Private Morgan Downs arrived at Joint Base Lewis-McChord this past Tuesday afternoon fresh from attending advanced individual training, or AIT.

"I haven't been in the Army very long," said the young soldier moments after arriving at Pacific Lutheran University Wednesday night for a Thanksgiving dinner. "It's really nice what is being done for us tonight."

You can say that again; Downs had nowhere else to go during the holiday.

She is one of about 120 JBLM soldiers waiting to be processed and assigned to a unit by the base's Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC).

Put differently, these new soldiers are for all intents and purposes "homeless."

"There are some soldiers, about 120 or so, who are in limbo due to the nature of in-processing and the holiday," explained Greg Hollmann, the president of the Eastside subchapter of the Association of the United States Army, or AUSA.

After a conversation about three months ago with Capt. Jamie Russell, company commander of JBLM's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, the AUSA, PLU and HHC began to work together.

"When we learned from the Army about these soldiers, we asked if we could help and we worked from there," Hollmann added.

Pacific Lutheran University immediately offered a facility in which to have the dinner.

Michael Farnum, a retired Army veteran and the newly appointed director of Military Outreach for the university, made the Chris Knutzen Hall in the university's Anderson Center available.

"We appreciate their sacrifices by inviting them to be among friends at a Thanksgiving meal," Farnum said.

AUSA and Bethany Lutheran Church agreed to pay the costs of the dinner comprised of turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes and salad.

Before the soldiers began to eat, however, Hollmann told them the cost of their dinners.

"Remember this night," he began quietly. "During your life, you will have the opportunity to invite a young soldiers to your table, just as you have been tonight invited to our table. Be sure that you invited them to yours."

The statement resonated with Sharalyn Lamb, a volunteer who helped serve the dinner to the soldiers.

"I have a daughter who years ago just after boot camp was far from home at Thanksgiving," she began. "A church group did what we're doing tonight and invited her in for dinner.  I've never forgotten that, and I am here tonight to give something back to these soldiers."

>>> Michael Farnum, a retired Army veteran and Pacific Lutheran University's Director of Military Outreach, talked with a couple of soldiers during a dinner held for soldiers with nowhere to go over the Thanksgiving holiday. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson