Oldest living 4-star Army general Ralph Haines dies
Thu Nov 24, 2011 7:09pm EST
(Reuters) - The U.S. Army's oldest living four-star general, Ralph Haines Jr., died of natural causes at San Antonio Military Medical Center on Wednesday, an Army spokesman said. He was 98.
Haines, who was the Army's senior retired officer, served 37 years in the Army and was vice chief of staff from 1967 to 1968.
Haines also served as commanding general of 1st Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas, and as the commanding general of III Corps, also at Fort Hood, according to a statement from the Army.
"He was a very dedicated and patriotic leader that served his nation honorably and lived up to all its values," said Major Stephen Short, a spokesman for the Army.
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Friday, November 25, 2011
Guilt may be a top factor in PTSD
Guilt may be a top factor in PTSD
by
Chaplain Kathie
How many times have I said this over the last 30 years? It is impossible to come up with a number. One of the reasons is a man mentioned in this article. Jonathan Shay has been a hero of mine every since I read the first few chapters of his book Achilles in Vietnam and emailed him. It was the first book I read that completely addressed what I was living with. Shay not only knew the mind of the veteran, he knew his soul.
It was 1999. Back then I was doing what I could to help other veterans like my husband understand that PTSD was not their fault and they could heal but there was still so much more for me to learn. Shay's book helped me to understand it better. It is because of him that I was assured I was right on believing that PTSD hit the most compassionate the hardest.
Back then I had a messed up email that would only allow people I knew to send them, so Jonathan couldn't email back. He took the time to find me and sent a reply by mail. I called him and then we began to email. I told him about a book I was working on. He read it and tried to help me get it published. No one wanted it. September 11th came and I called him knowing there would be a flood of veterans with PTSD symptoms walking up. I told him I would self-publish the book. For the Love of Jack is available for free now by emailing me woundedtimes@aol.com.
This study on Marines is far behind what was already known but it is important to point out that it can manage to do some good if the researchers know what to do with it. So far most of them have failed. The programs they have come up with support the notion that there is some kind of weakness in their minds instead of addressing the strength of their character. This approach has done more harm than good but they have failed to acknowledge this. All they have managed to do is come up with sending troops back into combat with medications and programs like Battlemind telling them they can "train their brains" to prevent it and be resilient, leaving them with the impression if they end up with PTSD, it is their fault their minds were not strong enough to take it.
I tell the story often of a great example of this. A National Guardsman's Mom contacted me after her son tried to kill himself twice. He got divorced, lost his kids, his home and was sleeping on couches. I got his Mom to understand what PTSD was and why he acted the way he did. Soon her son called me. After enough phone calls to make him feel comfortable talking to me he was able to open up about the most haunting experience he had. All he could remember about it was the outcome. A family was killed in Iraq. He couldn't remember what happened before or what he tried to do to prevent it from happening. He forgot he screamed at the driver to stop the car. He threw rocks. He fired warning shots in the air. The car kept coming. In his mind it could have been one more suicide bomber out to blow up the Humvee and kill his team. His thoughts were about saving the men he was with. Once he was able to see everything that happened, he was able to forgive himself for what he had to do.
A nurse during the Gulf War was haunted by the lives of the men she couldn't save. She had forgotten how many lived on because she was there to help them on one horrible day of carnage.
Regrets can haunt anyone but for the men and women in the military, they have an abundance of events piled onto others. A soldier survived an attack but a buddy died and he thought it should have been him going home in a casket. A Marine recovering from an IED regrets he survived without his legs when his best friend died along with several others. Their stories are timeless and all too often, endless. They cannot heal unless they are helped to see the power already within them and be able to forgive themselves for whatever they believe they need forgiveness for.
Medications numb the pain but addressing the spiritual heals them. This is what has to happen. When they forgive others and themselves, they are able to feel the good feelings without regret. When families are able to forgive them for what they do under the control of PTSD, it heals the family relationships and helps the combat veteran to heal faster and deeper. What comes out on the other side of the darkness is a better person and a stronger family. I have not only seen this happen, I've lived it. My husband and I have been through all the hell possible but in the 27 years of our marriage I can honestly say I don't regret one day of it. Sure there are still some issues we have to adjust to but most of it has become "normal" for us. In my book I wrote about the "new normal" because for all the standards set by "experts" on marriage, our's is far from normal. However it is normal for a unique class of citizens we call veterans. Less than 10% of the population of America are veterans and less than 1% serve in the military today. Once we faced the fact that we are not a normal family by any measure, living a different type of life was easier to accept and thrive with.
