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TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — Each December, a decorated tree quietly appears inside Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms, its ornaments carrying only a child’s age, gender and a few simple interests. There are no names, no ranks and no fanfare — just a promise that someone in the hospital community will step forward to help make the holidays brighter for a military child.
The tree is part of the hospital’s Angel Tree program, a holiday initiative that anonymously connects volunteers with the children of active-duty Sailors in need. The program is spearheaded by chaplain Lt. Cmdr. Nicholas Suddath, alongside Religious Program Specialist 3rd Class Diego Escalante and Command Ombudsman Jennifer Belding, who together coordinate one of the hospital’s largest community-driven holiday initiatives.
As gifts pile up throughout the month and word spreads about the Angel Tree program, coworkers often jokingly refer to Suddath as Santa Claus or Saint Nick. In the final days leading up to distribution, you’ll often find the Navy chaplain and his team wheeling carts stacked high with toys through the hospital hallways, carefully organizing gifts and checking his list twice to ensure every child receives exactly what they asked for.
Despite the light-hearted comparisons, Suddath is quick to shift the focus away from himself and onto the community that makes the program possible in the first place.
“I could never compare myself to the real Santa,” Suddath laughed. “I mean, he is the one who gave me presents as a kid. Honestly, I wouldn’t even feel worthy to be in Santa’s workshop, but I am thankful that we, as a community, were able to do our part to support military kids.”
The Angel Tree program, originally created by the Salvation Army and now in its second year at Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms, supports the children of active-duty Sailors by providing holiday gifts in a confidential, anonymous way. While the program primarily serves families of petty officer first class (E-6) and below, Suddath emphasized that families at any rank experiencing hardship are encouraged to reach out.
The process begins weeks before the holidays, when Sailors confidentially submit information about their children. That information is then written onto ornaments and placed on the Angel Tree.
“The goal is to provide gifts to military children in an anonymous way,” Suddath said. “We make ornaments for a tree. By taking the ornament, you are saying you will purchase that item for a child. Then we make sure the gift gets to the right child.”
Volunteers from across the hospital select ornaments, purchase gifts based solely on the listed information, and return them for collection. Once all gifts are received, volunteers help wrap and organize them before distribution to families just days before the holiday.
“Our Sailors work hard every day,” Suddath said. “It’s the little things we can do to help make their holidays better. Nothing beats watching your child’s face light up when they get a gift that means so much to them.”
Suddath said his inspiration for bringing the Angel Tree program to Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms comes from a deep sense of responsibility to the people he serves — both Sailors and their families.
“I am always looking for ways to give back to my own people,” he said. “I also know there is sacrifice from the families of our active-duty members. Honestly, I just wanted a way at the end of the year to say thank you to the kids, and let them know that the community they sacrifice for is a community that also supports them.”
This year’s Angel Tree event was widely considered a success, with participation more than doubling compared to last year. According to Suddath, the program provided over 250 gifts to 83 children.
“The success of this directly goes back to those who took an ornament,” he said. “We have such a giving community.”
For Escalante, who helped coordinate logistics and volunteer efforts, the program demonstrates how quickly people are willing to step up when given the opportunity to help. When asked what he would say to other military treatment facilities considering starting an Angel Tree program, Escalante encouraged them to move forward.
“I would say go for it!” Escalante exclaimed. “It’s a great way to give back to your community and get to know the people you serve with in a fun way. You’ll be surprised how many people want to volunteer and get involved.”
Escalante added that the program strengthens connections across the command.
“Building camaraderie while helping put more presents under the tree for military families is simply a no-brainer,” he explained.
Belding said she believes the Angel Tree program’s growth reflects the generosity of the Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms community.
“I love the Angel Tree program because it is community driven,” Belding said. “The fact that people loved participating last year and that the number of children getting gifts nearly doubled this year shows a lot about how giving our community is.”
For Suddath, his favorite part of the program is when he finally gets to deliver the presents.
“For one family, I delivered the gifts to their house on base,” he said. “The kids were out front and couldn’t believe the presents were for them. They were so happy, and it truly made my day.”
The response from families has been overwhelmingly positive, he said.
“Everyone has been so thankful,” Suddath said. “They are all blown away by what they receive.”
Suddath said organizing the Angel Tree aligns directly with his role as a Navy chaplain.
“Being able to help and support people is a calling for military chaplains – especially when we can support our specific community. Chaplains are always looking for ways to be present and provide value to their commands. Our role is to care for and provide spiritual support to service-members and their families,” he said. “So this event is caring for military families in a tangible way.”
While the program depends entirely on volunteers, Suddath emphasized that participation has never been an issue.
“I would never want someone to feel obligated to do this,” he said. “I have seen in both years of running the event that we have more volunteers than children we can provide for. I would just say if you plan on volunteering next year, you better be quick!”
When asked to reflect on this year’s success and what it meant to him personally, Suddath paused before offering a simple response.
“I want to thank everyone again,” he said. “This far exceeded anything I expected, and I am thankful to be the chaplain to such hard-working, dedicated people.”
Through programs like Angel Tree, Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms demonstrates how caring for the total force includes supporting the families who stand behind service members — a core element of the Defense Health Agency’s mission to sustain a ready and resilient force.
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