Rear Adm. Stephen C. Evans, commander, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC), joined 84 recruits from Recruit Training Command (RTC) for Thanksgiving festivities at Arlington Heights American Legion Post 208 Nov. 26.

Known throughout the Chicago area as "Adopt-a-Sailor," local communities in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana "adopt" Navy recruits and Sailors for the holidays. The communities provide a Thanksgiving Day meal with all the trimmings and other assorted treats for the Sailors.

As part of RTC's annual involvement in the program, the recruits were afforded the opportunity to spend the day off-base with their families or with a local civic organization.

In Arlington Heights, as the recruits stepped down from the bus, they were greeted by Evans and a tunnel of people, including the Village of Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes, military veterans, local community members, Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) cadets and Sea Cadets, with a salute and "thank you" for their service.

Evans noted that when he checked in as commander of NSTC, one of the more fascinating aspects of his incoming brief was the Adopt-a-Sailor Program and the immense level of support provided by the local communities.

"I remember thinking that I wanted to see firsthand the outstanding support for our Adopt-a-Sailor Program," said Evans. "While it is a remarkable opportunity for me to get out and thank our Sailors for choosing to serve in our Navy, it also gives me a great chance to thank our communities for the exceptional support they give our military men and women. In essence, it is my chance to thank our communities for their service too."

"For the past 16 years, the Arlington Heights Post has hosted recruits and this is such a fabulous program," said Dan Horn, post commander. "We hope this is their next best place to spend the holidays, if it can't be with their families. It's our big event of the year and we get tremendous support from the community."

Among those supporters was Mayor Hayes who is a retired Army lieutenant colonel. Being a West Point graduate, he joked that Army will beat Navy this year in football.

"We are very supportive of our veterans in the community and honored to host the men and women from the Navy," said the mayor. "Welcome to our village and thank you for all that you do."

The recruits were also joined by Illinois U.S. Senator Mark Kirk who welcomed and thanked them for their service along with all the veterans in attendance.

Evans and his NSTC staff oversee 98 percent of initial officer and enlisted accessions training for the Navy, as well as the Navy's citizenship development program. NSTC also oversees Recruit Training Command, the Navy's only boot camp at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois; Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps at more than 160 colleges and universities across the country; Officer Training Command in Newport, Rhode Island; and NJROTC and Navy National Defense Cadet Corps citizenship development programs at more than 600 high schools worldwide.

For more news from Naval Service Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/.