Once a veteran sees why they joined and the fact they were willing to die for the sake of others, they begin to forgive themselves.
This is also the reason I am with Point Man Ministries.
by
Chaplain Kathie
How many times have I said this over the last 30 years? It is impossible to come up with a number. One of the reasons is a man mentioned in this article. Jonathan Shay has been a hero of mine every since I read the first few chapters of his book Achilles in Vietnam and emailed him. It was the first book I read that completely addressed what I was living with. Shay not only knew the mind of the veteran, he knew his soul.
It was 1999. Back then I was doing what I could to help other veterans like my husband understand that PTSD was not their fault and they could heal but there was still so much more for me to learn. Shay's book helped me to understand it better. It is because of him that I was assured I was right on believing that PTSD hit the most compassionate the hardest.
Back then I had a messed up email that would only allow people I knew to send them, so Jonathan couldn't email back. He took the time to find me and sent a reply by mail. I called him and then we began to email. I told him about a book I was working on. He read it and tried to help me get it published. No one wanted it. September 11th came and I called him knowing there would be a flood of veterans with PTSD symptoms walking up. I told him I would self-publish the book. For the Love of Jack is available for free now by emailing me woundedtimes@aol.com.
This study on Marines is far behind what was already known but it is important to point out that it can manage to do some good if the researchers know what to do with it. So far most of them have failed. The programs they have come up with support the notion that there is some kind of weakness in their minds instead of addressing the strength of their character. This approach has done more harm than good but they have failed to acknowledge this. All they have managed to do is come up with sending troops back into combat with medications and programs like Battlemind telling them they can "train their brains" to prevent it and be resilient, leaving them with the impression if they end up with PTSD, it is their fault their minds were not strong enough to take it.
Study suggests feelings of guilt may be a top factor in PTSD
By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
A leading cause of post-traumatic stress disorder is guilt that troops experience because of moral dilemmas faced in combat, according to preliminary findings of a study of active-duty Marines.
The conflicts that servicemembers feel may include "survivor's guilt," from living through an attack in which other servicemembers died, and witnessing or participating in the unintentional killing of women or children, researchers involved in the study say.
"How do they come to terms with that? They have to forgive themselves for pulling the trigger," says retired Navy captain Bill Nash, a psychiatrist and study co-author.
The idea of "moral injury" as a cause of PTSD is new to psychiatry. The American Psychiatric Association is only now considering new diagnostic criteria for the disorder that would include feelings of shame and guilt, says David Spiegel, a member of the working group rewriting the PTSD section.
Traditionally, PTSD symptoms such as nightmares or numbness to the world have been linked to combat violence, fear of being killed or loss of friends.
Half of all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans treated by the Department of Veterans Affairs have been diagnosed with mental health issues and the most common is PTSD, which is experienced by nearly 200,000 of these veterans, according to the VA.
PTSD caused by moral injury can lead to more severe reactions such as family violence or even suicide, says Jonathan Shay, a psychiatrist who has worked on military mental health policies.
read more here
I tell the story often of a great example of this. A National Guardsman's Mom contacted me after her son tried to kill himself twice. He got divorced, lost his kids, his home and was sleeping on couches. I got his Mom to understand what PTSD was and why he acted the way he did. Soon her son called me. After enough phone calls to make him feel comfortable talking to me he was able to open up about the most haunting experience he had. All he could remember about it was the outcome. A family was killed in Iraq. He couldn't remember what happened before or what he tried to do to prevent it from happening. He forgot he screamed at the driver to stop the car. He threw rocks. He fired warning shots in the air. The car kept coming. In his mind it could have been one more suicide bomber out to blow up the Humvee and kill his team. His thoughts were about saving the men he was with. Once he was able to see everything that happened, he was able to forgive himself for what he had to do.
A nurse during the Gulf War was haunted by the lives of the men she couldn't save. She had forgotten how many lived on because she was there to help them on one horrible day of carnage.
Regrets can haunt anyone but for the men and women in the military, they have an abundance of events piled onto others. A soldier survived an attack but a buddy died and he thought it should have been him going home in a casket. A Marine recovering from an IED regrets he survived without his legs when his best friend died along with several others. Their stories are timeless and all too often, endless. They cannot heal unless they are helped to see the power already within them and be able to forgive themselves for whatever they believe they need forgiveness for.
