USO Canteen FReeper Style ~ Canteen Thanksgiving Messages to the Military ~ November 27 2002

On the eve of Thanksging in the continental United States we pause to remember those who are overseas.
Many of our service men and women will be spending their 1st Thanksgiving
away from home, family and friends.
Today military stationed in countries overseas will be celebrating Thanksgiving.
It is because of their devotion to duty, honor and country
that we will be able to celebrate our Thanksgiving tomorrow.

Senior U.S. officers serve their troops an elaborate Thanksgiving Dinner at Camp Doha in Kuwait on November 22, 2001.
U.S. soldiers serving in Kuwait, including some who had just arrived from the United States,
later headed to the Kuwaiti desert
for a military exercise close to the border with former occupier Iraq.

November 26, 2002
FROM: Jerry Falwell

WHAT THANKSGIVING MEANS TO AMERICA

Thanksgiving is probably the most significant American holiday because of the favor it has experienced from some of our greatest leaders. And the Thanksgiving tradition serves as a valuable history lesson for civil libertarians who carelessly attempt to ignore our nation's prominent religious heritage that should not be swept under the proverbial rug.

The Thanksgiving tradition can be traced back to the early Pilgrims who held a feast in 1621, after a substantial harvest. Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving, inviting Indian chief Massasoit and many of his people to this three-day feast. Squanto, the Pilgrim's translator and friend, was present as well. While this banquet would not become an annual event, it beautifully signified the heartfelt thanks of the early colonists for God's blessing on them.

On June 20, 1676, the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, determined that they would officially express thanks for their prosperity. By unanimous vote, they instructed clerk Edward Rawson to proclaim June 29 as a day of thanksgiving.

That proclamation read, in part: "... and that the Lord may behold us as a People offering Praise and thereby glorifying Him; the Council doth commend it to the Respective Ministers, Elders and people of this Jurisdiction; Solemnly and seriously to keep the same Beseeching that being perswaded by the mercies of God we may all, even this whole people offer up our bodies and soulds as a living and acceptable Service unto God by Jesus Christ."

It was not, however, until November 1, 1777, that the first official national recognition of Thanksgiving was given, when declared by the Continental Congress following Burgoyne's defeat at Saratoga. The defeat of Burgoyne and his army came following a grueling campaign that began with the British victory at Ticonderoga and our leaders desired to express thanks to God for the victory.

Throughout the 1700s, it was common practice for the colonies to observe days of thanksgiving throughout the years. Then, on October 3, 1789, George Washington, during his first year as president, set aside Thursday, November 26, as "A Day of Publick Thanksgiving anf Prayer." This official decree by the young national government determined that the day should "be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God."

No early variety of the American Civil Liberties Union arrived on the scene that day to protest Mr. Washington's action with a lawsuit. No primitive version of Barry Lynn (of Americans United for Separation of Church and State) was there to claim that a government endorsement of a day of Thanksgiving might "offend" somebody. Instead, the nation enthusiastically welcomed this proclamation with grateful hearts.

On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation distinguishing the fourth Tuesday of November as a national Thanksgiving holiday. President Lincoln also declared days of Thanksgiving for Sunday, April 13 - following the Union victory at Shiloh -and August 6, 1863, in recognition of the Union's success at Gettysburg.

Mr. Lincoln's October 1863 Thanksgiving proclamation read, in part: "No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy."

What eloquent and provocative words these are.

President Andrew Johnson set aside a special Thanksgiving on December 7, 1865 (celebrating the Union victory), and each president since that time has declared an annual national Thanksgiving. In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the holiday to the third Thursday of November (to broaden the Christmas shopping season), but after much protest, two years later changed Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday in November, where it remains today.

As you can see, Thanksgiving holds a special place in the history of our nation. Our Founders were men who were not afraid to boldly declare their thanks to Almighty God for honoring the nation.

