania. "It is so nice having all those people come out to be here with us."

Linda Stack was grateful for all the support her family's event has gotten.

"I feel like we live in a community where it's the heart of Illinois," she said. "Everyone is so supportive of our military and this event. I just can't picture spending (Christmas) any other way."

Bob Stack said he sees his son in many of the faces of the young recruits.

"We would like to keep doing it," he said. "Every year it seems there are new people who get involved in making it happen. I just love meeting them (the recruits)."

Seaman Kayla Bough, a Colorado Springs resident who said she is at the "bottom of the totem pole" at paygrade E1, was surprised at the size of the reception. "I'm not good enough for this yet," she said she thought.

Shannon Scott, 18, from Denver, whose father is a police officer and whose mother is a firefighter, said she was similarly overwhelmed by kindness.

"Everyone is super kind. We are only in boot camp, and everyone is treating us as if we have been in for a really long time," she said.

Still, she misses being at home for Christmas.

"I miss watching the snow fall out my window," she said. "Me and my mom on Christmas Eve last year, we went and walked around in the snow just talking about how life is and how family is the most important thing, especially at this time of year."

  Gold Star mother Linda Stack and her husband, Bob, host the party annually in memory of their son, James, a Marine who was killed in action in Afghanistan. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  Naval recruit Makayla Gottschalk of Arizona talks to her family Friday from Arlington Heights on a borrowed phone. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  Danielle Estrada of Texas holds the phone for fellow naval recruit Bethany Weems of California as she talks to her family Friday from Arlington Heights. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  Gold Star father Bob Stack says he loves seeing the young naval recruits come through each year, away from home for the first time and grateful for the Christmas party in Arlington Heights. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
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