An Evening, as a Soldiers' Angel, with Dame Eileen Fulton

On a rainy and suddenly chilly Saturday night, three of us stepped out of a taxi cab and into Opia, a dinner club on the upper East side of Manhattan. After dropping the name Soldiers' Angels, we were waved in, no further questions asked. Others from the organization were already seated and then we found an area to accommodate us all. At that time, Ms. Fulton's manager, Jane McEntyre, swung on by to chat with us. Within minutes, an introduction was given and a luminous blonde lady appeared on stage, emitting a presence gifted to her at birth.
Ms. Eileen Fulton emoted with each song. Some melancholy, others humorous, while the second to last was a frenetic piece, Carousel, by Jacques Brel. I quite liked it!!!
Before closing her act, Dame Fulton drew the audience into her world, excited about an organization she recently became involved in. She told us of a solider who simply wanted letters from home and possibly a box, even if it was empty. That is the soldier she chose to adopt. And being the rather sassy lady that she is, she "joked" she wanted to adopt an entire Platoon. Somehow, I believe she meant it....
Through her website, this petite powerhouse had gotten approximately 100 fans to adopt soldiers...so far.
Next, she directed everyone's attention towards us, the Soldiers' Angels in attendance. For that, we received a hardy applause. Dame Fulton urged those interested to become active members of this extraordinary establishment.
To close, a song was dedicated to us, Bette Midler's "The Rose."
As I awoke this morning, having some time to go over the evening, it occurred to me why Eileen Fulton has such a loyal fan base. Immediately after the show, she mingled with all of us. What struck me was how attentive she was to everyone who wanted to get in a few words with her. There was nothing rushed about her. Just an accomplished Southern Lady who loves life, the stage and people. And they in turn cherish the lovely, gracious and talented Dame Eileen Fulton.

Affectionately,
Nila Chejlyk

Soldiers' Angels



Soldiers Angels Network