The words of Benjamin Franklin, speaking to the Constitutional Convention, on June 28, 1787, brilliantly express the sentiment of our Founding Fathers: "I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth - that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?"

This Thanksgiving, I encourage all parents and grandparents to remind their families of the great Judeo-Christian heritage of America. It is up to us to keep alive the legacy of religious freedom and passion that sparked this nation. May the words of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" (1938) remain our constant theme as we battle to preserve the Judeo-Christian heritage of our dear nation.

"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above.
From the mountains To the prairies,
To the ocean white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home."

BROADCAST ANNOUNCEMENT

Phil Donohue called me personally to ask that I join him in his New York studio on his MSNBC "Donahue" show on Tuesday, December 3, at 8:00 p.m. (ET). I will be his only guest, plus a large (and no doubt liberal) studio audience. It is reasonable to expect that an earthquake somewhere near 10 on the Richter Scale will take place. I hope you will tune in.

On this day in history

Birthdates which occurred on November 27:

1701 Anders Celsius Sweden, scientist, inventor (centigrade temp scale)
1746 Robert Livingston delivered oath of office to George Washington
1804 Sir Julius Benedict Stuttgart Germany, opera composer (Protoghesi)
1809 Frances Anne "Fanny" Kemble England, Shakespearian actress (Juliet)
1857 Sir Charles Scott Sherrington 1932 Nobel Laureate in Medicine & Physiology; author of the classic "The Integrative Action of the Nervous System"; discoverer of Sherrington's Law; coiner of the terms "neuron" and "synapse".
1865 Jose Asuncion Silva Colombia, poet (Nocturno III)
1867 Charles Koechlin Paris France, composer (Jacob Chez Luban)
1874 Chaim Weizmann Israeli statesman (1st President)
1874 Charles A Beard American historian (American Continentalism)
19-- Stephen Elliot NYC, actor (Falcon Crest, Dallas, Executive Suite)
19-- William Fichtner actor (As the World Turns)
1900 Leon Barzin Brussels Belgium, conductor (NY City Ballet 1948-58)
1901 Ted Husing NYC, sportscaster (Monday Night Fights)
1903 Johnny Blood aka John McNally, early NFL halfback (Green Bay)
1903 Mona Washbourne actress (Stevie, Billie Liar, Driver's Seat)
1909 James Agee American writer (The African Queen)
1912 David Merrick Broadway producer (Hello Dolly)
1917 "Buffalo" Bob Smith Buffalo NY, TV host (Howdy Doody)
1921 Alexander Dubcek headed Czech Communist Party (1968-69)
1925 Ernie Wise England, comedian (Morecambe & Wise)
1925 Marshall Thompson Peoria IL, actor (Bog, To Hell & Back, Daktari)
1925 Michael Tolan Detroit MI, actor (Nurses, Senator)
1932 Benigno Aquino Jr Philippine opposition leader; assassinated
1937 Gail Sheehy writer (Hustling)
1940 Bruce Lee San Francisco CA, karate star/actor (Green Hornet)
1942 Jimi Hendrix rock guitarist (Jimi Hendrix Experience-Purple Haze)
1944 Eddie Rabbitt Brooklyn, country singer (I Love a Rainy Night)
1945 Barbara Anderson Brooklyn, actress (Eve-Ironside, Mission Impossible)
1951 Jayne Kennedy Wash DC, sportscaster (CBS)/actress (Body & Soul)
1952 James D Wetherbee Flushing NY, Lt Cmdr USN/astronaut (STS-32, sk:46)
1954 Curtis Armstrong actor (Moonlighting)
1954 Patricia McPherson Oak Harbor Wash, actress (Bonnie-Knight Rider)
1957 Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg JFK's daughter
1959 Charlie Burchill rocker (Simple Minds-Breakfast Club)
1960 Ken O'Brien QB (NY Jets)
1961 Princess rocker (Desirez Heslop, All For Love)
1962 Calvin Hayes rocker (Johnny Hates Jazz-Turn Back the Clock)
1962 Charlie Benante Bronx NY, rock drummer (Anthrax-Protest & Survive)
1963 Fisher Stevens Chicago, actor (My Science Project, Short Circuit)
1964 Rebecca Michelle Ferratti Helena Mt, playmate (Jun, 1986)
1964 Robin Simone Givens [Mrs Mike Tyson] NYC, (Darlene-Head of the Class)
1965 Fiachna O'Broanain rocker (Hothouse Flowers-Don't Go)
1976 Jaleel White Los Angeles CA, actor (Steve Urkel-Family Matters)
1976 Tyrone Sutton

