The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-24
Hundreds of Needy Chil= dren Eat Christmas Din= ner With Uncle Sans
 Seamen
BY JOHN McGIBBON

BY JOHN McG1b6ON
 Chief Electricians Mate, Re-
 cruiter, U. s. Navy
 Very few people, mureso those who reside in inland communities have little definite knowledge of how Christmas is celebrated on board various vessels of the Uni ted States Navy. In this article I shall endeavor to give a brief resume of the history of the Christmas parties, the origin ot such, how conducted, how nn- anced, and who benefits.
 Today, Christmas parties on board vessels of the Navy are eagerly awaited events. They have made themselves such de- finite place in the hearts of otti- cers, crew, and children, that they are here to stay. The following is an authentic account of the or igin of the Christmas Party on board naval ships.
 How Tt Started!
 On the morning of the 18th or December, 1914, five man-o'-wars- men from the U. s. S. New York, a battleship which was then at tached to the U. S. Atlantic fleet, and at that time docked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, were re- turning to their ship. They Spied several forlorn little children gaz- ing with peaked faces and Wist- ful looks at the lucious goodies in a food shop. The men were so touched they decided to ask these children to return to their ship with them to share their Christ mas dinner. Enroute to the Navy Yard, however, they found others just as hungry, and they could not resist asking them as well. Accordingly, they greeted the ofiicer-of- -the-deck with 8 fol- lowing of forty emaciated but hopeful little ones.
 When the Of1icer-of-the-Deck, who is a representative of the Captain of ship and stands watch over the gangways of the ship to note that no unauthor- ized persons come aboard, heard their wish, he sent the men to the Captain. At that time the Skip per" of the U. s. s. New York, was Captain Hugh Rodman, later to become an Admiral. He sym pathized with the men, and said he would go them one better by contributing fifteen dollars toward their cause, which he did. The children were informed to come back for their Christmas dinner and to bring with them other children who were in need.
 In the meantime the crew after being informed of what had hap pened, made ready for the even- ing's reception by pooling their spare money, until fund was accumulated, sufficient for buying suitable presents, trimmings, can- dy, etc. That evening over one hundred kiddies enjoyed them selves to the limit. =
 Other Ships Follow
 The idea was a success on the New York and rapidly spread to other ships of the U. s. fleet. Even to this day, When our ves- sels are at foreign ports, officers and men cling to the custom, and harbor children who cannot speak the American language. Today the parties are finer than ever and afford the crew an excellent outlet for their Christmas spirit. The parties have grown to such proportion, that months before the holidays occury meetings are held, delegates are elected from, the various departments of the ship, and committees formed to take care of all intricate details. At the head of the Christmas Party Committee is usually the ships chaplain, or Sky Pilot" as he is affectionately known. It is he who is responsible to the cap- tain for the success of the party
 Funds for each Christmas party are accrued from the pro- fits of a store on board ship, known as the Ships Service Store, plus donations from each officer and man in accordance to his rank or rate, and prorated ac- cordingly. I must state it is not compulsory for any one individ- ual to contribute to the Christi