In 2004, 1/7 Marines on patrol in Husaybah celebrated Thanksgiving huddled around a campfire, eating MREs. This picture was taken by PFC Rael, Bravo Company, 1st Platoon, 3rd Squad.

Five years later, my son Shane Conrad, who deployed three times with 1/7 Marines will be eating turkey and pumpkin pie instead of MREs. He is living in Oregon, halfway through his baccalaureate program, active in his local VFW, and President of the Portland chapter of Team River Runner, part of a national program to bring health and healing through the form of whitewater recreation to military veterans. It's a great program and it deserves your support. Your tax-deductible donations will give the gift of white water recreation to those who have fought for their country and have returned home physically and/or emotionally injured. Contributions are used to purchase equipment, food, gas, and other items necessary to ensure that every returning troop who wants to kayak or raft has the chance to do so. If you target your donation to the Portland, Oregon chapter, it will purchase equipment for weekly roll sessions and underwrite the January 1 trip down the Sandy River. Brrr!

We still have 70,000 troops in Afghanistan, living in conditions which are arguably similar to Iraq back when my son was deployed. And, Thanksgiving may be just another day in wartime but it doesn't stop our Marines from doing what they do best - improvising, adapting, and overcoming. That flames were involved was a definite plus.

Marines' Thanksgiving dinner in Helmand nearly flames out
By JAY PRICE
McClatchy Newspapers

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HASSANABAD, Afghanistan -- Just getting the ingredients for Golf Company's one-day-early Thanksgiving dinner was a military operation.

First, the Marines consulted their translators. Then the translators persuaded the Afghan border police to go to a market in what may be the most dangerous part of Helmand province.

Buying the $68 worth of chicken and hot peppers and potatoes and rice and flat bread turned out to be the easy part, however. It was the cooking Wednesday night that nearly caused a squad of casualties.

"Hey, you can't put out a grease fire like that!" someone yelled as one of the self-appointed chefs, Cpl. Cody Baird, 21, of Thurmont, Md., yanked a woklike pan full of flaming grease off the fire, which was fueled by broken up shipping pallets.

He swung the pan around, his mitt already on fire, and he had to set the pan on the ground before the rest of him went up in flames.

That was, by a conservative count, grease fire No. 8, including a crowd-pleaser with flames that reached almost as high as the walls of the camp.

And the actual cooking hadn't begun.

Baird and Lance Cpl. Colin Cummings, 21, of Plattsburgh, N.Y., were still dicing peppers and potatoes and trying to figure out how to adjust the fire to a reasonable temperature so it wouldn't light the oil in the pans.

Not that fire was the only potential danger. Sanitation was also called into question.

"Hey, isn't that the knife you use to kill all those mice?" asked a Marine onlooker.

"It's OK, I used hand sanitizer on it," said Cummings, brandishing the wicked, curved blade.

"Dude!" said Baird, sounding as if he didn't seriously object to a little mouse hair.

Read the rest here. And, if you'd like to join the effort to make our Marines a bit merrier at Christmas, check out Operation Santa. Now in its sixth year, Marine supporters all over the United States are filling and shipping Christmas stockings for our deployed troops. And, if you're looking for an end of the year tax-deduction, consider a donation to the Marine Corps Family Foundation. Because MCFF has no paid staff, administrative costs are extremely low and over 95% of your contribution will go directly to support deployed Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen.

Camp Pendleton Parents Focus Group

San Luis Rey MCFTB Family Readiness Center Bldg, Camp Pendleton CA 1795
Saturday December 5, 2009 9 AM - 12 PM

All proud parents of Marines are invited to attend the first Camp Pendleton Parents Focus Group. Please join us to discuss topics and ideas to improve the communication and support that you receive as an involved Marine Corps parent. Please call 760-725-9052 to RSVP

For those who live too far away to attend, I'm hoping for an after-action report from those who will be there.

It never ceases to amaze me...Marines that is. I recently asked an Marine commander what we could ship to his 1100 Marines. It wasn't Game Boys, or a big screen TV, or IPODS. No it was the same request that I received so many years before. I mean five years ago I got the same kind of answer. My son, my Marine asked for the same items, his Marine buddies asked for the same stuff during their deployments and each year my deployed contacts ask for these same items. They are the basics. So, here is the list:

Soap
Toothpaste/Toothbrush
Deodorant
Shaving Cream
Razors
Laundry Detergent
Books
New/used DVDs
Socks (black or green wool)
Snacks (sealable)

How basic is that! Some things just don't change! So to all those people and communities who want to show their support contact me and I will give you an address to ship the basics for a sustainable deployment for a US Marine. It's simple, inexpensive but unattainable in the wilderness of Afghanistan...Email me at info@marinecorpsfamilyfoundation.org and I will help you ship a box of necessities today!