Deaths which occurred on November 27:

8 -BC- Horace Latin poet & satirist, dies (birth date unknown)
1934 Baby Face Nelson shot by FBI agents
1953 Eugene O'Neill playwright, dies in Boston at 65
1965 Harry Harvey Sr actor (It's a Man's World), dies at 64
1975 Ross McWhirter Guinness Book of Records keeper, is murdered
1978 George Moscone (San Francisco Mayor) & City Sup Harvey Milk shot by Dan White
1981 Lotte Lenya singer/actress, dies in NY at 83
1984 Percy Norris deputy high commissioner of India, shot dead
1986 Steve Tracy actor (Percival-Little House on the Praire), dies at 61
1988 John Carradine actor, dies at 82 of kidney failure

On this day...

399 St Anastasius I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1095 Pope Urban II preaches 1st Crusade
1815 Cracow (Poland) declared a free republic
1817 US soldiers attack Florida Indian village, beginning Seminole War
1839 American Statistical Association organizes in Boston
1843 The opera "The Bohemian Girl" is produced (London)
1870 NY Times dubs baseball "The National Game"
1885 Earliest photograph of a meteor shower made
1889 1st permit issued to drive a car through Central Park (Curtis Brady)
1890 1st signal box for San Francisco Police Department goes into operation
1895 Alfred Nobel establishes Nobel Prize
1898 Side-wheeler "Portland" sinks off Cape Cod, 190 die
1901 Army War College established in Washington DC
1903 The opera "Die Heugierigen Frauen" is produced (Munich)
1910 NY's Penn Station opens as world's largest railway terminal
1912 Albanian National Flag adopted
1912 Spanish protectorate in Morocco established
1924 57,000 watch a High School football game in LA
1926 110,000 watch Army & Navy play a 21-all tie
1926 KXL-AM in Portland OR begins radio transmissions
1926 Restoration of Williamsburg, Virginia, begins
1937 Pro-labor musical revue "Pins & Needles" opens, produced by ILGWU
1941 USSR begins a counter offensive causing Germany to retreat
1942 French navy at Toulon scuttles ships & subs so Nazis don't take them
1945 Gen George C Marshall named special US envoy to China
1947 Joe DiMaggio wins his 3rd MVP, beating Ted Williams by 1 vote
1951 1st rocket to intercept an airplane, White Sands, NM
1957 Army withdraws from Little Rock AR, after Central HS integration
1958 USSR abrogates Allied war-time agreements on control of Germany
1960 Gordie Howe becomes 1st NHLer to score 1,000 points
1960 Trailing 38-7 late in 3rd quarter, Buffalo Bills tie Broncos at 38-38
1961 Gordie Howe becomes 1st to play in 1,000 NHL games
1965 1st French satellite launched, France becomes 3rd nation in space
1966 In highest-scoring NFL game, Wash Redskins defeat NY Giants 72-41
1967 Beatles release "Magical Mystery Tour"
1967 Gold pool nations pledge support of $35 per ounce gold price
1970 George Harrison releases 3 album set "All Things Must Pass"
1970 Pope Paul VI wounded in chest during a visit to Philippines by a dagger-wielding Bolivian painter disguised as a priest
1971 Soviet Mars 2 becomes 1st spacecraft to crash land on Mars
1972 Yanks trade Ellis, Torres & Spikes to Indians for Nettles & Moses
1973 Senate votes 92-3 to confirm Gerald R Ford as VP
1975 Fred Lynn became 1st rookie to win the MVP
1980 Soyuz T-3 carries 3 cosmonauts to Salyut 6 space station, launched
1982 5th time Rangers shut-out Islanders 3-0
1983 Colombian Avianca Airlines Boeing 747 crashes in Madrid killing 185
1985 Republic of Ireland gains consultative role in Northern Ireland
1989 Colombian jetliner bombed killing 107
1989 George Harrison releases "Cheer Down" & "Poor Little Girl"
1989 US 63rd manned space mission STS 33 (Discovery 9) returns from space
1990 Britain's conservatives chose John Major to succeed Margaret Thatcher
1991 Undertaker beats Hulk Hogan to become new WWF champ