Medications numb the pain but addressing the spiritual heals them. This is what has to happen. When they forgive others and themselves, they are able to feel the good feelings without regret. When families are able to forgive them for what they do under the control of PTSD, it heals the family relationships and helps the combat veteran to heal faster and deeper. What comes out on the other side of the darkness is a better person and a stronger family. I have not only seen this happen, I've lived it. My husband and I have been through all the hell possible but in the 27 years of our marriage I can honestly say I don't regret one day of it. Sure there are still some issues we have to adjust to but most of it has become "normal" for us. In my book I wrote about the "new normal" because for all the standards set by "experts" on marriage, our's is far from normal. However it is normal for a unique class of citizens we call veterans. Less than 10% of the population of America are veterans and less than 1% serve in the military today. Once we faced the fact that we are not a normal family by any measure, living a different type of life was easier to accept and thrive with.
Once a veteran sees why they joined and the fact they were willing to die for the sake of others, they begin to forgive themselves.
Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
This is also the reason I am with Point Man Ministries.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Teen arrested, accused of threatening Columbine-style attack on school
Teen arrested, accused of threatening Columbine-style attack on school
By John W. Davis and Dave D'Marko, Reporter
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 23, 2011
An 18-year-old in Altamonte Springs was caught planning to carry out what police call a "Columbine-type" attack at Lake Brantley High School.
Emmanuel Costas is now facing charges of attempted felony murder.
He made his first appearance before a judge Wednesday.
Costas’ father was also arraigned for a parole violation and possession of cocaine, which is not connected with this case.
On Costas’ Facebook page, he said he’s sorry.
However, inside the courtroom, the teen seemed distracted, almost grinning with a smirk on his face.
It all started on the social media website where Costas posted an eerie message Nov. 16:
“everybody prepare urselfz 4/17 iz approaching let tha carnage begin”
Word then started spreading around the school.
“The student reported it to his mother and she immediately contacted the Altamonte Springs Police Department,” said Interim Altamonte Springs Police Chief Michael Deal.
read more here
By John W. Davis and Dave D'Marko, Reporter
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 23, 2011
An 18-year-old in Altamonte Springs was caught planning to carry out what police call a "Columbine-type" attack at Lake Brantley High School.
Emmanuel Costas is now facing charges of attempted felony murder.
He made his first appearance before a judge Wednesday.
Costas’ father was also arraigned for a parole violation and possession of cocaine, which is not connected with this case.
On Costas’ Facebook page, he said he’s sorry.
However, inside the courtroom, the teen seemed distracted, almost grinning with a smirk on his face.
It all started on the social media website where Costas posted an eerie message Nov. 16:
“everybody prepare urselfz 4/17 iz approaching let tha carnage begin”
Word then started spreading around the school.
“The student reported it to his mother and she immediately contacted the Altamonte Springs Police Department,” said Interim Altamonte Springs Police Chief Michael Deal.
read more here
Troops have Thanksgiving Day Parade in Afghanistan
Thanksgiving 2011: Troops in Afghanistan chow down
U.S. Army cooks at the Panjwai district center in Afghanistan cook up a Thanksgiving feast for the troops.
By MARTIN KUZ
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 24, 2011
GOSHTA, Afghanistan — Forget the Macy’s parade in New York City. On Thursday morning, soldiers at Combat Outpost Garcia in Nangarhar province may have held Afghanistan’s first-ever Thanksgiving Day parade.
It was, admittedly, a modest affair: a total of four hand-built floats, including a Sherman tank commanded by a Cartman doll. But for troops with Company D of the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, the event brought a dash of holiday cheer to a war zone.
“It’s just a little something to make you think of home,” said Pfc. Cuyler Slocum, 23, of Warsaw, N.Y., who had suggested the idea of a parade to the company’s command staff a couple of weeks ago.
read more here
U.S. Army cooks at the Panjwai district center in Afghanistan cook up a Thanksgiving feast for the troops.
By MARTIN KUZ
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 24, 2011
GOSHTA, Afghanistan — Forget the Macy’s parade in New York City. On Thursday morning, soldiers at Combat Outpost Garcia in Nangarhar province may have held Afghanistan’s first-ever Thanksgiving Day parade.
