Warm blankets, hearts | dnj.com | The Daily News Journal Good to See.. Christmas came a few days early Tuesday for residents in the Tennessee State Veterans Home as VFW Post 8422 (Smyrna) members and booster members sang Christmas songs, and VFW Auxiliary ladies gave away 140 blankets that they made. Debbie Bennett dances with James Harden at the Tennessee State Veterans Home during a Christmas party on Tuesday. (Aaron Thompson/DNJ) Singers and guitarists also visited the facility on Compton Road in Murfreesboro to entertain with Christmas songs ranging from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "Grandma Got Run Over Run Over By a Reindeer," to "Silent Night." There were also the Christmas staples "Mustang Sally" and "Johnny Be Good." Huh? Shane Douglas, a regular entertainer at the VFW on Old Nashville Highway in Smyrna, and leader of the makeshift band, explained that those rock 'n' roll classics were played by special request. "It's a good feeling to be able to give back a little," said Douglas, a Smyrna resident. "You can see they are having a good time," Hart said. "We've got one dancing." James Harden, a World War II staff sergeant, and three of the ladies from the auxiliary cut a rug (on a tile floor) during a rocking version of "Mustang Sally." "I love these guys, because I can dance," Harden said of the band. M.P. McClain, 81, who served in the Army during the Korean War and later worked on the railroad, said the music was "pretty fair." Ruby Abner, president of the VFW ladies auxiliary, said the group tries to do something every year at the veterans home.
It's things like this that makes me happy to hear. People helping veterans out when they need help the most. I've been to an Auxiliary dance and I loved it. These people know how to party and how to really enjoy life....