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Burma : National Day
Cuba : Martyrs' Day
Israel : Weizmann Day
Mass : John F Kennedy Day (1963) - - - - - ( Sunday )
Bern Switzerland : Onion Market Day-autumn festival - - - - - ( Monday )
US : Thanksgiving - - - - - ( Thursday )

Religious Observances
RC : Commemoration of the Miraculous Medal

Religious History

1095 In France, Pope Urban II solemnly proclaimed the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont. Urban's twin_purpose was to relieve the pressure by the Seljuk Turks on the Eastern Roman Empire, and to secure free access to Jerusalem for Christian pilgrims.

1755 Land for the first Jewish settlement in America was purchased by Joseph Salvador, who bought 10,000 acres near Fort Ninety_Six, in the southern part of the Carolina Colony.

1862 Birth of Adelaide Pollard, Presbyterian hymnwriter. Plagued with frail health most of her life, she lived the life of a mystic. Of the several hymns she penned, "Have Thine Own Way, Lord" is still popular today.

1950 American missionary martyr Jim Elliot wrote in his journal: 'What gets me into the Kingdom, from Christ's own statement, is not saying "Lord, Lord," but acting "Lord, Lord."'

1953 English Christian apologist C.S. Lewis wrote in a letter: 'Anxiety is not only a pain which we must ask God to assuage but also a weakness we must ask Him to pardon __ for He's told us to take no care for the morrow.'

Thought for the day :
" No man can serve two masters, yes-men can serve hundreds. "

This day in military history . . .

November 27 . . .

1382 - The French nobility, led by Olivier de Clisson, crush the Flemish rebels at Flanders.

1812 - One of the two bridges being used by Napoleon Bonaparte's army across the Beresina River in Russia collapses during a Russian artillery barrage.

1863 - John Hunt Morgan escapes from the Ohio Penitentiary: Confederate cavalry raider John Hunt Morgan and several of his men break out of the Ohio state prison and escape safely to the South. Morgan was raised in Kentucky and served in the Mexican War under General Zachary Taylor. He was a successful hemp manufacturer before the war, but he moved to Alabama when Kentucky did not secede with the rest of the South. Morgan became a hero in the South when he made four daring raids on northern-held territory in 1862 and 1863. Though these raids were of limited strategic value, they boosted Southern morale and kept thousands of Federal troops occupied trying to hunt down Morgan. On his last raid, however, his reach exceeded his grasp. He took a large band and headed into Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. After riding past Cincinnati, Morgan and his men tried to cross the Ohio River back into Kentucky, but they were surprised and routed by a larger Federal force at Buffington Island, Ohio. With his escape blocked, Morgan turned into northeastern Ohio but was finally surrounded by pursuing Yankee cavalry at Salineville on July 26, 1863. Morgan and several of his top officers were incarcerated in the newly constructed Ohio State Penitentiary at Columbus while the rest of his men were sent to various Northern prisoner of war camps. Morgan and his men burrowed out of the prison by cutting a hole in the cell of one of the inmates. Below the cell was a crawl space for ventilation and they tunneled to the outside and journeyed safely to Confederate territory. Morgan returned to his cavalry activities in Tennessee after his escape. At Greeneville, Tennessee, in 1864, Morgan fell victim to the same kind of raid that he so often conducted and Yankee cavalry killed him.