It was, admittedly, a modest affair: a total of four hand-built floats, including a Sherman tank commanded by a Cartman doll. But for troops with Company D of the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, the event brought a dash of holiday cheer to a war zone.
“It’s just a little something to make you think of home,” said Pfc. Cuyler Slocum, 23, of Warsaw, N.Y., who had suggested the idea of a parade to the company’s command staff a couple of weeks ago.
read more here
Thanksgiving on the Front Lines: No Break for Troops in Afghanistan
Thanksgiving on the Front Lines: No Break for Troops in Afghanistan
By MIKE BOETTCHER -- Zormat, Afghanistan
Nov. 24, 2011
It's business as usual for the Oklahoma National Guard in eastern Afghanistan.
U.S. soldiers and their Afghan police partners show off a Taliban machine gun they captured during a patrol today. They also uncovered a cache of Taliban weapons, all before the Thanksgiving meal.
"We found some IED [Improvised Explosive Device] making materials. Some HME [homemade explosives], and a couple of mortar rounds. It was a good find," one National Guardsman told ABC News.
Americans across the world are celebrating Thanksgiving today, but there is no break for troops on the front lines.
Oklahoma's 45th Brigade has faced a particularly tough fight in east-central Afghanistan. Since it fully deployed last July, 14 of its team have been killed in action. That included the first woman from Oklahoma to die on the battlefied, Pfc. Sarina Butcher, a 19-year-old mother.The previous brigade from Iowa saw four of its soldiers killed in action while it was deployed there.
read more here
By MIKE BOETTCHER -- Zormat, Afghanistan
Nov. 24, 2011
It's business as usual for the Oklahoma National Guard in eastern Afghanistan.
U.S. soldiers and their Afghan police partners show off a Taliban machine gun they captured during a patrol today. They also uncovered a cache of Taliban weapons, all before the Thanksgiving meal.
"We found some IED [Improvised Explosive Device] making materials. Some HME [homemade explosives], and a couple of mortar rounds. It was a good find," one National Guardsman told ABC News.
Americans across the world are celebrating Thanksgiving today, but there is no break for troops on the front lines.
Oklahoma's 45th Brigade has faced a particularly tough fight in east-central Afghanistan. Since it fully deployed last July, 14 of its team have been killed in action. That included the first woman from Oklahoma to die on the battlefied, Pfc. Sarina Butcher, a 19-year-old mother.The previous brigade from Iowa saw four of its soldiers killed in action while it was deployed there.
read more here
Father, Son Return From Afghanistan For Family Thanksgiving
Father, Son Return From Afghanistan For Family Thanksgiving
November 24, 2011
LAGUNA HILLS (CBS) — A father, one of the oldest recruits in the U.S. Army. His son, an infantry marine on the front lines. Their safe return from Afghanistan is what their family will celebrate around the Thanksgiving dinner table. In the midst of a booming dermatology practice in Newport Beach, Dr. Dore Gilbert decided to follow a lifelong dream. He joined the Army at the age of 60.
Gilbert was determined not to let his age hold him back. “I just couldn’t use that as an excuse,” says Gilbert. “I was done with excuses. I wanted to serve my country.” Gilbert knew the last three months he spent serving as a brigade surgeon in Afghanistan could cost him his life. Still it was the safety of another that was constantly on his mind. Gilbert’s 22-year-old son, Kevin is a U.S. Marine who was also assigned to Afghanistan.
read more here
November 24, 2011
LAGUNA HILLS (CBS) — A father, one of the oldest recruits in the U.S. Army. His son, an infantry marine on the front lines. Their safe return from Afghanistan is what their family will celebrate around the Thanksgiving dinner table. In the midst of a booming dermatology practice in Newport Beach, Dr. Dore Gilbert decided to follow a lifelong dream. He joined the Army at the age of 60.
Gilbert was determined not to let his age hold him back. “I just couldn’t use that as an excuse,” says Gilbert. “I was done with excuses. I wanted to serve my country.” Gilbert knew the last three months he spent serving as a brigade surgeon in Afghanistan could cost him his life. Still it was the safety of another that was constantly on his mind. Gilbert’s 22-year-old son, Kevin is a U.S. Marine who was also assigned to Afghanistan.
read more here
Gabrielle Giffords Serves Thanksgiving Meal At Arizona Air Base
Gabrielle Giffords Serves Thanksgiving Meal At Arizona Air Base
MATT YORK and BOB CHRISTIE
11/24/11
TUCSON, Ariz. — U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords helped serve a Thanksgiving meal to service members and retirees at a military base in her hometown of Tucson, Ariz.
