It is the United States Marine Corps 223rd birthday today. Semper Fi and
thanks to all who serve. Salute to my father who died March 2, 2008 after
30 years of active service in the U.S. Marines, through WWII, Korea and
Vietnam.

OB Food: I will be making something I know my mother absolutely won't eat:
stewed lamb shanks. Hey, I have to reap *some* benefit from not having to
worry about what she will and won't eat. Cleanup is so much simpler, too,
when I'm not cooking separate meals all day long.

The lamb shanks are simple. The same recipe works for rabbit, if you're so
inclined. Lots of garlic is the key. Brown them in a little olive oil with
several cloves of garlic and some onion or shallots. Deglaze the pan with a
glass of white or very light red wine. Add about 3 cups of chicken stock or
broth. Add a couple teaspoons of dried thyme, a bay leaf or two, salt &
some peppercorns. (You can make a cheesecloth bag and do a bouquet garni.)
Cover and simmer on low heat for a couple of hours until the lamb is tender
and falling off the bone. Carefully remove the lamb shanks to a platter and
debone it. Thicken the gravy with arrowroot (heh) or a cornstarch slurry.
Serve the meat and gravy over rice with whatever other sides you'd like.

Jill

On 2008-11-10, jmcquown > wrote:
> It is the United States Marine Corps 223rd birthday today. Semper Fi and
> thanks to all who serve. Salute to my father who died March 2, 2008 after
> 30 years of active service in the U.S. Marines, through WWII, Korea and
> Vietnam.

[salute returned]

> The lamb shanks are simple.

Sounds tasty, but where the heck does one get lamb shanks and how many do
you have to buy to make a meal or two? I can't even imagine it.

nb

notbob wrote:
> On 2008-11-10, jmcquown > wrote:
>> It is the United States Marine Corps 223rd birthday today. Semper
>> Fi and thanks to all who serve. Salute to my father who died March
>> 2, 2008 after 30 years of active service in the U.S. Marines,
>> through WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
>
> [salute returned]
>
>> The lamb shanks are simple.
>
> Sounds tasty, but where the heck does one get lamb shanks and how
> many do you have to buy to make a meal or two? I can't even imagine
> it.
>
> nb

They generally come vacuum packaged two shanks per package. They're meaty.
Two is certainly enough for folks like you and me, nb, we're only cooking
for one or two. The leftovers are very tasty, too. Ask at the butcher
counter at your grocery store

Jill

"jmcquown" wrote:
> It is the United States Marine Corps 223rd birthday today. �Semper Fi and
> thanks to all who serve. �Salute to my father who died March 2, 2008 after
> 30 years of active service in the U.S. Marines, through WWII, Korea and
> Vietnam.

I salute him.

> OB Food: I will be making something I know my mother absolutely won't eat:
> stewed lamb shanks. �

I think if you ask real nice Barb will donate a jar of her varmint
jelly

On Nov 10, 10:56*am, "jmcquown" > wrote:
> It is the United States Marine Corps 223rd birthday today. *Semper Fi and
> thanks to all who serve. *Salute to my father who died March 2, 2008 after
> 30 years of active service in the U.S. Marines, through WWII, Korea and
> Vietnam.
>
> OB Food: I will be making something I know my mother absolutely won't eat:
> stewed lamb shanks. *Hey, I have to reap *some* benefit from not having to
> worry about what she will and won't eat. *Cleanup is so much simpler, too,
> when I'm not cooking separate meals all day long.
>
> The lamb shanks are simple. *The same recipe works for rabbit, if you're so
> inclined. *Lots of garlic is the key. *Brown them in a little olive oil with
> several cloves of garlic and some onion or shallots. *Deglaze the pan with a
> glass of white or very light red wine. *Add about 3 cups of chicken stock or
> broth. *Add a couple teaspoons of dried thyme, a bay leaf or two, salt &
> some peppercorns. *(You can make a cheesecloth bag and do a bouquet garni.)
> Cover and simmer on low heat for a couple of hours until the lamb is tender
> and falling off the bone. *Carefully remove the lamb shanks to a platter and
> debone it. *Thicken the gravy with arrowroot (heh) or a cornstarch slurry.
> Serve the meat and gravy over rice with whatever other sides you'd like.
>
> Jill

Nice with polenta!

