NORFOLK, Va – A 2009 Bainbridge-Guilford High School graduate and Guilford, New York native serving in the U.S. Navy was selected to participate in a special event which reunited service members stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, with their families for Thanksgiving.

Fireman Jeffrey Gauthier, was one of only 72 Sailors and Marines chosen to participate in the reunion event. His mother and stepfather, Jeanne and Truman Backus, were flown in from Guilford to spend the Thanksgiving Day holiday together.

“It was a pretty exciting event, we were all looking forward to it,” he said. “I thought it was a fantastic idea, especially for people who don’t have family nearby. This was great for those service members whose families are across the country and too far away to go home for the holidays. Whoever came up with this idea is a genius. It would be great if it was possible to do this annually, because I think it’s a great morale builder and a great way to show that people care about what we do.”

“Happy ThanksGathering,” produced by the U.S. Navy Mid-Atlantic Region Morale, Welfare and Recreation, in partnership with SC Johnson, reunited service members assigned to ships, squadrons and other Navy commands in Norfolk, with their loved ones, who were flown in to spend Thanksgiving together. Service members serving in our armed forces are often unable to see their families during the holidays.