For Thanksgiving...

[MillRatUSMC]

http://www.geocities.com/millrat_99/turkey.html
Happy Turkey Day!

Click on the link to see a few web pages.
Many will be leaving and many will be busy on Thursday, so a few days ahead time...
Here's wishing everyone a "Happy Turkey Day!

Semper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo

[Lock-n-Load]

:marine: Thank you, Marine and I extend my Thanksgiving greeting to you/yours...I, for one, always recall my Thankgivings during my 4 wartime years in the USMC [mostly away from home and hearth] since those turbulent years and having been granted a long life...the good memories we recall only enrich us at Thanksgiving and Christmas...indeed, life is good...God bless us all and count your blessings. :marine:

[thedrifter]

Thanksgiving & Turkey Trivia

* The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days.

* The Wampanoag chief invited to the first Thanksgiving feast was
named Massasoit.

* The Pilgrims didn't use forks.

* Only about one-third of the original colonists were Puritans.

* The Mayflower's crossing took 66 days.

* It's unclear if the Pilgrims at turkey at the first Thanksgiving.
At the time, "turkey" meant any kind of fowl.

* Evidence indicates that turkeys have been around for more than 10
million years.

* Turkey eggs hatch in 28 days.

* A baby turkey is called a "poult."

* A mature turkey has about 3,500 feathers.

* More than 45 million turkeys are consumed during Thanksgiving.

* The average weight of a Thanksgiving turkey is 15 pounds.

* The Mayflower weighed 180 tons.

* There were at least two dogs on the Mayflower.

* The typical 15-pound turkey is 70 percent white meat and 30
percent dark meat.

* Pilgrim children, boys and girls, wore linen or wool dresses up
until the ages of seven or eight.

* Cranberries are also called "bounceberries."

* A male turkey is called a "Tom." A female turkey is called a "hen."

* The Mayflower was a merchant vessel. Before transporting the
Pilgrims, the ship was in the wine trade, and before that, in the
fish trade.

* The pet food industry uses about 13 percent of U.S. turkey
production.

* The Pilgrims did not eat cranberry sauce at the first Thanksgiving.

* In the typical Pilgrim household, adults sat down to dinner while
the children waited on them.

* A nest of turkey eggs is called a "clutch."

* The "caruncle" is the reddish, fleshy growth on the head and upper
neck of a turkey. The red, fleshy growth from the base of a turkey's
beak that hangs down over the neck is called the "snood."

* The first native Americans to introduce themselves to the Pilgrims
were Samoset and Squanto.

* Ninety-five percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving.

Ellie


Happy Thanksgiving!

[greensideout]

Originally posted by Lock-n-Load
:marine: Thank you, Marine and I extend my Thanksgiving greeting to you/yours...I, for one, always recall my Thankgivings during my 4 wartime years in the USMC [mostly away from home and hearth] since those turbulent years and having been granted a long life...the good memories we recall only enrich us at Thanksgiving and Christmas...indeed, life is good...God bless us all and count your blessings. :marine:

You have said it all Lock-n-Load.

Our blessings are many and thanks to God for all we have!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and may God bless and protect our fighting troops!

[Osotogary]

Thanksgiving greetings and wishes to one and all wether you are home or away, by yourself or with loved ones.
I only hope that your Thanksgiving fixin's taste better than the turkey sandwich I made and ate by myself in the late sixties (and that folks will not be hard to do). LOL
May God bless and protect our Troops.

[thedrifter]

Family Thanksgiving
Prayer



Dear precious Lord,
We bow our heads in heartfelt, thankful prayer;
For all the ways You’ve blessed our lives
and for Your loving care.
We thank You for the hands
that have prepared this special treat
And pray that You will bless all those
who have no food to eat.

We’re thankful for Salvation’s plan
and for Your Holy Word;
And pray we’ll help to spread
Your love to those who’ve never heard.
We’re thankful for our freedom
and for churches that are near;
Where we can meet to praise Your Name
and worship without fear.

But still our hearts are saddened
by our brothers who aren’t free;
Who suffer death and torture
for their Christianity.
We pray You’ll give them strength
and courage as their cross they bear;
And let them know God’s family
remembers them in prayer.