1868 - Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer's 7th Cavalry kills Chief Blackkettle and about 100 Cheyenne (mostly women and children) on the Washita River.

1904 - The German colonial army defeats Hottentots at Warmbad in southwest Africa.

1909 - U.S. troops land in Bluefields, Nicaragua, to protect American interests there.

1942 - The French fleet in Toulon is scuttled to keep it from Germany.

1950 - East of the Chosin River, Chinese forces annihilate an American task force.

1965 - Pentagon calls for troop increase: The Pentagon informs President Johnson that if General Westmoreland is to conduct the major sweep operations necessary to destroy enemy forces during the coming year, U.S. troop strength should be increased from 120,000 to 400,000 men. Also on this day: The Viet Cong release two U.S. special forces soldiers captured two years earlier during a battle of Hiep Hoa, 40 miles southwest of Saigon. At a news conference in Phnom Penh three days later, the two Americans, Sgt. George Smith and Specialist 5th Class Claude McClure, declared that they opposed U.S. actions in Vietnam and would campaign for the withdrawal of American troops. Although Smith later denied making the statement, U.S. authorities announced that the two men would face trial for cooperating with the enemy. Also on this day: In Washington, nearly 35,000 war protestors circle the White House for two hours before moving on to the Washington Monument. Dr. Benjamin Spock, Coretta Scott King, and activist Norman Thomas were among those who gave speeches.

1970 - South Vietnamese forces attacked near Cambodian border: A South Vietnamese task force, operating in southeastern Cambodia, comes under North Vietnamese attack near the town of Krek. The South Vietnamese command reported repelling the assault and killing enemy soldiers. The South Vietnamese command also reported killing 33 Viet Cong in the Rung Sat special zone, 23 miles southeast of Saigon.

1950 - East of the Chosin River, Chinese forces annihilate an American task force.

The Brotherhood of Soldiers At War

In November, 1950 eight thousand fighters, most of them United States Marines, struggled to survive the coldest winter in 100 years in North Korea. Surrounded by 120,000 Chinese soldiers, their only lifeline was a 15'-wide, steep mountain road they called the M.S.R. (Main Supply Route) that led to the port city of Hungnam. From Yudam-ni at the north west corner of the Chanjin Reservoir, the MSR was a dangerous, 78-mile journey to the Sea of Japan. The trip was made far more difficult by the massive enemy force surrounding it. The withdrawal, the longest in American military history, would take 13 days and cost many lives. Those who didn't understand what was happening called it a "retreat", while one American general simply said, "We're attacking in a different direction." How you access what happened over those two freezing weeks in North Korea depends on your perspective.

It is adversity that demands valor, trial that demonstrates the highest levels of brotherhood. The Marines at the Chanjin Reservoir, identified on Japanese maps as the CHOSIN Reservoir, pulled together to insure the success of the withdrawal. What many people might have considered to be the darkest two weeks in Marine Corps history, may have in fact, become the Marine Corp's DEFINING MOMENT. With their backs to the wall, the men of the 1st Marine Division pulled together to accomplish the impossible. Their teamwork cemented a band of brothers who came to call themselves:

"The Frozen Chosin" (snip)

"Give Me Tomorrow."

The hope for any tomorrows lay in the Marines' ability to support each other. Eight thousand troops from the 5th and 7th Marines were at the northwest corner of the Chosin Reservoir at Yudam-ni. Their only hope of support was provided by the 3,000 clerks and supply personnel 14 miles south at Hagaru-ri. The lifeline was the MSR, winding its way through the snow covered mountains. If the MSR fell to the Chinese, the 5th and 7th Marines would be cut off....trapped. To prevent this, Company F (Fox), 2d Battalion, 1st Marine Division was sent to the high mountains of the 3-mile long Toktong Pass, almost mid-way between Yudam-ni and Hagaru-ri.