Giffords arrived in the dining hall at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base at midday Thursday wearing a ball cap and an apron with her nickname of "Gabby" sewn on the front. She was accompanied by her retired astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, who also donned an apron.
Giffords used only her left hand as she served, a sign that physical damage remains from the injuries she suffered when she was shot in January.
read more here
MATT YORK and BOB CHRISTIE
11/24/11
TUCSON, Ariz. — U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords helped serve a Thanksgiving meal to service members and retirees at a military base in her hometown of Tucson, Ariz.
Giffords arrived in the dining hall at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base at midday Thursday wearing a ball cap and an apron with her nickname of "Gabby" sewn on the front. She was accompanied by her retired astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, who also donned an apron.
Giffords used only her left hand as she served, a sign that physical damage remains from the injuries she suffered when she was shot in January.
read more here
Bind up the invisible wounds
Simcox & Gates: Bind up the invisible wounds
By: STACEY-RAE SIMCOX, ERNIE GATES
Published: November 24, 2011
Sgt. Monté Webster came home from Iraq with a Purple Heart, some shrapnel still in his body and a bad attitude. He got a discharge, a separation check and a "Thank you for your service."
What he didn't get was the post-deployment medical review that's supposed to be mandatory — the review that should have disclosed his post-traumatic stress disorder, his depression and his traumatic brain injury from the mortar attack that blasted his squad in Samarra.
Webster, who now lives in Texas, is one of thousands of combat veterans who have gone without that critical physical and mental evaluation, known as a post-deployment health re-assessment.
By the Army's own accounting, from 2006 until June 30 of this year, about 5 percent of its returning soldiers never were reviewed. More critically, only 59 percent were assessed within the prescribed 90- to 180-day window after returning. That 90-day wait matters because sleeplessness, headaches, irritability and other symptoms can be masked or dismissed in the first few months after returning from a combat zone. Research has shown that returning soldiers' mental-health problems are more likely to be diagnosed accurately in the second 90 days. Of the soldiers reviewed too soon, the Army estimated, one-third had potentially serious conditions that might have emerged more severely later — severely enough to make them non-deployable.
read more here
By: STACEY-RAE SIMCOX, ERNIE GATES
Published: November 24, 2011
Sgt. Monté Webster came home from Iraq with a Purple Heart, some shrapnel still in his body and a bad attitude. He got a discharge, a separation check and a "Thank you for your service."
What he didn't get was the post-deployment medical review that's supposed to be mandatory — the review that should have disclosed his post-traumatic stress disorder, his depression and his traumatic brain injury from the mortar attack that blasted his squad in Samarra.
Webster, who now lives in Texas, is one of thousands of combat veterans who have gone without that critical physical and mental evaluation, known as a post-deployment health re-assessment.
By the Army's own accounting, from 2006 until June 30 of this year, about 5 percent of its returning soldiers never were reviewed. More critically, only 59 percent were assessed within the prescribed 90- to 180-day window after returning. That 90-day wait matters because sleeplessness, headaches, irritability and other symptoms can be masked or dismissed in the first few months after returning from a combat zone. Research has shown that returning soldiers' mental-health problems are more likely to be diagnosed accurately in the second 90 days. Of the soldiers reviewed too soon, the Army estimated, one-third had potentially serious conditions that might have emerged more severely later — severely enough to make them non-deployable.
read more here
Army IDs alleged Sgt. Matthew Gallagher's killer
Army IDs alleged Gallagher killer
By sean teehan
November 24, 2011
FALMOUTH — The Army notified Sgt. Matthew Gallagher's family this week that military proceedings against their son's accused killer will start next month.
The slain soldier's relatives were told that Sgt. Brent McBride, Gallagher's roommate and alleged killer, will face a pretrial investigation in Fort Hood, Texas, on Dec. 17.
"It just seems to be a never-ending story," said Cheryl Ruggiero, Gallagher's mother, who previously told the Times an autopsy had ruled her son's death a homicide. The cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head.
On Wednesday, a Fort Hood spokesman confirmed the defendant's identity and impending court appearance.
