YONGSAN GARRISON, Republic of Korea -- Every year around the holiday season, the Joint Hometown News Service hosts a Holiday Greetings gathering to give Service members, Civilians, and Families the opportunity to come out and send holiday greetings to love ones from their hometown. This year JHNS hosted the event here at the Dragon Hill Lodge, Sept. 17.
"Holiday greetings are good for connecting with family and friends around the holiday season to remind them that they are not forgotten although we are many miles apart," Capt. Carl Phillips, chaplain from 501st Military Intelligence Brigade, and his wife Deanna Phillips said.
Master Sgt. John K. Cronin III, superintendent of Joint Hometown News, said that those who didn't get the opportunity to participate could contact American Forces Network (AFN) and see if they were going to have an additional holiday greetings gathering in their local area. In addition, if there were enough participants then they would most likely administer one.
"I always miss out on the opportunity to participate in a holiday greeting and was glad that I was given the opportunity to participate today," Clotilde Ann Eaker, school teacher from Osan American High School, said.
Many individuals serving in the military are of Hispanic ethnicity, and there is a growing demand for providing greetings in Spanish for commercial radio and TV stations that cater to the Hispanic audience. Individuals in this category were given the opportunity to record two versions of their greetings with one in English and one in Spanish.
"Joint Hometown News Service would like to thank you for your support of the 28th Annual Holiday Greetings Program," Cronin said.
Over the past couple of decades thousands of holiday greeting messages from Military members serving around the globe have aired across the United States and on the American Forces Network.
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