Monday, November 27th

Captain Bill Barber had only been in Korea for a month, but he was no "rookie company commander". He had proved his leadership abilities and courage five years earlier at Iwo Jima, where he was awarded the Silver Star. On November 27th Captain Barber and his 240 Marines were moved by truck to the Toktong Pass, where Barber found a high ridge overlooking the MSR. As night fell his Marines tried desperately to break through the frozen ground to dig foxholes. Their position, dubbed "Fox Hill", was going to be home for a while.

At 2:30 in the morning on November 28th, while Staff Sergeant Kennemore lay bleeding in the snow miles north of Barber's company, the Chinese swarmed Fox Hill. Swooping in from their hidden positions in the mountains, the Communist soldiers surrounded Barber's Marines. Wave after wave came at Barber throughout the early morning, threatening to over run Fox Hill, but the Marines held. Many had been roused from their sleeping bags by the surprise onslaught, and fought for hours in their bare feet. Wounded Marines ignored serious injuries to continue the fight. One of them, Private Hector Cafferata, fought a lone battle to keep the fanatical Communists from over-running his position. As daylight dawned, an enemy grenade landed in a shallow trench where the more seriously wounded had been moved. Cafferata rushed forward and grabbed the grenade, lobbing it away to save the wounded Marines. The heroic action cost him serious wounds to his hand and arms, but even those wounds weren't enough to stop Cafferata. He continued to resist, to battle the enemy, until wounded by a sniper bullet.

Daylight signaled the potential for the Marines to receive air support, and the Chinese pulled back. In the first night on Fox Hill, Barber's company had lost 20 men killed, one out of five wounded. The withdrawing Chinese left 450 dead on the rocky slopes of Fox Hill. But they would return.

For more
http://www.homeofheroes.com/brotherhood/chosin.html

Dear Sir or Madam,

I wanted to take a few moments to say a few things about Thanksgiving and what it means to this Sailor's wife.

First, thank you for the freedom that you provide for all American citizens and freedom loving people of the world. Freedom is not something that can be seen to the average American, but for those that yearn to have it; you represent the brightest light towards it. Don't forget it!

Thank you for weathering vilification, negative media blitzes, anti-war protesters, politicians who give themselves pay raises and not you, Commander In Chief changes, long deployments, endless hours, loss of home life, loss of family quality time, loss of your own freedoms to choose what you would like to do for the day, or not having the opportunity to say "goodnight" to your children.

Thank you for doing a thankless job to those that don't understand what "Thank You" means nor those that have the courage to say it lest it be politically incorrect.

Thank you for providing an answer to every dictator, oppressor, totalitarian, murderer, rapist, and anti-American who fear giving power to their own people.

Thank you for providing hope for many of the oppressed people that live under the above mentioned situations. They may not say it openly or proudly, but they will march the streets waving American flags when they have experienced freedom for the first time.

Thank you for carrying on a tradition that has been passed on from one generation to the next in this country. There are two ways to best serve: serve God or country. If we can't muster enough decent people to serve our country proudly, we only have ourselves to blame. We have taken you for granted for too long. For this, I'm sorry.

Thank you for being able to read through the political smokescreens that politicians spew for the television cameras. Your job is to defend America. Not to defend the actions and words of a few who simply don't get it or refuse to.

Most of all, thank you for my freedom. Thank you for allowing me to freely play on the computer, work, love my family, meet new people, and to cherish lifelong friends. In many countries, I would be dead or jailed for such activity. In America, it was a birthright given to me from my birth. It is not one that I shall take for granted. If I do, please God don't let me forget. Thank you to one and all serving out there. I'm proud to be an American and I'm proud to know that there are brave men and women that fight on our behalf.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

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