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December 31, 2007



Glühwein and rosy cheeks

On a cold Oregon night, when I put the dog out and she slips right off the ice covered porch, there is only one thing to do. Mix up a batch of Glühwein - my favorite holiday drink when I don't have to drive. And since I don't have to drive anywhere until tomorrow morning, I'm feeling warmer with each sip. Since there's just me tonight, I used the remnants of a bottle of zinfandel, and a Christmas orange that I'd saved for something just like this. Here's the recipe that I usually make for a crowd:

4 bottles of dry red wine, 3-4 cinnamon sticks, 2 small oranges studded with whole cloves and sliced, 1 quart orange juice, 1 quart apple cider, honey to taste, and a couple shots of brandy or perhaps Triple Sec. Keep hot in crockpot, no higher than a simmer, until gone. It won't take long if I'm there.

It doesn't quite compensate for inadvertantly stumbling upon Cassandra's latest caption contest, but I'm not sure anything could. Here's her pic - do stop by VC and add your best shot.

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Posted by Deb at 03:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack



December 30, 2007



The down side of running a milblog

Since April 2004, I've shared hundreds of wonderful stories about the Marines who preserve our way of life and our liberties. And, I've received thousands of emails from parents, family members, and supporters of our military - most very appreciative of men and women in uniform. Many of their stories have been shared here at Marine Corps Moms. A good friend of mine, Mary Helen Bartch, shared with me pictures of her husband, Col. Richard Bartch, who was deployed at the same time my son was during the 2004 holiday season. We coped by immersing ourselves in supporting ourselves and our troops through Operation Santa,sending thousands of filled Christmas stockings to Iraq, and many late night phone calls. And, we celebrated when my son and her husband came home safe and sound that next year.

Last October, I became aware that this site had been used for another purpose. A low-life scammer had taken the pictures of Col. Bartch and a few details of his life to create a fictitious identity, posting details on a number of dating websites. I don't know how many women responded to the identities, thinking that they were corresponding with a divorced Marine Officer who was interested in meeting them.

Instead, they were corresponding with someone who had nothing in common with the Marine he impersonated. Honor, integrity, courage, and commitment - none of these were part of the scammer behind the persona of a Marine Colonel. I've corresponded with a number of the women who were victimized, but I'm sure there are many more out there.

Here are a few details from today's Marine Corps Times:

Wendy McKay thought she had met someone special when the Marine colonel deployed to Iraq started chatting with her on the online dating Web site.

Someone claiming to be Col. Richard Bartch told her he was in Iraq for the first time after volunteering for duty. And like her, he was divorced. Chats quickly led to e-mails and within a day he sent her photos of himself in uniform.

In one, he stood in his woodland digital-patterned utilities, proudly holding up his Bronze Star citation and medal. In another, he's lounging in desert cammies in a chair, with his service pistol holster pulled taut across his broad shoulders just next to his name tape.

His e-mails were romantic, echoing the sentiment of a schmaltzy Hallmark greeting card: "I went to sleep last night with a smile because I knew I'd be dreaming of you . . . but I woke up this morning with a smile because you weren't a dream," he wrote to the 52-year-old British woman Oct. 21, just one day after they made introductions online. "Though miles may lie between us, we're never far apart, for friendship doesn't count the miles, it's measured by the heart."

The e-mails quickly picked up intensity. "[T]he feeling is getting stronger and stronger," he wrote the next day, Oct 22. " . . . think it will not be hard to LOVE you huh!"

By Oct. 23, his e-mails reflected he was sure it was love. "You awakened a part of me that had lay [sic] dormant all of life. [A'lthough [I] had loved and been loved before, never had it been so intense and so deep as what we feel for each other. [T]his much [I] am sure of, we share a love so true that [I] have never before experienced the true joy of complete empowering, soul-felt love as we share," he said.

McKay almost bought it. That is, until she realized doing so was really going to cost her.