"jmcquown" > > It is the United States Marine Corps
223rd birthday today. Semper Fi and
> thanks to all who serve. Salute to my father who died March 2, 2008 after
> 30 years of active service in the U.S. Marines, through WWII, Korea and
> Vietnam.

Thanks Jill!

I just passed this along to my husband who served in the USMC. Also he has
two brothers who served proudly in the USMC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXpUc...eature=related

Semper Fi!

Chris in Pearland, TX

"jmcquown" > wrote in message ...
| It is the United States Marine Corps 223rd birthday today. Semper Fi and
| thanks to all who serve. Salute to my father who died March 2, 2008 after
| 30 years of active service in the U.S. Marines, through WWII, Korea and
| Vietnam.
|

Thank you, Jill, but today is the 233rd Birthday.

Semper Fi

pavane

pavane wrote:
> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
> ...
>> It is the United States Marine Corps 223rd birthday today. Semper
>> Fi and thanks to all who serve. Salute to my father who died March
>> 2, 2008 after 30 years of active service in the U.S. Marines,
>> through WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
>>
>
> Thank you, Jill, but today is the 233rd Birthday.
>
> Semper Fi
>
> pavane

ooops! You're right! Well I was close! Semper Fi!

Jill

"jmcquown" wrote

> It is the United States Marine Corps 223rd birthday today. Semper Fi and
> thanks to all who serve. Salute to my father who died March 2, 2008 after
> 30 years of active service in the U.S. Marines, through WWII, Korea and
> Vietnam.

Semper Fi to my brother service! 233 years and going strong! HOOAHH!

cshenk wrote:
> "jmcquown" wrote
>
>> It is the United States Marine Corps 223rd birthday today. Semper
>> Fi and thanks to all who serve. Salute to my father who died March
>> 2, 2008 after 30 years of active service in the U.S. Marines,
>> through WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
>
> Semper Fi to my brother service! 233 years and going strong! HOOAHH!


My hat's off! I found my father's military dress sword in the cedar chest.
We still don't know what he did with all his medals. I've only found one
purple heart. His bronze star, his silver star, all the other stuff... he
managed to hide away so that no one can find.

Jill

"jmcquown" wrote
> cshenk wrote:

>> Semper Fi to my brother service! 233 years and going strong! HOOAHH!

> My hat's off! I found my father's military dress sword in the cedar
> chest. We still don't know what he did with all his medals. I've only
> found one purple heart. His bronze star, his silver star, all the other
> stuff... he managed to hide away so that no one can find.

;-) Ah well.

I'll be going out May2009 with 26 years of service. US Navy. Seen alot of
blue water. I'd stay to 30 but can't sadly. Partly medical (bad back
issues, headed to 70% disability they say) and partly high year tenure (E8,
only allowed 26 years and have to retire).

On Nov 10, 1:36*pm, "jmcquown" > wrote:
> cshenk wrote:
> > "jmcquown" wrote
>
> >> It is the United States Marine Corps 223rd birthday today. *Semper
> >> Fi and thanks to all who serve. *Salute to my father who died March
> >> 2, 2008 after 30 years of active service in the U.S. Marines,
> >> through WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
>
> > Semper Fi to my brother service! *233 years and going strong! *HOOAHH!
>
> My hat's off! *I found my father's military dress sword in the cedar chest.
> We still don't know what he did with all his medals. *I've only found one
> purple heart. *His bronze star, his silver star, all the other stuff... he
> managed to hide away so that no one can find.
>
> Jill

Jill, don't give up, they could surface. A few years before he passed
away my Dad asked for me help clearing his garage. We ran across an
old footlocker - Dad couldn't remember what was in it so we opened it
and found a bunch of moth eaten Army blankets destined for the dump.
Nearly missed a ratty old wadded up paper bag in the bottom - yep,
there were the medals. Evidently he'd stashed them there years before
for safekeeping during a move and had forgotten where they were.
Brought tears to his eyes when I found them and to mine when he gave
them to me.
Boy, do I miss him.

DH, a Viet Nam era Marine vet, is fortunate to still have his Dad, a
retired Marine Colonel. They had their annual USMC Birthday chat
first thing this morning.