From CNN:

Civilian pleads not guilty to wearing Navy medals

By Alan Duke, CNN

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- A California man faces a federal trial in January because of what he allegedly wore to his 20th high school reunion earlier this year -- a U.S. Marine uniform decorated with some of the nation's highest military medals.

Steve Burton, 39, never served in any branch of the U.S. military, but he was seen and photographed several times wearing a Marine uniform and various medals, including the Navy Cross, the highest medal awarded exclusively by the U.S. Navy, federal investigators said.

The Palm Springs, California, bank officer entered a not guilty plea Thursday to a charge of "unauthorized wearing of military medals or decorations." The federal misdemeanor charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in federal prison upon conviction.

When Burton made his initial appearance in federal court in Riverside, California, a magistrate set his bond at $10,000, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Akrotirianakis. He posted the bond and was released. A trial was set for January 10, 2010, Akrotirianakis said.

"He has been charged, but these are only allegations," Burton's lawyer, Michael DeFrank, said Wednesday.

The Marine dress blue uniform with lieutenant colonel insignia on the epaulets and a chest full of colorful ribbons may have impressed some old classmates, but one person at the reunion was suspicious, according to an FBI agent's affidavit.

Lt. Cmdr. Colleen Salonga, a U.S. Navy supply officer, recognized the Navy Cross and knew how rarely that honor is awarded, the sworn statement said. She posed with Burton for a photo, which she sent to the FBI in June, it said.

The FBI agent said Internet research showed that Burton had blogged in August 2009 about being a Marine and receiving many commendations and awards. His postings also discussed engaging in combat and serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, the documents said. He said he'd served in Falluja, a city in Iraq's largely Sunni Arab Anbar province where Marines and militants battled for years.

Burton posted a picture of himself online standing on a beach at Coronado Island, California, wearing a Marine dress uniform, the affidavit said. In the picture, he is wearing the rank of gunnery sergeant and is displaying medals including the Navy Cross, the Legion of Merit, the Navy and Marine Corps medal, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, among others.

An American flag flew on a pole on the front lawn of Burton's Palm Springs home Wednesday.

Burton, who was off work because it was Veterans Day, would not come to the door, and a man who came to the door referred CNN to Burton's lawyer, DeFrank. The man said he was Burton's partner for 18 years and retired from the U.S. Air Force.

A next-door neighbor described Burton as "quiet and nice." She said she saw agents carry away several boxes from the home two weeks ago.

A search warrant was executed at Burton's home, said Akrotirianakis, who did not divulge what was found there.

Akrotirianakis also would not say where authorities believe Burton obtained the medals. However, an Internet search showed several medals -- or possibly replicas -- for sale online, despite a law banning their advertisement or sale. Even if a medal is a replica, wearing it still violates federal law, Akrotirianakis said.

The Navy Cross is the second-highest award a sailor or Marine can be awarded for valor, behind only the Medal of Honor. It is comparable to the Army's Distinguished Service Cross and the Air Force Cross. It is awarded for "extreme gallantry and risk of life, beyond the call of duty, performed in combat with an enemy force," according to the prosecutors' statement.

The Bronze Star is awarded for "heroic and meritorious achievement or service," while the Purple Heart is awarded "for being wounded or killed in action against an enemy of the United States."

As a mother who has watched her son come home from a war zone, seen the changes being in that situation has made on her son and watched her son deal with the memories, it makes me furious that an individual would lie about serving in the military and take the valor and honor our real Veterans deserve. Unfortunately, I doubt Steve Burton will be the last individual to steal the valor of deserving Veterans. Burton has been charged with a misdemeanor count of wearing unauthorized military medals or decorations. The punishment is a maximum of one year in a federal prison. The punishment does not fit the crime. Our Veterans deserve so much more.

We gave him a call, he was delighted to have us visit and we spent a wonderful afternoon listening to his recollections of Pearl Harbor . . . but he was just as interested in hearing about my father's service as a Navy officer (they shared the same rank) and my son's deployments in Iraq with 1/7 Marines.