We thank You for heroic troops
who fight for liberty;
And daily risk their lives
and limbs to keep our country free.
Forgive us of our many sins
and keep us close today;
And bless this food You’ve given us,
In Jesus Name, we pray.
Amen

Ellie

[Lock-n-Load]

:marine: Anytime, Marine...anytime...thx for the mention...we Marines in here should always be congenial with one an another, don't you'all agree??:marine: ...Semper Fi

[Sparrowhawk]

http://marines.bizland.com/house.jpg

from my house to your house...

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

[nc.gal]

nice house, cook

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL.

linda
(nc.gal)

[TracGunny]

Received from female acquaintance:

MAY YOUR STUFFING BE TASTY, MAY YOUR TURKEY BE PLUMP.
MAY YOUR POTATOES 'N GRAVY HAVE NARY A LUMP,
MAY YOUR YAMS BE DELICIOUS,
MAY YOUR PIES TAKE THE PRIZE,
MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER
STAY OFF OF YOUR THIGHS.

Happy Thanksgiving!


(Apologies for the caps… that’s how she sent it…)

[Sgt Morales, AM]

Happy Thanksgiving to all who have taken the time to post their thoughts and feelings on this GREAT site!!! It is great to be part of this awesome organization. Thanks to all who have made me feel so welcome...and those who haven't. NICE HOUSE COOK!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!!!

Sgt Mo. :)

[Sparrowhawk]

Originally posted by nc.gal
nice house, cook

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL.

linda
(nc.gal)


Thank you NC.gal

You see that white picket fence to the left?

Since I retired, I sit there behind there with a clay Chiminea burning logs in the evening, drinking my beer.

When I finish the can, I throw it at passing cars. If I hit one, I change from Bud to Corona, til I hit another car, then I got back to Bud, if I hit two in a roll, I take a short of Christian Bros brandy.

You all can come visit anytime. why, you don't even have to be a registered Republican. LOL

[Osotogary]

What a nice looking home you have SparrowHawk. Are you gonna be setting up a tour bus business soon? LOL
Note: You drink enough of that Christian Brother's Brandy you'll start acting like one (scholarly and tough).

[DSchmitke]

Happy Thanksgiving to all home and overseas. May God bless you and your Families during this Holiday Season.

[nc.gal]

*****************BLACK NOVEMBER*****************

When I was a young turkey, new to the coop, my big brother Mike took me out on the stoop, then he sat me down and he spoke real slow------and he told me there was something that I had to Know:

His look and his tone I will always remember, when he told me of the horrors of ------Black November. Come about August, now listen to me, each day you'll get six meals instead of just three. And soon you'll be thick, where once you were thin, and you'll grow a big rubbery thing under your chin; and then one morning, when you're warm in your bed, in will burst the farmer's wife and hack off your head.

Then she'll pluck out all your feathers so you're bald 'n pink, and scoop out all your insides and leave ya lyin' in the sink. And then comes the worst part, he said not bluffing, she'll spread your cheeks and pack your rear with stuffing.

Well, the rest of his words were too grim to repeat--I sat on the stoop like a winged piece of meat, and decided on the spot that to avoid being cooked, I'd have to lay low and remain overlooked. I began a new diet of nuts and granola, high-roughage salads, juice and diet cola, and as they ate pastries, chocolates and crepes, I stayed in my room doing Jane Fonda tapes.

I maintained my weight of two pounds and a half, and tried not to notice when the bigger birds laughed---But 'twas I who was laughing, under my breath, as they chomped and they chewed, ever closer to death.

And sure enough when Black November rolled around, I was the last turkey left in the entire compound. So now I'm a pet in the farmer's wife's lap; I haven't a worry, so I eat and I nap.

She held me today, while sewing and humming, she smiled and said, "CHRISTMAS IS COMING"
*****************************
HAPPY THANKSGIVING**************HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

[yellowwing]

Thank you, Norman Rockwell
"Freedom from Want"
http://www.ywg-web.com/images/fredom_from_want.jpg

Happy Thanksgiving to all Marines and their families!

[marinemom]

Got a call at 0-dark hundred - and from my kid and his squad - Happy Thanksgiving to all of you from outside Fallujah, especially to Mr Cobb and Miss Ellie from tigger.

[Sgted]

Originally posted by thedrifter
Thanksgiving & Turkey Trivia

* The Pilgrims didn't use forks.

....Only spoons and knives. Hands were the most convienient method of getting food into the mouth.

* The first native Americans to introduce themselves to the Pilgrims were Samoset and Squanto.

....and at the first Thanksgiving day celebration there were more invited Indians then Pilgrims at the feast.
Out of the first hundred or so Pilgrims to arrive in the New World about a third died in the first year.

It is also thought that pork & fish were higher on the menu then turkey.

Sgted wishes all my fellow Marines and their families a great Thanksgiving.

Thanks Ellie for the trivia.


Happy Thanksgiving!

[thedrifter]

A Thanksgiving from a Grateful Nation

By Richard S. Lowry

Today, Americans enjoy a freedom unequaled in the history of civilization. Our good fortune goes unnoticed by most everyone in their day-to-day lives. We are free to express ourselves. We are free of oppression. We are free of fear.

We move about in our daily lives taking our children to school, little league games, and the movies. We are safe and comfortable in our homes at night and the vast majority of us do not want for the necessities of life –- food, clean water, and shelter.

Our lives are utopian, yet most Americans never stop to think about the hundreds of thousands –- millions -– of brave young men and women who are standing at the gates, guarding our lifestyle: the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines who are fighting, bleeding and dying in foreign lands so that we may remain free.

My family has not forgotten the sacrifices made by these men and women and their families. I would personally like to voice our thanksgiving to all of the members of our armed forces and their families for the contribution they are making on my family’s, on our nation’s, and on the world’s behalf.

We know that you all stand on a thin green line which protects us from the dark side of today’s world.

Let us not forget the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom; and let us all take a moment to remember the mothers, fathers, wives, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters of these heroes. Let us all mourn their losses.

The greatest tribute we could ever pay to our American servicemen and women, both living and deceased, is to stop on Thanksgiving, pause during that football game, or stop and think as you sit down to dinner with your family that our lives are good because of the sacrifices of others. Consider what America would be without the men and women of our military. Stop and thank the next Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine you see. We all owe our freedom to them.

Semper Fidelis,

Richard S. Lowry

[thedrifter]

Giving thanks in trying times
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jonah Goldberg
November 24, 2004

My colleague (translation: "boss") Rich Lowry - editor of National Review - received a note from the father of a Marine fighting in Fallujah. In it the proud father recounted what his son had told him. Many residents of that besieged town left bedding for the Marines and soldiers, along with notes thanking them for liberating their town from the terrorists and inviting them to sleep in their homes if necessary.

Every day, I receive wonderful, uplifting, heart-wrenching e-mails from Marines and soldiers or their families with similar stories of Iraqis expressing their gratitude and relief that the Americans are doing the hard work of democracy and decency (the latter being vastly more important than the former). I also receive - or read on obscure Internet sites - astounding tales of courage and sacrifice by America's Finest. But we hear so very little of it from the media. Our debates, our discussions - our very understanding of the war - is derived from the bad news: pictures of a Marine allegedly shooting an unarmed man, car bombs, beheadings, the Abu Ghraib fiasco, the idiotic chirpings of the French government and the griping of corrupt UN officials.

But, if you're still with me, this isn't a column about media bias and anti-war carping. There's plenty of time for all of that throughout the rest of the year. No, since Thanksgiving is here it only seems appropriate to point to a larger lesson and a greater reason to give thanks.

Of course, I am Thankful for everything our troops have done and are doing (and if you are, too, you should send a care package or phone card via the USO or several of the other programs: operationgratitude.com, ustroopcarepackage.com, etc.).

