Marines' Thanksgiving wish: 'Hot chow'

[thedrifter]

Marines' Thanksgiving wish: 'Hot chow'

By Jill Carroll, Correspondent of The Christian Science MonitorWed Nov 23, 3:00 AM ET

There's a rumor circulating among the marines of the 2/6 that "hot chow" is coming.

The fervor with which marines here talk of the possibility of a hot meal - roasted turkey, steaming stuffing, and tart cranberry sauce - being delivered to their sandy, remote outpost in Iraq's Anbar Province from the nearest base for Thanksgiving is understandable, especially when you taste what they've been eating.

There are stacks of Meals Ready-to-Eat (MREs) around but most marines can't bear to even look at them. They've already spent months eating Country Captain Chicken and Vegetable Manicotti from hermetically sealed brown plastic bags. Inside: "wheat snack bread," "jalapeño cheese spread," or "pumpkin pound cake."

But few of the marines here of the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment were even aware that Thanksgiving was approaching until asked by this reporter.

Capt. Brendan Heatherman had just finished a long morning of raids, jumping rock walls, and racing through houses looking for insurgents. "It's in two days? Man, snuck up on me," he said, incredulous.

Standing next to him in a dim room constructed of rocks and cement, Capt. Conlon Carabine of East Hampton, N.Y., was equally confused. "When is Thanksgiving? Two days?"

It's easy to lose track of time here.

They fought their way west to east through three towns along the Euphrates River near the Syrian border early this month. Now, the marines are responsible for security detail in the towns, some of which haven't had a military presence in a year.

They run patrols on foot and sit in humvees 24 hours a day and race out on raids, following tips on insurgent movement.

Back at base, they have no running water or electricity. They live in giant metal containers and sleep on wooden bunks they built themselves.

Captain Carabine is considered fortunate because his camp already had one half-built rock and a cement structure when his group arrived. Now it serves as the headquarters.

If the turkey and stuffing doesn't arrive, Captain Heatherman's company has already a contingency plan - a local turkey farmer. "The Iraqi [soldiers] say they'll [cook] it, and we've got some guys from down south who know how to clean it and have already volunteered their services," says 1st Sgt. William Thurber of Manchester, N.H.

He pauses. "I didn't realize it was in two days," he muses.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines booked for Thanksgiving
By: LOUISE ESOLA - Staff Writer

CAMP PENDLETON ---- Along with turkey and all the trimmings, it appears that having a U.S. Marine or two at the Thanksgiving Day table has become very popular.

Every year, the Armed Forces YMCA matches young Camp Pendleton Marines with host families on the holiday. This year, 250 families have been matched with roughly 550 Marines, said the event coordinator, Dawn Baker.

The matches have been booked for months, and yet phone calls from the community looking for Marines to invite to a Thanksgiving meal have been nonstop, she said. Recent callers have been put on a list for next year's Thanksgiving, and that list, she said, is now up to 200 families.

The North County Times has also received more than a dozen calls this week.

Baker has been in charge of the program for years. She said she has never had to advertise the 10-year-old program. People just call, she said.

"It's always been popular, but it has been more so in the last two to three years because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," she said. "People want to show their appreciation and support for these young men."

Baker said the demand has been overwhelming thus far.

Oceanside resident Betty Palmer is just one person who wanted to get involved this year. But she was too late, she said.

"If (the Marines) can go over and fight for our country, that's the least we can do to show gratitude," she said. "But they've all been taken."

The number of Marines participating depends on how many are in the area over the Thanksgiving holiday, she said. Last year, more than 800 Marines were matched with families. Next year's numbers are not known, she said.

Families who wish to get on board for next year should call now.

"I will take everybody's information and send everyone a form to apply," she said.

The families who were selected were carefully screened, Baker said.

Participants must provide a copy of a driver's license, among other information. They must also acknowledge a list of the rules and regulations for hosting a Marine, she said.

Anyone who missed a chance to sponsor a Marine for dinner can still help the families of Marines for Christmas.

Another YMCA-sponsored program matches needy families of junior-enlisted Marines ---- sergeants and below ---- for a secret Santa program called Friends of the Family.

At least 500 Marine Corps families have been picked and will provide a wish list for the holiday.

Baker said the families of privates and lance corporals often ask for the basics, such as gift cards to grocery stores.

To help, contact the YMCA at (760) 385-4921.

Contact staff writer Louise Esola at (760) 901-4151 or lesola@nctimes.com.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Family to bring Marines turkey
Davenport man, friends to share meal in N.C.
By Jake Palmateer
Staff Writer

MERIDALE — Thanksgiving dinner for Reggie Ross II is going to be a lot different this year.

For one thing, the 20-year-old Marine is not going to be in Iraq eating canned turkey like last year.

And he’s not even going to be at Camp Lejeune, N.C., eating mess hall food.

Instead, Ross and several of his fellow Marines will be getting a home-cooked meal in an off-base apartment rented by his family.

Dawna Ross of Davenport said Wednesday her family has loaded up a Dodge Intrepid for the 13-hour trip south to see her son, a 20 graduate of Charlotte Valley High School.

Ross let him know a few weeks ago the family would be down for Thanksgiving.

Her son soon invited a few friends in his unit who didn’t have anywhere to go for the holiday, and Ross said she is planning on cooking for several Marines.

Ross said that herself, Reggie’s sister, Jessica, and father, Reggie, would be leaving late Tuesday night, and snow, wind or rain were not going to stop them.

"A little snow never hurt anybody," Ross said.

Her son is a sniper in the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, and is a veteran of the Battle of Fallujah in 2004.

Ross said she knows the country is getting weary of the war, but the young men and women in the armed forces need to be supported.

"I want it to be over, but you just can’t bail," Ross said. "They are making a big difference, and you just don’t see that (in the media)."

The family is hoping to provide a more comfortable setting for her son and his fellow Marines than the cafeteria where they would normally eat, she said.

"They’ll be able to be a little more relaxed," Ross said.

The dinner will have all the traditional fixings, as well as pies for dessert, Ross said.

But Ross said the dinner preparations haven’t been just a family affair.

The key component of the meal — a 29-pound turkey — was provided for free by Gary Turits, a local hobby farmer and a former principal at Milford Central School.

Turits found out about the Ross family Thanksgiving Day dinner from Patricia Bordinger, Reggie’s aunt.

Bordinger said she bought a puppy from Turits and struck up a friendship. He later learned about the dinner and offered a large turkey to help feed the Marines.

"I thought that was a great, great thing for him to do," Bordinger said.

Dawna Ross accepted the turkey Monday at the Meridale Post Office where she works as postmaster.

But standing outside the small, country post office, Turits downplayed his role.

"It’s nothing compared to what these kids are doing," Turits said.

He said no matter where people stand on the war in Iraq, the troops need the public’s support.

"Whether you believe in it or not, kids are kids," Turits said.

Cookies, gelatin and a bag of homemade beef jerky provided by Reggie’s grandparents, Ed and Jean Bordinger of Oneonta, round out the goodies being delivered by the Ross family.

Ross said she was bringing several movies for the Marines to watch after dinner. She also said a family tradition will be shared with the troops.

She said that each year since Reggie was a small boy, the family has held hands around the Thanksgiving Day table and sang the song, "The more we get together, the happier we’ll be."

Ross said the lyrics of the song seem to be appropriate considering the family would be enjoying a home-cooked meal with their son and his friends.

"For your friends are my friends and my friends are your friends, oh the more we get together, the happier we’ll be," the song ends.

"He did say, ’Mom, that’s not going to happen,’" Dawna Ross said.

Ellie