The official citation, read on board ship, nine months later, with his beloved wife Alice in attendance reads:

For extraordinary heroism distinguished service, and devotion above and beyond the call of duty. During the first attack by Japanese airplanes on the Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, on December 7, 1941, Lt. Finn promptly secured and manned a .50-caliber machinegun mounted on an instruction stand in a completely exposed section of the parking ramp, which was under heavy enemy machine gun strafing fire. Although painfully wounded many times, he continued to man this gun and to return the enemy's fire vigorously and with telling effect throughout the enemy strafing and bombing attacks and with complete disregard for his own personal safety. It was only by specific orders that he was persuaded to leave his post to seek medical attention. Following first aid treatment, although obviously suffering much pain and moving with great difficulty, he returned to the squadron area and actively supervised the rearming of returning planes. His extraordinary heroism and conduct in this action were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

	His wife Alice on board the USS Enterprise during the Medal of Honor ceremony nine months after Pearl Harbor. He said he still doesn't know how they got her on board the ship
His favorite drink is a Sioux City Sarsaparilla and he's an accomplished story-teller. We listened to stories of his childhood and distinguished Naval career.
	He called this his "Alfred E Neumann" face.

He mentioned an upcoming trip to the city of Boston that he looked forward to - he doesn't do much traveling any more, aside from climbing the hill behind his home each morning. Here's an account of his visit:

A 100-year-old United States Navy veteran and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient was among the veterans who gathered at the State House this morning for a Veterans Day ceremony honoring those who served their country and the families of soldiers who never returned.

Retired Navy Lt. John Finn, of San Diego, Calif., stood from his wheelchair with the help of other veterans to salute the men and women honored at the annual ceremony in the Hall of Flags.

"It's indescribable," said Finn, who was greeted by Gov. Deval Patrick and other dignitaries after the service.

Finn and his fiance, Frances Carmichael, were invited to the ceremony by state Secretary of Veterans Services Thomas G. Kelley, who is his friend and fellow Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.

"He's from Pearl Harbor. I'm from Vietnam," said Kelley. "He really brought a lot of sparkle and dignity to the event."

Finn was awarded the Medal of Honor for his role in the Pearl Harbor attacks. According to his citation, Finn manned a .50 caliber machinegun on an exposed section of a parking ramp under heavy enemy machinegun fire.

Kelley said he was wounded repeatedly during the assault.

Today, Finn recalled when he joined the Navy his dream was to join the crew of the U.S.S. Constitution.

"When I was just a little curley-headed boy, I wanted to serve on the Constitution," said Finn, who visited the storied warship vessel in Charlestown several years ago.

"By then I was a retired Navy lieutenant. I didn't know one sail from another," he said.

Since my son enlisted in 2002, I"ve met hundreds, if not thousands, of veterans and currently serving troops. I will never forget the afternoon I shared a Sioux City Sarsaparilla with John Finn and listened to his stories of life before, during, and after WWII. This memory is a keeper.

Thanks to all Vets. Whether a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient for not - they're all heroes in my eyes.

From the Soldier's Angels website:

Every cent raised for Project Valour-IT goes directly to the purchase and shipment of laptops and other technology for severely wounded service members. As of October 2009, Valour-IT has distributed over 4100 laptops to severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines across the country, and is now expanding its mission to include other technology that supports physical and psychological recovery.

Valour-IT accepts donations in any amount to support our mission, but also offers a sponsorship option for laptops. An individual or organization may sponsor a wounded soldier by completely funding the cost of a laptop and continuing to provide that soldier with personal support and encouragement throughout recovery. This has proved to be an excellent project for churches, groups of coworkers or friends, and members of community organizations such Boy Scouts.

Originally Valour-IT provided the voice-controlled software that accompanies the laptops, but now works closely with the Department of Defense Computer/electronic Accommodations Program (CAP): CAP supplies the adaptive software and Valour-IT provides the laptop. In addition, DoD caseworkers serve as Valour-IT’s “eyes and ears” at several medical centers, identifying patients in need of laptops and other technological support for their recovery. Wounded military personnel can also directly request a laptop through the sign-up form or through the Valour-IT/Soldiers' Angels representatives at the following medical centers, and other veterans health care facilities across the country:

* Balboa Naval Hospital

* Brooke Army Medical Center

* Madigan Regional Medical Center

* National Naval Medical Center (Bethesda Naval Hospital)

* Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton

* Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital (29 Palms)

* Walter Reed Army Medical Center

As we celebrate the 234th anniversary of the founding of our Corps, take pride in your contributions to our great nation, our great Corps and our great base. It is teamwork and each Marine's commitment to the team that is the strength of our Corps. So it is, too, for this iconic base of Marines, this home of expeditionary forces in readiness.

The Corps' strength has been consecrated in sacrifice and tested in battles over the years. Although always resilient in strength, the Marine Corps has continuously adapted and evolved, often through extraordinary innovation. Through it all, a renowned, revered legacy of excellence in battle and in all endeavors has amassed. Camp Lejeune shares in that legacy.

Though the means of war and training for it have changed over the years, the fundamental nature of war and of Marines has not. In the short 68 years that the base has existed much has changed; yet, the Corps' and the base's defining characteristics of commitment, sacrifice for one another, unrelenting excellence, and courage have remained timeless. Today those characteristics flourish here aboard Camp Lejeune, reflected by operational forces Marines preparing for or resetting after combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, or forward presence operations elsewhere around the globe, and reflected by the Marines of the base providing vital support.

As you gather in high-spirited camaraderie to celebrate our Corps' 234th anniversary, I commend to you: honor the generations of Marines preceding us in war and in relative peace without whose sacrifices we would not have our great legacy; remember your fellow Marines deployed around the globe and their families; and, strive to exemplify our motto, Semper Fidelis, by being Always Faithful to each other, to our Corps, and to our country.

Happy birthday Marines. Col Flatau sends.

On Nov. 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress gave the order to establish two battalions of Continental Marines on November 10, 1775. However, from 1798 to 1921, the Marine Corps birthday was celebrated on July 11 in recognition of President John Adams signing a bill that recreated the Corpsas on July 11, 1798, . However, Marines have always held fast to their traditions and in October 1921, Maj. Edwin McClellan of the Headquarters Marine Corps Historical Section sent a memo to Maj. Gen. John A. Lejeune, Commandant, proposing the original birthday of Nov. 10, 1775 be recognized as a Marine Corps holiday to be celebrated throughout the Corps and that a dinner should be held in celebration.

On November 1, 1921, MajGen Lejeune issued Marine Corps Order No. 47, Series 1921. The order, which was directed to be read to every command on Nov. 10 each year, summarized the history, mission and tradition of the Marine Corps. Eighty-eight years later, it is still being read on bases and installations around the world. You can bt that whether at a formal ball at a posh hotel or in a dusty windswept plain in Afghanistan, Marines around the world are pausing today for just a moment to say, "Happy Birthday Marine" and listen to the following order:

MARINE CORPS ORDERS No. 47 (Series 1921)

HEADQUARTERS U.S. MARINE CORPS
Washington, November 1, 1921

759. The following will be read to the command on the 10th of November, 1921, and hereafter on the 10th of November of every year. Should the order not be received by the 10th of November, 1921, it will be read upon receipt.

(1) On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution of Continental Congress. Since that date many thousand men have borne the name "Marine". In memory of them it is fitting that we who are Marines should commemorate the birthday of our corps by calling to mind the glories of its long and illustrious history.

(2) The record of our corps is one which will bear comparison with that of the most famous military organizations in the world's history. During 90 of the 146 years of its existence the Marine Corps has been in action against the Nation's foes. From the Battle of Trenton to the Argonne, Marines have won foremost honors in war, and is the long eras of tranquility at home, generation after generation of Marines have grown gray in war in both hemispheres and in every corner of the seven seas, that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security.

(3) In every battle and skirmish since the birth of our corps, Marines have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion until the term "Marine" has come to signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue.

(4) This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are Marines today have received from those who preceded us in the corps. With it we have also received from them the eternal spirit which has animated our corps from generation to generation and has been the distinguishing mark of the Marines in every age. So long as that spirit continues to flourish Marines will be found equal to every emergency in the future as they have been in the past, and the men of our Nation will regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who have served as "Soldiers of the Sea" since the founding of the Corps.

JOHN A. LEJEUNE,
Major General Commandant

Thanks Elmo!

If you are a Marine parent or supporter and would like to contribute content as a writer for this site, let me know. I look forward to hearing from you.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.