Semper Fi and a heartfelt salute to your Dad

Nancy T

On Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:36:36 -0500, "jmcquown" >
wrote:

>I found my father's military dress sword in the cedar chest.
>We still don't know what he did with all his medals. I've only found one
>purple heart. His bronze star, his silver star, all the other stuff... he
>managed to hide away so that no one can find.

Hubby told me yesterday about someone finding over $100,000 hidden in
the wall of a bathroom that was being remodeled. Check for new paint
spots!

Too bad spots of new paint didn't mean money for my husband. After
his father died, hubby took a good look at the garage door and it was
a gazillion different shades of white. Apparently his dad was into
"touch up" painting.



--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

sf wrote:

> Hubby told me yesterday about someone finding over $100,000 hidden in
> the wall of a bathroom that was being remodeled. Check for new paint
> spots!

$182,000. What an ordeal that one turned into. One of the things I read
was that the owner of the house got pretty greedy about things, and then
family came crawling out of the woodwork (pardon the pun). This story is
a bit more succinct than the others I have read. The contractor didn't
end up with "that" much:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081110/...UuWjxmvtiB IF

It could have been so easy if he and the homeowner kept it between
themselves.

--Lin

ntantiques wrote:
> On Nov 10, 1:36 pm, "jmcquown" > wrote:
>> cshenk wrote:
>>> "jmcquown" wrote
>>
>>>> It is the United States Marine Corps 223rd birthday today. Semper
>>>> Fi and thanks to all who serve. Salute to my father who died March
>>>> 2, 2008 after 30 years of active service in the U.S. Marines,
>>>> through WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
>>
>>> Semper Fi to my brother service! 233 years and going strong! HOOAHH!
>>
>> My hat's off! I found my father's military dress sword in the cedar
>> chest. We still don't know what he did with all his medals. I've
>> only found one purple heart. His bronze star, his silver star, all
>> the other stuff... he managed to hide away so that no one can find.
>>
>> Jill
>
> Jill, don't give up, they could surface. A few years before he passed
> away my Dad asked for me help clearing his garage. We ran across an
> old footlocker - Dad couldn't remember what was in it so we opened it
> and found a bunch of moth eaten Army blankets destined for the dump.
> Nearly missed a ratty old wadded up paper bag in the bottom - yep,
> there were the medals. Evidently he'd stashed them there years before
> for safekeeping during a move and had forgotten where they were.
> Brought tears to his eyes when I found them and to mine when he gave
> them to me.
> Boy, do I miss him.
>
> DH, a Viet Nam era Marine vet, is fortunate to still have his Dad, a
> retired Marine Colonel. They had their annual USMC Birthday chat
> first thing this morning.
>
> Semper Fi and a heartfelt salute to your Dad
>
> Nancy T


We've looked everywhere, Nancy. Last August (before I got here) he had my
brother and a contractor bring all sorts of boxes down from the attic to
throw away. I sincerely doubt they took the time to go through the boxes.
It's entirely possible his other medals wound up at the dump. I've found
empty boxes that the medals came in. He was suffering so from Altzheimers
he probably didn't even realize what he'd done with them.

I'd purchased display-case style tables years ago to put them in after he
told me I was to receive all his military items. I am very proud of my
father's service to the U.S. I'll be keeping all of his ribbon pins, of
course. And his eagles from when he was made a full bird Colonel.

I wonder if it would be possible for me to get replacements (not "replicas")
based on his service records. I'll have to call the base to inquire. I've
got his discharge papers so they might be able to do that. However, I do
know there's a lot of forgery that goes on. My father was furious about
people imitating military veterans who had no right to call themselves such.

Jill

jmcquown wrote:

> I wonder if it would be possible for me to get replacements (not
> "replicas") based on his service records. I'll have to call the base
> to inquire.

Check he

http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/genme...dalreplace.htm

nancy

"Nancy Young" wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
> > I wonder if it would be possible for me to get replacements (not
> > "replicas") based on his service records. �I'll have to call the base
> > to inquire. �
>
> Check he
>
> http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/genme...dalreplace.htm

That's one way, but the VFW will do it for you, and they'll do a
complete search to find out if there are other awards and entitlements
forthcoming. Go to a local VFW chapter and speak with the commander.

Sheldon wrote:
> "Nancy Young" wrote:
>> jmcquown wrote:
>>> I wonder if it would be possible for me to get replacements (not
>>> "replicas") based on his service records. �I'll have to call the
>>> base to inquire. �
>>
>> Check he
>>
>> http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/genme...dalreplace.htm
>
> That's one way, but the VFW will do it for you, and they'll do a
> complete search to find out if there are other awards and entitlements
> forthcoming. Go to a local VFW chapter and speak with the commander.

There you go.

nancy

Lin wrote:
> sf wrote:
> > Hubby told me yesterday about someone finding over $100,000 hidden in
> > the wall of a bathroom that was being remodeled. �Check for new paint
> > spots! �
>
> $182,000. What an ordeal that one turned into. One of the things I read
> was that the owner of the house got pretty greedy about things, and then
> family came crawling out of the woodwork (pardon the pun). This story is
> a bit more succinct than the others I have read. The contractor didn't
> end up with "that" much:
>
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081110/...idden_money;_y...
>
> It could have been so easy if he and the homeowner kept it between
> themselves.

Well, duh... that would never occur, do you really think the homeowner
wouldn't want it all, c'mon... that's obviously what happened here.

Had the contractor kept his big yap shut it would have been a no
brainer... does anyone really think contractors don't find hidden
treasure in buildings all the time. People working for organizations
that clean out estates of the deceased find all sorts of valuable
treasure secreted in furnishings/clothing... rarely do such items get
reported. It's very common for people to not trust banks and safety
deposit boxes, they stash enormous sums of cash, bearer certificates,
jewelry, etc. in their homes. Then over time they become ill, no
longer remember or die suddenly. There are very likely great fortunes
sleeping in old buildings everywhere. And most people don't have
wills. In this case the contractor was a classic example of Joe the
Schmuck. The owner didn't know any money was hidden, had the
contractor not said anything the owner would never know. How many of
yoose bent down to pick up dropped change and how many yelled out to
all who could hear to ask if anyone dropped it, how many found change
in the coin return of say a pay phone, did yoose report it to Ma Bell,
anyone answers in the affirmative is a liar. The point is, other than
the amount, what's the difference between finding loose change and
thousands found plastered inside a wall. In such cases I believe in
the doctrine of "Finder's keepers."... once reported odds are very
much in favor of someone else keeping it. Twice in my life I found a
wallet, both times behind a seat in a movie theater... the first
contained many personal items and $90 in cash. I returned it with all
the cash and received only a thank you... I was 12 years old at the
time and didn't know any better, now I would keep all the cash and
drop the wallet in a mail box. The second time was ten years later,
the wallet also contained many personal items but no cash whatsoever.
Instead of dropping it in a mail box I phoned the person thinking I
deserved a reward, I got not even a thank you and was accused of
stealing the $300 dollars claimed to be in the wallet, the guy went so
far as to file a police report and threatened to sue me, of course the
burdon of proof that the wallet actually contained cash was on the
ungrateful *******. I never again reported found valuables and never
will.

In article >,
"jmcquown" > wrote:

> It is the United States Marine Corps 223rd birthday today. Semper Fi and
> thanks to all who serve. Salute to my father who died March 2, 2008 after
> 30 years of active service in the U.S. Marines, through WWII, Korea and
> Vietnam.

<salutes Jill>

Thanks for the reminder babe. :-)

My mom's VA flag is in her memory box with her ashes. Both my parents
were in the Air Force during the Korean War.
--
Peace! Om

"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them." -- Dalai Lama

In article >,
notbob > wrote:

> On 2008-11-10, jmcquown > wrote:
> > It is the United States Marine Corps 223rd birthday today. Semper Fi and
> > thanks to all who serve. Salute to my father who died March 2, 2008 after
> > 30 years of active service in the U.S. Marines, through WWII, Korea and
> > Vietnam.
>
> [salute returned]
>
> > The lamb shanks are simple.
>
> Sounds tasty, but where the heck does one get lamb shanks and how many do
> you have to buy to make a meal or two? I can't even imagine it.
>
> nb

I can get them at the grocery store, and I recommend one at least per
person.
--
Peace! Om

"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them." -- Dalai Lama

"Omelet" > wrote in message
news | In article >,
| notbob > wrote:
|
| > On 2008-11-10, jmcquown > wrote:
| > > It is the United States Marine Corps 223rd birthday today. Semper Fi and
| > > thanks to all who serve. Salute to my father who died March 2, 2008 after
| > > 30 years of active service in the U.S. Marines, through WWII, Korea and
| > > Vietnam.
| >
| > [salute returned]
| >
| > > The lamb shanks are simple.
| >
| > Sounds tasty, but where the heck does one get lamb shanks and how many do
| > you have to buy to make a meal or two? I can't even imagine it.
| >
| > nb
|
| I can get them at the grocery store, and I recommend one at least per
| person.
| --
| Peace! Om

There are actually two types of lamb shank: front and rear legs. The
front are noticeably smaller; possibly two of them per person if hungry.
The larger rear leg shanks can easily feed one.

They are a bit awkward to play around with, some people have their
meat people slice them in half across the bone, this gives you more
lamb surface to brown, hence more flavor, but you lose the neat shape
of the full shank.

If you cook them long enough (3 hours or so) you can readily strip the
meat from the bones, cut the meat in chunks and put it back into the
cooking liquid for a stew, and then celebrate by sucking the marrow
from the bones.

pavane

On Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:37:46 -0600, Omelet >
wrote:

>In article >,
> notbob > wrote:

>> Sounds tasty, but where the heck does one get lamb shanks and how many do
>> you have to buy to make a meal or two? I can't even imagine it.
>>
>> nb
>
>I can get them at the grocery store, and I recommend one at least per
>person.

Even in my neck of the woods, lamb shanks are readily available. Lot
of good recipes for them around.

Christine

On Nov 11, 4:28*am, "jmcquown" > wrote:
> ntantiques wrote:
> > On Nov 10, 1:36 pm, "jmcquown" > wrote:
> >> cshenk wrote:
> >>> "jmcquown" wrote
>
> >>>> It is the United States Marine Corps 223rd birthday today. Semper
> >>>> Fi and thanks to all who serve. Salute to my father who died March
> >>>> 2, 2008 after 30 years of active service in the U.S. Marines,
> >>>> through WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
>
> >>> Semper Fi to my brother service! 233 years and going strong! HOOAHH!
>
> >> My hat's off! I found my father's military dress sword in the cedar
> >> chest. We still don't know what he did with all his medals. I've
> >> only found one purple heart. His bronze star, his silver star, all
> >> the other stuff... he managed to hide away so that no one can find.
>
> >> Jill
>
> > Jill, don't give up, they could surface. A few years before he passed
> > away my Dad asked for me help clearing his garage. We ran across an
> > old footlocker - Dad couldn't remember what was in it so we opened it
> > and found a bunch of moth eaten Army blankets destined for the dump.
> > Nearly missed a ratty old wadded up paper bag in the bottom *- yep,
> > there were the medals. *Evidently he'd stashed them there years before
> > for safekeeping during a move and had forgotten where they were.
> > Brought tears to his eyes when I found them and to mine when he gave
> > them to me.
> > Boy, do I miss him.
>
> > DH, a Viet Nam era Marine vet, is fortunate to still have his Dad, a
> > retired Marine Colonel. *They had their annual USMC Birthday chat
> > first thing this morning.
>
> > Semper Fi and a heartfelt salute to your Dad
>
> > Nancy T
>
> We've looked everywhere, Nancy. *Last August (before I got here) he had my
> brother and a contractor bring all sorts of boxes down from the attic to
> throw away. *I sincerely doubt they took the time to go through the boxes.
> It's entirely possible his other medals wound up at the dump. *I've found
> empty boxes that the medals came in. *He was suffering so from Altzheimers
> he probably didn't even realize what he'd done with them.
>
> I'd purchased display-case style tables years ago to put them in after he
> told me I was to receive all his military items. *I am very proud of my
> father's service to the U.S. *I'll be keeping all of his ribbon pins, of
> course. *And his eagles from when he was made a full bird Colonel.
>
> I wonder if it would be possible for me to get replacements (not "replicas")
> based on his service records. *I'll have to call the base to inquire. *I've
> got his discharge papers so they might be able to do that. *However, I do
> know there's a lot of forgery that goes on. *My father was furious about
> people imitating military veterans who had no right to call themselves such.
>
> Jill

Damned Altzheimers. We lost my Dad's second wife to heart failure
almost a year to the day after he died, just after she began to shift
into the more serious stages of Altzheimers. Know how tough it is.

My FIL was a career Marine officer and retired a bird Colonel in
1964. He still lives and breathes the Corps and don't even get him
started on the subject of fraudulent veterans - yikes. Would bet
money he and your Dad crossed paths at some point. Small world.

Nancy T

In article > ,
"pavane" > wrote:

> There are actually two types of lamb shank: front and rear legs. The
> front are noticeably smaller; possibly two of them per person if hungry.
> The larger rear leg shanks can easily feed one.
>
> They are a bit awkward to play around with, some people have their
> meat people slice them in half across the bone, this gives you more
> lamb surface to brown, hence more flavor, but you lose the neat shape
> of the full shank.
>
> If you cook them long enough (3 hours or so) you can readily strip the
> meat from the bones, cut the meat in chunks and put it back into the
> cooking liquid for a stew, and then celebrate by sucking the marrow
> from the bones.
>
> pavane

Shanks certainly make a good stew, but mom used to use lamb breast for
shepherds strew. I slow cook lamb shanks and serve them whole.
--
Peace! Om

"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them." -- Dalai Lama

"jmcquown" > wrote in
:


>
> I wonder if it would be possible for me to get replacements (not
> "replicas") based on his service records. I'll have to call the base
> to inquire.


I don't know what the system is like over there, but here it's only the
person who earned the medal that can get a replacement. You may have to
go the replica route.

To find out your dad's entitlement (ie, all the gongs he's been awarded)
all you should have to do is send his service number/name to the
Department of Defence and ask.

I was lucky with my granddad. He lost his WW1 medals in a fire in '35,
and couldn't afford the 1 Pound replacement fee at that time. But, at
the end of WW2, he'd had enough of the life and just wanted to try and
be a 'normal' person again. To the extent that he never collected his
WW2 medals.

About 40 odd years later, I started researching his service and tried to
pay the 1 Pound (about $50 in todays money) to get the replacements. No
deal. *But* they still had his original WW2 medals, so we were able to
get them.

To complete the whole set, I went to a Pawn Shop and sourced an
identical set of WW1 medals to what my gd was awarded. They belonged to
someone else, but they were originals, and earned in the same way.
Obviously, the owner, or his descendants, had fallen on hard times and
needed to make some cash.



--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

Mi b'aill docha basaich air m' ris, sin mair air m'glun.

(I'd rather die on my feet, than live on my knees.)

ntantiques wrote:
> On Nov 11, 4:28 am, "jmcquown" > wrote:
> My FIL was a career Marine officer and retired a bird Colonel in
> 1964. He still lives and breathes the Corps and don't even get him
> started on the subject of fraudulent veterans - yikes. Would bet
> money he and your Dad crossed paths at some point. Small world.
>
> Nancy T


That's entirely possible, NancyT. Dad was at the Tet Offensive. He was
sort of hung up on Vietnam, it's pretty much all he talked about the last
few years. He didn't speak much about the other conflicts he was involved
with.

I found some rather neat photos of him from the 1940's and 50's. Contrary
to some postings by Sheldon, there were actually Marines on Navy ships in
WWII. He apparently doesn't realize the Navy and Marines have always been
very closely aligned.

I talked with Dad's older sister (gosh, she must be 87 by now). She was a
WAC. I've got a photo of her in uniform

Anyway, I got the date of the Marine birthday wrong but hey, I make mistakes
just like anyone else. I put in a call to the base commander at Parris
Island where he retired to see if I can order replacement medals

Jill

Christine Dabney wrote:

>
> Even in my neck of the woods, lamb shanks are readily available. Lot
> of good recipes for them around.

I have had good lamb shanks many times, but the all time best is the
recipe I posted on the RFC web site, braised lamb shanks with
caramelized onions.

notbob wrote:

> Sounds tasty, but where the heck does one get lamb shanks and how many do
> you have to buy to make a meal or two? I can't even imagine it.


That can be tough. In the grocery stores where I shop there is one where
they are always available, one where they are often available and often
at a really good price, and a few where there is no hope of getting
them. The amount you need really depends on the size of the shanks. Some
would almost feed one person while others are so small you would need at
least two per person. You really have to look at them in the store to
see how much meat there is on each shank and determine whether or not is
is a enough for one person. I can easily manage two good sized shanks.
They are delicious.

On Nov 11, 8:15�pm, "jmcquown" > wrote:
> ntantiques wrote:
> > On Nov 11, 4:28 am, "jmcquown" > wrote:
> > My FIL was a career Marine officer and retired a bird Colonel in
> > 1964. �He still lives and breathes the Corps and don't even get him
> > started on the subject of fraudulent veterans - yikes. �Would bet
> > money he and your Dad crossed paths at some point. �Small world..
>
> > Nancy T
>
> That's entirely possible, NancyT. �Dad was at the Tet Offensive. �He was
> sort of hung up on Vietnam, it's pretty much all he talked about the last
> few years. �He didn't speak much about the other conflicts he was involved
> with.
>
> I found some rather neat photos of him from the 1940's and 50's. �Contrary
> to some postings by Sheldon, there were actually Marines on Navy ships in
> WWII. �He apparently doesn't realize the Navy and Marines have always been
> very closely aligned.


Hey, I never made any such postings... show me. You're suffering
dementia/senility for certain. I give you two more years at the most
and you'll be in a nursing home gacking farina and having your diapers
changed.

I fed plenty of jar heads, if he was with the Big "E" during the Bay
of Pigs campaign I probably fed your old man.

Sheldon wrote:
> On Nov 11, 8:15�pm, "jmcquown" > wrote:
>> ntantiques wrote:
>>> On Nov 11, 4:28 am, "jmcquown" > wrote:
>>> My FIL was a career Marine officer and retired a bird Colonel in
>>> 1964. �He still lives and breathes the Corps and don't even get him
>>> started on the subject of fraudulent veterans - yikes. �Would bet
>>> money he and your Dad crossed paths at some point. �Small world.
>>
>>> Nancy T
>>
>> That's entirely possible, NancyT. �Dad was at the Tet Offensive. �He
>> was sort of hung up on Vietnam, it's pretty much all he talked about
>> the last few years. �He didn't speak much about the other conflicts
>> he was involved with.
>>
>> I found some rather neat photos of him from the 1940's and 50's.
>> �Contrary to some postings by Sheldon, there were actually Marines
>> on Navy ships in WWII. �He apparently doesn't realize the Navy and
>> Marines have always been very closely aligned.
>
>
> Hey, I never made any such postings... show me. You're suffering
> dementia/senility for certain. I give you two more years at the most
> and you'll be in a nursing home gacking farina and having your diapers
> changed.
>
> I fed plenty of jar heads, if he was with the Big "E" during the Bay
> of Pigs campaign I probably fed your old man.


You did indeed claim Marines didn't serve on Navy ships during WWII but I
don't have to bother to dig up posts from the 90's to prove it. He was
never in Cuba so sorry, you didn't feed my father your version of SOS

Jill

On Nov 11, 5:15*pm, "jmcquown" > wrote:
> ntantiques wrote:
> > On Nov 11, 4:28 am, "jmcquown" > wrote:
> > My FIL was a career Marine officer and retired a bird Colonel in
> > 1964. *He still lives and breathes the Corps and don't even get him
> > started on the subject of fraudulent veterans - yikes. *Would bet
> > money he and your Dad crossed paths at some point. *Small world.
>
> > Nancy T
>
> That's entirely possible, NancyT. *Dad was at the Tet Offensive. *He was
> sort of hung up on Vietnam, it's pretty much all he talked about the last
> few years. *He didn't speak much about the other conflicts he was involved
> with.
>
> I found some rather neat photos of him from the 1940's and 50's. *Contrary
> to some postings by Sheldon, there were actually Marines on Navy ships in
> WWII. *He apparently doesn't realize the Navy and Marines have always been
> very closely aligned.
>
> I talked with Dad's older sister (gosh, she must be 87 by now). *She was a
> WAC. *I've got a photo of her in uniform
>
> Anyway, I got the date of the Marine birthday wrong but hey, I make mistakes
> just like anyone else. *I put in a call to the base commander at Parris
> Island where he retired to see if I can order replacement medals
>
> Jill

Jill, I'll vouch for you about the Marines on Naval ships - My FIL, at
one point during WWII, was assigned to the USS Chester. After the
Chester was torpedoed in 1942, he saw action on the ground in the
Pacific.

