USO Canteen FReeper Style Monday Mail Call ....... October 21,2002

FRiends of the USO Canteen FReeper Style ~ The Troops and Snow Bunny ~

[Snow Bunny]

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If you know a Veteran, someone in your family,
friend of the family, neighbor, who served their
country, take a brief moment of your day to thank them.
Thank them for the sacrifice they made
for the better good of their country.

We at Free Republic, and the USO Canteen FReeper Style,
are thankful for every service member
in our military, who has served our great nation.

So, to the men and women who answered the call,
in both times of war and peace, thank you.

Message from Snow Bunny to all those who visit the Canteen.

This is how I think of the USO Canteen Freeper Style.
It is like a cottage down a road,
a place where a weary veteran can spend the night.

Since it opened, it is magical how so many
Freepers who post here, feel it too.
It has been so dear how the Freepers
kept making it a cottage - a home-type of place
that had a huge living room
for them to visit in and a dance floor, a library, etc.

Many Veterans have written to me,
saying that the Canteen is like home
to them for the first time since they served.

This is your Canteen -
a respite from our busy
and sometimes troubling world.
Make yourself at home.

The USO Canteen FReeper Style
Delivering a Touch of Home

Our troops need our support and encouragement. They are away from home, some for the first time, and usually lonely or discouraged. It is important for us to reach out and help them in the same way we would want someone to reach out to our loved ones if and when they are in the same position.

They answered their call and we are answering theirs, offering them the USO Canteen FReeper Style each day and thanking them for serving.

This is IN Coming Mail from some of those serving now.

We at the USO Canteen FReeper Style, a running thread at Free Republic, are proud to support our Military.

The mail comes in from contacting some of our Military
Bases, Marine Corps Leagues, friends and family of those serving now and the wonderful P.O.Box that 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub has made so easily available to each of us here at Free Republic.

They are writing to those that frequent the FReeper USO Canteen to thank you for your support.

ALL the mail posted on Monday Mail Call is Recent Mail from the prior week.

Please know...
Each one of you that posts back to these letters from our
troops, your message will be sent to them in a reply email at
the end of today. I do this just in case they may not have a
chance to read the entire thread to get their replies. If there
are graphics the # of the post is sent so they can enjoy your
entire answer. Thank you so much. You are all terrific !

Dear Snow Bunny

I have brothers that are serving just like me. Our Dad passed away on Sept. 12, 2001. We were all already serving so we had a lot happening with 9-11 and our Dad almost the same day. I wish the last full day of my Dad's life would not have been a day filled with such anger and tears.

My Dad was a Vietnam Vet, he had two Purple Hearts.

Hey Dad isn't this a great place,this Canteen.

Thank you Canteeners for giving us the Canteen cottage to come to when we can. I may not be there everyday, but when I can it is the highlight of my day and it stays with me too.

Johnny
USAF

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Hi Snow Bunny and all Canteeners

It has been several months since I have written back. Lots of things going on but I do visit the Canteen often.

Your Rodeo was awesome and I was ready in case of any mishaps with all the bronco's. I got a stomach ache after eating all the junk food but it was well worth it. All that visual food felt so good you had to know what it means to so many of us. And the way it was presented was one advertisers might think about. ROTFLMAO

Thank you Linda and Bunny for a great feast and the rest of you Canteeners that join in with such enthusiasm everyday.
YOU ARE ALL THE BEST !

Thanks for always thinking of us and the best support I have ever seen.

James K.L.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class

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Hi Bunny and the Canteeners

I feel like the Canteen is my home so I would like to welcome Daughter of An IwoJima Vet, she is the one known as Cap'n Duchess.

And a big thank you for the junk food and that crazy day of feeding my face. I needed that but I guess that is why you did it huh Linda and Bunny and you Canteeners. Thanks Larry Johnson I could have used a good workout after my all day eating frenzy. LOL

Thank you so much everyone.

Charney
USArmy

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Chicken Dance ? ROTFLMAO

CAN-Tastic !

I am rushed but had to let you know you all ROCK !
Thank you, this is great how you are there for us!

Joel
USNavy

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Dear Snow Bunny

Beautiful babes in tanks. (tank Babes)

Now what guy does not dream of that! Bentfeather, a tank never looked so good. I would call you elegance tank style. Thank you for the poems you write and for your beauty too.

Hey Sam, Magoo, Jinxie (as Bunny calls you), MM7, Larry, Johnny, Burka Man, Yatch Man, Zip, Aomagrat, AFCATMret and the Radix. Thanks for being at the Canteen for us. Your jokes, writings (lump in the throat time), joking with each other and your support sure makes me happy.

Bluesagewoman (your support of us deserves an award I think,
the Mojo keep that pen in hand and never stop letting those juices flow Mojo,
Kathy with the sparkle in her eye I can tell stuff like that from your posts,
Jen (I love you), Radu are you a cutie or what with all those cats. If you ever get another one for your family I offer this name for he/she Ophelia. I have always liked that name, but the girls I meet are mostly NO. No I don't have time to meet a soldier, no I don't want a long distance hunny, no I don't want to sit at home on Saturday night. LOL So guess what I sit at the Canteen and am surrounded by the most beautiful girls in all of America and the best Patriots too.