Bartch - or more accurately, the con artist who had stolen the identity of the real Marine officer, from a family-oriented military Web site - wanted her to send him $5,000.

Wendy McKay was knowledgeable enough to realize that no Marine would pull such a stunt. Other women who had little information about the military weren't so fortunate. This morning, I received yet another e-mail from a woman in Germany who had sent money to someone in Ghana, thinking that she was loaning money to a Marine who had lost his luggage and needed a short term loan. It's heartbreaking to read through the e-mails, knowing that the real Marine who came home to a loving wife and strong family had his identity taken from this website. I hope they catch whoever is responsible for this travesty. My apologies to the Bartch family and thanks to Marine Corps Times reporter Kimberly Johnson who was willing to shed light on a very dark corner of the internet.


Posted by Deb at 04:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack



December 26, 2007



Heroes

If you need a reminder of why it's a wonderful thing to live in this country and why supporting our military is a privilege that is a benefit and never a burden, take a look at this video sent by one of the proudest Marine Moms that I've had the privilege to know - Kay Gibson from the wonderful Houston Marine Moms group.

She explained via email: "There's a band here in Spring, Texas that wrote this awesome song called "Heroes." I heard it and put some pictures to the song. They said it was okay if I used their song, in fact they play my slideshow when they sing it."

Thanks, Kay, for sharing this video, and your son will be in my prayers until he's home again.


Posted by Deb at 12:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack



December 13, 2007



Operation Santa 2007 - almost done!

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With 18,000 Christmas stockings in the mail to Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen all over the world, we thought we were finishing up this year. This morning, I got an e-mail from a coordinator back east who will not be able to send to the the 200 Marines he signed up for. This company is in a very remote location and has no access to a PX or other amenities. So, Connie and I will pack and send 200 stockings by tomorrow so that they will have a merrier Christmas and know that they have not been forgotten by the folks at home. We are at the end of our Operation Santa budget for 2007 and could use your donations to make this happen.

Each Marine will receive a handmade Christmas stocking, sewn with love by a volunteer back home. We'll fill it with a new pair of socks, handwarmers, packets of hot chocolate and hot spiced cider, games, and other small gifts that let them know that we appreciate them and their service to our country. They do so much for us - it's the least that we can do for them.

If you can help us fund this last minute outreach, please hit the Operation Santa Paypal button on this page or mail a check to:

Marine Corps Family Foundation
Operation Santa
4000 Lancaster Blvd. Ste 57
Salem, OR 97309

Or, if you need an end of the year tax deduction, consider the Marine Corps Family Foundation. Overhead costs are extremely low - we have no paid staff and all work is performed on a volunteer basis. We do not rent office space and we cover our own cell phone bills and other expenses. You can be sure that your donation will be used to support our troops who are spending their holidays abroad so that we can celebrate in peace here at home.

Questions? Please contact Deb at deb@marinecorpsfamilyfoundation.org.

Posted by Deb at 02:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack





Semper, Semper Fi

From today's NY Post, the stories of Wounded Warriors Sgt. Eric Morante, Gunny Blaine Scott, Lance Cpl. Chris Traxson, and Sgt. Jose Martinez. They fought for their country in Iraq and are now fighting for recovery at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. :

Lt. Col. Grant Olbrich, a Marine aviator, heads the local Patient Affairs Team from the Marines' Wounded Warrior Regiment. He calls the Center for the Intrepid "wonderful" and the Army hospital "very supportive of Marines."

But he also notes that Marines do miss their own culture. Part of that culture is the Corps Commandant's position on severely wounded Marines: "If you want to stay in the Corps, we're going to find a way to keep you."

And Marines want to stay in. "They do not feel sorry for themselves," Lt. Col. Olbrich says.

Operation Santa will provide gifts for wounded warriors at BAMC, Walter Reed, and Balboa this year. If you'd like more information on how to get involved, contact operationsanta@marinecorpsfamilyfoundation.org.

Posted by Deb at 11:40 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack