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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[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Wife #1: Hey, Lynn, tell me this. How were you able to keep your husband from staying out late?
Wife #2: Well, everytime he would come home I would simply say, 'Mike, is that you?'
Wife #1: But I still don't understand. How did that keep him from staying out?
Wife #2: My husband's name is Andrew.

[tomkow6]

A man was eating in a fancy restaurant, and there was a gorgeous woman eating at the next table. He had been checking her out all night, but lacked the nerve to go talk to her. Suddenly she sneezed and her glass eye went flying out of her socket towards the man. With his quick reflexes, he caught it in mid-air. "Oh my god, I'm sooooo sorry," the woman said as she popped her eye back into its socket. "Let me buy you dinner to make it up to you." They enjoyed a wonderful dinner together and afterwards the woman offered to drive him home. "But it's over an hour out of your way," the man said. "Are you sure you don't mind?" "Not at all," she said. "I'm looking forward to it." The guy was amazed and flattered. "You know, you're the perfect woman," he said. "Are you this nice to every guy you meet?" "No," she replied, "you just happened to catch my eye!"

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Q: How many feminists does it take to change a light bulb?

A: 20: one to change the bulb, the rest to make a documentary all about it.

Q: How many feminists does it take to change a light bulb?

A: That's not funny!

[tomkow6]

Three friends; a blonde, a brunette and a redhead are stuck on an island.
One day, the three of them are walking along the beach and discover a magic
lamp.

They rub and rub, and sure enough, out pops a genie. The genie says, "Since
I can only grant three wishes, you may each have one."

The brunette says, "I've been stuck here for years. I miss my family, my
husband, and my life. I just want to go home." POOF! The brunette gets her
wish and she is returned to her family. Then, the red head says, "I've been
stuck here for years as well. I miss my family, my husband, and my life. I
wish I could go home too." POOF! The redhead gets her wish and she is
returned to her family.

The blonde starts crying uncontrollably. The genie asks, "My dear, what's
the matter?"

The blonde whimpers, "I wish my friends were still here."

[SAMWolf]

Four airman rest while waiting for site surveyors to map out the next row of tents at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Air Force civil engineers are escavating, grading and building the infrastructure at Al Udeid in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Efrain Gonzalez.

Heading down the last stretch of desert, students from the Desert Environmental Survival Training course in El Centro, California are beat from the week prior of walking (and sometimes running) in the blanket of night to avoid capture from instructors portraying the enemy. These long nights consist of navigating through the night desert for lengths of up to 10 miles at a time in temperatures around 40 degrees only to get to their position, dig a trench, and use pieces of parachute as shade against the day sun that can reach up to 120 degrees. U.S. Navy Photo by Petty Officer 2nd class Aaron Ansarov.

Lt. Patrick Honeck of La Mesa, Calif., greets his son upon arrival at Naval Air Station, Whidbey Island, Wash. Honeck, along with 23 other Combat Reconnaissance Crew One (VQ-1) members, was held in China for 11 days after their U.S. Navy P-3 aircraft collided with a Chinese jet. U.S. Navy Photo by Petty Officer 2nd class Aaron Ansarov.

After forty-three sea going days without a port visit, Sailors and Marines of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) finally jump ship on November 1, 2001 to enjoy a day of swim call. The Theodore Roosevelt is operating in the Arabian Sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Navy Photo by Chief Photographers Mate Johnny Bivera.

Standing on the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, the forward watch keeps a vigilant eye for anything suspicious. The Roosevelt is operating in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Navy Photo by Chief Photographers Mate Johnny Bivera.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Oh boy, Girlz, we're hopticoptering today. Radu needs Dramamine. Jen, do you know who can drive? Maybe AFCATMRet can help. Hey, Duchess, how's this for a different kind of speed?

Maybe we need a Marine. Paging Leatherneck Rangler Jody!!! Got anybody who can drive this thing?

[HiJinx]

James K.L., Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class - You've made our day, James! Each of our Canteen Gurlz pours her heart out trying to let you guys know how much you mean to us, and how much they love you for what you're doing. Whether it's music, cyber food, pictures, or stories, they're doing all they can to make sure you're never too far from home. Rest assured, they are here for you now and they'll continue to be here for you until this is all over!

Hey look, here comes another shipment of snacks for the Canteen Pantry!!

[HiJinx]

Charney, US Army - Welcome to your home away from home! How neat of you to recognize one of our newcomers the way you have. The Duchess is pretty special to all of us...it's just a way we have, welcoming people into the Canteen like they're part of one big happy family! A little on the weird side, maybe, but family nonetheless!!!

[HiJinx]

Michael, USARMY - You're a lucky man, Michael, to have friends like the Z-TAR guys! And you have quite the eye for the beauty that abounds here at the Canteen! As long as you need us, Michael, we're going to be here for you. That's a commitment that I believe each and every one of us has made as our contribution to this war on terror...you guys are very special to us, and we're praying daily for your safety and comfort.

[backhoe]

Thanks for looking; your comments are appreciated.

[tomkow6]

Let ME try! I can do it! I wwanna do it!

[tomkow6]

Hi MoJo!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Those ironclads were really something. Just getting them built was quite the feat. Thanks, aomagrat, for the history of the USS (EX-CSS) Tennessee.

[Soaring Feather]

~~~~~Johnny USAF

Dear Johnny,

I'm so very sorry about the lost of your dad 9/12/01. Losing a parent is never easy. I will say a prayer for you and your family. Thank you for taking the time to write, we love hearing from you.

Sincerely,
bentfeather

~~~~~James K.L. Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class

Dear James,

The rodeo was great fun, I enjoyed it very much too. Snow Bunny and Canteen Crew are always thinking up new and exciting ways for the troops serving our great nation. Thanks for writing and please do again if you have a minute.
How's this for zany?

~~~~Charney USARMY

Hi Charney,

Writing to the troops is one of the things I can do. Thank you for being there on the front keeping us safe. We love hearing from you.

~~~~~Joel USNAVY

Hi Joel,

The chicken dance is really funny. I used to work with a young man that did that dance every afternoon. Cracked the entire office up. Stay safe and thank you for writing.
Sorry I don't have a chicken! LOL

~~~~Michael USARMY

Hi Michael,

So you like the tank babes! I would say we are a pretty unique crew! Thank you so much for the lovely compliment "elegence tank style" LOL, I really like that! Best wishes and just for you Michael the following...

~~~~Mark USMC

Hi Mark, So you are the Trivia Champ!! Great going! Thanks for writing to the Canteen! Stay safe and thank you for fighting to keep freedom free.

~~~~Al, Marty, Joe and Sculy the scrounger
USNAVY

Hi Guys,

Thank you so much for the poem. In Placentia Bay there sat on the shore...

I like to have you fellows respond about poetry with poetry.
Thank you for thinking about and coming to the Belvedere Room when you have a moment.
We love having you come into our lovely lounge for quite and comfort.

~~~~Sir Lancelot

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.

I love this poem, thank you for posting it. Looking forward to your next posting.

Thank you guys and gals for all you do to keep us safe. ~~~~Bless you all and stay safe.~~~~~

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hiya zip! Great job you Mid Missouri FReepers do each week. I think it's neat that you always have a ziplet with you. Please thank Shane for me. And thank you for your service to our country.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm ..........I'm thinking tom. Can you come up with at least a few qualifications to fly one of those hopticopters? I don't think I can grant you permission based on what one of your voices might be saying.