"McBride, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, faces charges stemming from an incident that occurred in Wasit Province, Iraq, on June 26, that resulted in the death of Sgt. Matthew Gallagher," said Sgt. Tyler Broadway in an email to the Times.
"As with all military accused, McBride is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law," he said.
The circumstances surrounding Gallagher's death were shrouded in mystery since Army sergeants delivered the news to his mother, father and wife a week before his 23rd birthday. Family members originally thought Gallagher died during a combat operation. The Department of Defense later released a statement calling Gallagher's death noncombat related.
By the time media outlets caught wind that officials had ruled Gallagher's death a homicide, family members had known for about two months that McBride was suspected of the crime, Ruggiero said.
read more here
By sean teehan
November 24, 2011
FALMOUTH — The Army notified Sgt. Matthew Gallagher's family this week that military proceedings against their son's accused killer will start next month.
The slain soldier's relatives were told that Sgt. Brent McBride, Gallagher's roommate and alleged killer, will face a pretrial investigation in Fort Hood, Texas, on Dec. 17.
"It just seems to be a never-ending story," said Cheryl Ruggiero, Gallagher's mother, who previously told the Times an autopsy had ruled her son's death a homicide. The cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head.
On Wednesday, a Fort Hood spokesman confirmed the defendant's identity and impending court appearance.
"McBride, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, faces charges stemming from an incident that occurred in Wasit Province, Iraq, on June 26, that resulted in the death of Sgt. Matthew Gallagher," said Sgt. Tyler Broadway in an email to the Times.
"As with all military accused, McBride is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law," he said.
The circumstances surrounding Gallagher's death were shrouded in mystery since Army sergeants delivered the news to his mother, father and wife a week before his 23rd birthday. Family members originally thought Gallagher died during a combat operation. The Department of Defense later released a statement calling Gallagher's death noncombat related.
By the time media outlets caught wind that officials had ruled Gallagher's death a homicide, family members had known for about two months that McBride was suspected of the crime, Ruggiero said.
read more here
Community takes in 300 single Marines for holiday
Community takes in Marines for holiday
November 24, 2011 3:51 AM
HOPE HODGE - DAILY NEWS STAFF
More than 300 single Marines from Camp Lejeune will have a place to go for Thanksgiving, thanks to nearby communities and businesses that want to show their gratitude.
Camp Lejeune Single Marine Program coordinator Susan Goodrich said she was asked to place many more Marines at a holiday meal this year than she has in years previous.
“We’ve added some new communities, and the outlying areas that have contacted me this year have expanded out even more,” she said.
In addition to the River Landing community in Wallace and Fairfield Harbour in New Bern, which have taken Marines in for a day of dinner and relaxation for the last few years, two businesses in Wilmington are making sure troops have a meal.
Carolyn Atkinson, owner of Wilmington’s Flying Pi Kitchen, said she knew when she opened for business this year that she would always have troops at her Thanksgiving table.
“My son was in the Marine Corps. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune for awhile, and he was hosted in the Jacksonville area by a family for Thanksgiving,” Atkinson said. “When I opened my restaurant I decided that as long as I have a kitchen there would be Marines fed in my restaurant for Thanksgiving.
read more here
November 24, 2011 3:51 AM
HOPE HODGE - DAILY NEWS STAFF
More than 300 single Marines from Camp Lejeune will have a place to go for Thanksgiving, thanks to nearby communities and businesses that want to show their gratitude.
Camp Lejeune Single Marine Program coordinator Susan Goodrich said she was asked to place many more Marines at a holiday meal this year than she has in years previous.
“We’ve added some new communities, and the outlying areas that have contacted me this year have expanded out even more,” she said.
In addition to the River Landing community in Wallace and Fairfield Harbour in New Bern, which have taken Marines in for a day of dinner and relaxation for the last few years, two businesses in Wilmington are making sure troops have a meal.
Carolyn Atkinson, owner of Wilmington’s Flying Pi Kitchen, said she knew when she opened for business this year that she would always have troops at her Thanksgiving table.
“My son was in the Marine Corps. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune for awhile, and he was hosted in the Jacksonville area by a family for Thanksgiving,” Atkinson said. “When I opened my restaurant I decided that as long as I have a kitchen there would be Marines fed in my restaurant for Thanksgiving.
read more here
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