Thank you for the cottage with the big chairs they are very comfortable.

The Z-Tar guys told me about the Canteen and it made a big difference. I laugh more now and don't get so down or worried about 'things'.

Thank you !

Michael
USARMY

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Dear Snow Bunny and Jen and Canteeners

I WON I WON I got all the answers for Jen's Trivia questions. Can I have a kiss Jen. Don't worry about the NHH stuff I am all male head to toe. LOL

Thanks for the fun and being there.

Mark
USMC

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Ahoy "USS Canteen"

We have a gift for the Canteen Snow Bunny. It was Marty that, well you know Marty and his crush on Souris. He was looking one day for a Mouse house to tell her he would love to have lunch with her one day. LOL

He came across this poem and we all liked it a lot so here it is. Not sure who wrote it, Marty said it said a name but had a question mark after it. Now I ask ya, what kind of person has a question mark after their name. What do you think Sam and the Bad Boys ? What do we do with men that have a question mark about what they are. ROTFL

I guess they weren't sure who wrote it but who cares its great. Kind of like who cares really what all of our names are as long as we are fighting to keep you safe. Pirates like that word fighting ya know. And a lass in every port, our sea dog Yatch Man knows about that. LOL Anyway its the outcome of the poem like the outcome of this war. Winners all aye that we are as long as we have the "USS Canteen" and the cottage to stop in for grog and wet our whistle for these sturdy pirates.

But first a special kiss on the cheek from Marty to Souis and one from each of us for all of the lovelies of the "USS Canteen".

Dare we mention the Chicken Dance. ROTFLMAO

You all are ALL so out there and we can never thank you enough for how you make us feel. BUT THANK YOU!

Tell Cote, Bentfeather, James Wilson, Poet and the Poetry Branch Joe bragged about being a member to some old girlfriend in an email and she is very impressed. He tried to get away with the roses are red bit but that might have been too much for her. That Joe he just has to rush into things. LOL

I'll sign off here so you can read our gift.

Thanks again

Al,Marty, Joe and Scully the scrounger
USNAVY

Please include the poem below in our email Bunny thanks  

In Placentia Bay there sat on the shore
A young girl who mourned for her love who's no more
The pride of his manhood is the prize of the sea
And the seagulls still follow on freedom

She reached out her hand to an old man passed by
And she lifted her head with a tear in her eye
Said, "Sit and I'll tell you a tale of some woe
While the seagulls still follow on freedom"

I come from Toronto, upon the mainland
And there's many's a thing here that I don't understand
Like why are these young men still slaves to the sea
When the seagulls still follow on freedom

He said to this young maid, as held her small hand
"The sea and its fury are part of this land
And them who can't take it had better not stay
With the seagulls who follow on freedom"

"Those men who quote figures and count the cause lost
They see on the high seas and the lives it has cost
They don't see the life as we know it to be
Like the seagulls who follow on freedom"

"So they cheat us and they rob us and continue to say
That our only salvation is leaving the bay
But I'll soon be ninety and there's one thing I know
That the seagulls still follow on freedom"

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MAIL CALL

There's a scramble in the barracks
When our mail call time arrives,
And we hit the stair at double-time,
And our interest has revived.

We assemble in a circle
While some sergeant reads the list
Of addresses on the envelopes
Lest our letters should be missed.

There are many disappointments
When our letters do not come,
And we hit our bunks again
Feeling blue and looking glum.

But the man who gets a letter
Wears a smile so bright and gay,
Like the glimmer of the summer sun
When the clouds have passed away.

So you true and loyal civilians,
If you want to do your part,
Why not write a card or letter
To delight some soldier's heart!

Sir Lancelot

 

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[Snow Bunny]

. . . Tribute To HEROES . While the dogtag is used to provide information on an individual serviceman, I also believe that the chain which holds them represents a connection to all servicemen, no matter where you served, how you served or when you served. . The Minuteman in 1776 has a connection to the soldier fighting in Afghanistan today. That connection is every individual who has ever served in the United States Military. Each of us represents a link in the chain that connects that Minuteman of over 200 years ago to the soldier in Afghanistan today. SAMWolf . . Tribute to Vietnam Veterans Please click on picture. . The great intangible of America's wars beyond logistics, beyond strategy, beyond wonder weapons and Generals, is the spiritual force of its fighting men and women - and that is the force that the USO so serves. . Free Republic....Click for Donations . Partners . .To Jim Robinson, Founder of FRee Republic and Navy Veteran Thank you, from all those who frequent the FReeper Canteen .

[Snow Bunny]

The Purpose of the USO Canteen FReeper Style

Recognizing the cost of Freedom is what the Canteen is all about

I want to take you to a place , the weather is hot, beyond hot and sticky too .It is like wearing a scuba suit and pouring hot caro syrup down inside of it. You give up wiping the sweat off your face and arms because it does not do any good.You learn to own it, the heat and humidity, the stickiness. Own it and become it. Then it is bareable......almost.

