thedrifter
01-02-08, 08:54 AM
Recipes, writing give former Marine new mission
By Beata Mostafavi - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jan 2, 2008 6:45:46 EST
FENTON, Mich. — Marine Cpl. Nathan Bundy has learned that when he gets a package from Roland Hansen, sharing means a small sacrifice.
“If he wanted to eat it himself, he would have to not disclose the package’s contents,” mother Tresa, of Davison, said of her son, who served seven months in Iraq and is now at Camp Lejeune, N.C. “His fellow Marines enjoyed it so much, he didn’t even get any of it.”
Bundy, 21, is just one of dozens who have become recipients — and new fans — of Hansen’s famous homemade goodies.
Since Hansen was profiled in The Flint Journal this summer, his list of troops to whom he sends crunchy pickles, beef jerky, hot sauces and other exotic recipes has at least tripled and now includes people serving in the Middle East.
“I feel like I’ve been doing mess duty for six months,” Hansen, a former Marine, joked of how much time he spends cooking up his snacks in the kitchen of his Burton business, Lifestyle Homes.
“It comes to the point where I start to feel weary but then I get contact from someone in the military who tells me how much it means to them.”
Hansen’s mission has expanded from using his kitchen skills to using his writing skills to help the troops. He is spending his own money to translate his two published children’s books encouraging good morals, “Tim the Cat” and “Jingle Jangles Smith,” into Arabic for troops to distribute to Iraqi children.
“The soldiers work so hard at winning the hearts of these children, this is something they can share with them,” said Hansen, 51, who decided to write children’s books after mentoring for a reading program. “We have to keep that morale up and further equip them with tools to win over the children over there. It’s going to let people see a snapshot of another side of America. That’s the only way to win this war.”
He also is working with the military to start some libraries in Iraq and plans to write new books with messages catering to issues there, including such topics as hygiene, littering and literacy.
Meanwhile, he experiments with different recipes that include everything from dried fruit and applesauce to chili and tomato sauce. Each product is named and the chef sometimes includes Bible verses for inspiration.
Of course, his original classics — spicy pickles and jerky that can be eaten on the run still top favorite lists.
Hansen has also been providing the Burton group “My Heart Supports the Troops” with items to include in care packages and several people have provided unsolicited donations to help pay for food.
“Some of them still don’t even get a letter,” said Hansen, a married father of two, of troops. “When they get a package, they know people here care.”
Ellie
By Beata Mostafavi - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jan 2, 2008 6:45:46 EST
FENTON, Mich. — Marine Cpl. Nathan Bundy has learned that when he gets a package from Roland Hansen, sharing means a small sacrifice.
“If he wanted to eat it himself, he would have to not disclose the package’s contents,” mother Tresa, of Davison, said of her son, who served seven months in Iraq and is now at Camp Lejeune, N.C. “His fellow Marines enjoyed it so much, he didn’t even get any of it.”
Bundy, 21, is just one of dozens who have become recipients — and new fans — of Hansen’s famous homemade goodies.
Since Hansen was profiled in The Flint Journal this summer, his list of troops to whom he sends crunchy pickles, beef jerky, hot sauces and other exotic recipes has at least tripled and now includes people serving in the Middle East.
“I feel like I’ve been doing mess duty for six months,” Hansen, a former Marine, joked of how much time he spends cooking up his snacks in the kitchen of his Burton business, Lifestyle Homes.
“It comes to the point where I start to feel weary but then I get contact from someone in the military who tells me how much it means to them.”
Hansen’s mission has expanded from using his kitchen skills to using his writing skills to help the troops. He is spending his own money to translate his two published children’s books encouraging good morals, “Tim the Cat” and “Jingle Jangles Smith,” into Arabic for troops to distribute to Iraqi children.
“The soldiers work so hard at winning the hearts of these children, this is something they can share with them,” said Hansen, 51, who decided to write children’s books after mentoring for a reading program. “We have to keep that morale up and further equip them with tools to win over the children over there. It’s going to let people see a snapshot of another side of America. That’s the only way to win this war.”
He also is working with the military to start some libraries in Iraq and plans to write new books with messages catering to issues there, including such topics as hygiene, littering and literacy.
Meanwhile, he experiments with different recipes that include everything from dried fruit and applesauce to chili and tomato sauce. Each product is named and the chef sometimes includes Bible verses for inspiration.
Of course, his original classics — spicy pickles and jerky that can be eaten on the run still top favorite lists.
Hansen has also been providing the Burton group “My Heart Supports the Troops” with items to include in care packages and several people have provided unsolicited donations to help pay for food.
“Some of them still don’t even get a letter,” said Hansen, a married father of two, of troops. “When they get a package, they know people here care.”
Ellie