But there is a bigger picture that gets lost in our focus on the negative. This is a wonderful, decent nation, brimming with millions of people who take people as they find them and do what is right because that is their character. Moreover, the United States is chock-a-block with institutions, customs and, most of all, families that encourage and foster good character as an end in itself

Because our culture is so obsessed with self-improvement and self-correction, we tend to lose sight of this fact. The squeaky wheels get greased, and we ignore the smooth-running ones.

And that's good. One of the things that makes America so special, the jewel in the crown of Western Civilization, is that we can find fault with ourselves. We criticize, hector, debate, protest our ideas, our civil institutions, our employers, our governments - remember, our republic has literally thousands of governments, if you count from the local to the federal - and ourselves. Not all criticisms are fair or accurate, and some are just plain silly. But when an idea is valid we adopt and nurture it. We discard bad ideas and bad habits as a matter of reflex, making us the most adaptable people in the history of the world. Which is not to say we couldn't be quicker to throw some of the clunkier bits of the welfare state into history's dustbin.

This impulse toward self-correction doesn't necessarily, or even primarily, take a political form. Capitalism, the circulatory system of the West, constantly rewards improvement. The scientific method, which has been part of our culture for more than a century, systematically roots out flaws and seeks new insights. Our religious heritage, perhaps most of all, emphasizes the need for constantly trying to live a better and more decent life.

Regardless, whether it is in the private or public realms, the important thing to remember is that what defines Western Civilization is not the parade of horribles we get from the table-thumpers of the academic world and the media. Racism, greed, sexism, bigotry, slavery: These are universals in human history and still exist today around the world. No, the triumph of the West, and America in particular, is the constant, relentless effort to improve what Francis Bacon called man's estate.

If we were even remotely as bad as our critics overseas believe us to be, all of the mavericks, troublemakers and whistleblowers wouldn't be mavericks, troublemakers and whistleblowers. They would either be silent or they'd be in unmarked graves.

For every politician who takes a bribe, every journalist who plagiarizes, every husband who hits his wife, every child who cheats, there are multitudes who do none of these things, not because they are saints or heroes, but simply because they are human beings raised in this good and decent land. Yes, I am proud of and thankful for the real heroes risking and sacrificing everything in Iraq. But on this Thanksgiving, let's also be thankful and proud that the thing these heroes are defending is so gloriously worth it.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Simple words of Thanksgiving
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Armstrong Williams
November 23, 2004

As Americans sit down to turkey and cranberries this holiday season, the family and friends of American soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan will grapple with unbearable loss.

Perhaps we should pause a moment to reflect and give thanks for America and the American way of life - a way of life that is bound up in the Bill of Rights, a way of life that treasures basic freedoms like the freedom to better oneself, to determine one's own fate, to pursue happiness on one's own terms and, most importantly, the freedom to be left alone.

I have in the past used this space to write that America's success has made its citizens comfortable to the point of complacency. I have warned that this sort of decadence leads to the fall (Exhibit A: Rome).

Perhaps, in retrospect, the point was overstated.

After terrorists crashed planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania countryside, we were not complacent, nor did we fall. In the days following Sept. 11, people volunteered for the armed services. Many are in Fallujah right now killing strangers, running from enemy fire and ignoring the sight of friends as they crumple to the ground. There is a scene in Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" where a young man gets his arm blown off. He stumbles around, gazing at his shattered limb, unsure of what to do. War is confusion. War is detached horror. I mention this only to point out that those Americans who endure this horror do so to preserve man's best - his institutions of freedom, democracy and individuality.

As we consider what to be thankful for this year, it hardly seems enough to remember these soldiers in cliched terms. It is not enough to reduce the service of our patriots to an excuse for a really big Thanksgiving sale at the mall. It is not enough to dilute this holiday with ostentatious displays of consumerism and pageantry. Not this year. This Thanksgiving should be about coming together in a large communal ritual to reinforce the notion that these soldiers, that these people, have actually died to strengthen our individual freedoms.

Some of those American soldiers came form the inner city. They grew up on welfare. They had few opportunities. Yet, they volunteered to fight for an idea so powerful that it moved many of them to die for their country.

What cannot be forgotten is that what's best about this country rests on their shoulders.

With that in mind, I offer these simple words of thanks.


Ellie