A boy really but a man because of the war is laying in a hospital in a bed . Not a hospital like we know, this is make shit . He has his right leg gone, pieces of it left in the jungle. His other leg missing just above the knee. His right hand gone as well. His shoulder a huge chunk gone so even with bandages the deformaity is obvious. His face, he may have been a great looking hearthrob in the past, maybe a girl kissed his tender cheek on a date and his soft lips lingering for just one more kiss at the door. But now it was like mashed potatoes. The only thing noticable ........his eyes. The thousand yard stare was there, but behind them the clear sharp sight of what had happened. And the doubt of what his future held for him if any.

You take his one hand left and sit for hours, just being. Trying to let him know you care. The touch is all the words that need to be said. Then you start to hum a song softly and the hand in yours tightens a little for approval. Then the words of the song , and ever so gently you sing, music from your heart right into his.

He is a Hero just as the soldier at the desk at the base is a hero . All willing to serve their country and keep their land the land of the free.

Maybe both of these heroes, the wounded and the soldier at the desk had a chance to smile today or yesterday or laugh right out loud and for just a moment in time forget they were far from their loved ones, forget they were not watching a ballgame in their home or the comfort of their own bed. Maybe chuckling at the dolls and volcano and the tanks and Sam on Milk Carton,or Misty with the Beverly hillibillies,Magoo and Tomkow and Jinxie with their jokes, the 666 and one of us upside down......maybe that is their last belly laugh, maybe it is what makes the difference for them that moment in time.

[Snow Bunny]

[Snow Bunny]

[Snow Bunny]

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands;
one nation UNDER GOD,
indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

[Snow Bunny]

A PRAYER OF PROTECTION

The light of God surround you
The love of God enfold you
The power of God protect you
The presence of God watch over you
Wherever you are,God is,
And all is well.
Amen.

[Snow Bunny]

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Click on Beamer to go to thread for details of the USO Canteen FReeper Style
Business Card and How To's

[Snow Bunny]

Poor is the nation that has no heroes.
Shameful is the one that, having heroes - Forgets them!
from a monument on the Davis Bridge Battlefield, Bolivar,Tn.

We support our Canadian troops, our friends fighting the enemy with us.
Operation APOLLO is Canada's military contribution to the international campaign against terrorism.

Sergeant Kory Fisher of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI) Battle Group

[Snow Bunny]

I salute a Hero

[Snow Bunny]

 

[Snow Bunny]

A U.S. Marine does his laundry next to a bullet-ridden wall of the Marine compound dubbed "Camp Rhino" in southern Afghanistan

Individuals may donate $25 which goes toward sponsorship of a
"Operation USO Care Package"
Personal greetings may be included on a
note from you titled "Operation USO Care Package"

USO of Metropolitan Washington
Operation USO Care Package
PO Box 10835
Arlington, VA 22210

For further information (1-866-USO-GIVE)

"Operation USO Care Package
will continue for as long as our
country is at war," according to Elaine Rogers, USO-Metro President.

[Snow Bunny]

Operation APOLLO is Canada's military contribution to the international campaign against terrorism

Afghanistan Private West Prince takes up a defensive position behind his C-9 light machine-gun on the perimeter of Kandahar International Airport. Pte Prince is a member of 2 Platoon, Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (3PPCLI) Battle Group

[rockfish59]

A grim shot by Life photographer Larry Burrows.
But I know this is what my brother and 2 nephews went through!

Tribute to Burrows

[quietolong]

VETERANS please help: Looking for Info on Various Military Posts

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

I happen to be awake, so I hope it's not too early to answer a little bit of that wonderful mail that came in! (I'm rather new around here, and I don't really know the protocol yet - but, here goes - someone please correct me if I've "jumped offsides".)

From Charney:

I feel like the Canteen is my home so I would like to welcome Daughter of An IwoJima Vet, she is the one known as Cap'n Duchess.

Why thank you, Charney! I was quite stunned to see your welcome, and I want you to know how much I appreciate it. I'm having a lot of fun here, and it's great to know you are, too.

I started out just being "Duchess", a name a friend in the Coast Guard gave to me. The whole "Capt'n Duchess" thing is causing some controversy. I think Kathy is trying to figure out a way to pull off a mutiny (LOL Kathy!), but, undaunted, I had my uniform fitted and I'm ready to flex my muscles (or stripes, as it were). Heheh!

Please stay safe and write often. Each and every one of us has the utmost respect and admiration for you all, and we can't begin to thank you adequately for what you're doing for us. You are in our prayers.

If you need anything - food, music, a good read, a kind word - we will not fail you!

Warmly,
Capt'n Duchess ; )

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Bunny.

[Snow Bunny]

Hi my wonderful friend, thank you for your post, the photo and the link and what you wrote too.Very Powerful my friend.

[Snow Bunny]

Hi my friend, thank you so much. I went to the link and pinged some others to it.

[Snow Bunny]

Hi so good to see you. I love your post thank you so much for your writing like that. big smile. I can't believe I did not do a spell check on mine at the top.lol I fixed it so it should be ok for the next time. Thanks again for your wonderful post .

[Snow Bunny]

Hi Aeronaut, good to see you my friend. A BIG hug for you and Otto.
((((((( hug )))))))