After the War he became a specialist in military intelligence -
assigned to posts in Japan and later in Europe. Until very recently
he's said very little about the specifics of his work. At 90, with the
Cold War over, I guess he finally feels he can afford to spill a
(very) few beans.

At the time of his retirement, he was the Director of the Marine Corps
Rifle & Pistol Team - the group that evaluated and tested the Oswald
rifle following the Kennedy assassination.

Good luck with the medals!

Nancy T.

ntantiques wrote:
> On Nov 11, 5:15 pm, "jmcquown" > wrote:
>> ntantiques wrote:
>>> On Nov 11, 4:28 am, "jmcquown" > wrote:
>>> My FIL was a career Marine officer and retired a bird Colonel in
>>> 1964. He still lives and breathes the Corps and don't even get him
>>> started on the subject of fraudulent veterans - yikes. Would bet
>>> money he and your Dad crossed paths at some point. Small world.
>>> Nancy T
>> That's entirely possible, NancyT. Dad was at the Tet Offensive. He was
>> sort of hung up on Vietnam, it's pretty much all he talked about the last
>> few years. He didn't speak much about the other conflicts he was involved
>> with.
>>
>> I found some rather neat photos of him from the 1940's and 50's. Contrary
>> to some postings by Sheldon, there were actually Marines on Navy ships in
>> WWII. He apparently doesn't realize the Navy and Marines have always been
>> very closely aligned.
>>
>> I talked with Dad's older sister (gosh, she must be 87 by now). She was a
>> WAC. I've got a photo of her in uniform
>>
>> Anyway, I got the date of the Marine birthday wrong but hey, I make mistakes
>> just like anyone else. I put in a call to the base commander at Parris
>> Island where he retired to see if I can order replacement medals
>>
>> Jill
>
> Jill, I'll vouch for you about the Marines on Naval ships - My FIL, at
> one point during WWII, was assigned to the USS Chester. After the
> Chester was torpedoed in 1942, he saw action on the ground in the
> Pacific.
>
> After the War he became a specialist in military intelligence -
> assigned to posts in Japan and later in Europe. Until very recently
> he's said very little about the specifics of his work. At 90, with the
> Cold War over, I guess he finally feels he can afford to spill a
> (very) few beans.
>
> At the time of his retirement, he was the Director of the Marine Corps
> Rifle & Pistol Team - the group that evaluated and tested the Oswald
> rifle following the Kennedy assassination.
>
> Good luck with the medals!
>
> Nancy T.
Folks, the U.S. Marines came about because the early US fighting ships
needed marksmen in the "fighting tops" to shoot the enemy officers on
ships they were fighting. They were almost always ship board Marines
that could go ashore and fight on foot. In World Wars I and II their
role was greatly amplified and they fought as foot soldiers in WWI. Our
next door neighbor in the sixties had been a young Marine at Belleau
Wood and was shot up pretty bad in the legs and then gassed. I used to
take him to the Houston VA Hospital to get the 7.92 Mauser rounds
removed from his leg when they worked their way to the surface. He lived
to be in his eighties and was a great friend of our family, our kids
thought he was another grandfather.

In WWII the Marines were primarily amphibious assault troops in the
Pacific theater and did well against some of the elite Japanese troops.
Nowadays they are just like the other armed force branches, they fight
in the air, on ships, and on land, excelling in what they do best: First
to Fight and First In.

I might add that I'm not a Marine, just another old sailor who has lots
of Marine friends. Our get together yesterday had three sailors, two
Marines, one doggie, and two Air Farce guys. All of us well past the age
to fight but enjoying one another's company.

Your branch of service doesn't truly matter, what matters to most of us
veterans is that you stepped up and served. God Bless our fighting men
and women.

On Nov 12, 12:57*pm, Dave Smith > wrote:
> George Shirley wrote:
>
> > Folks, the U.S. Marines came about because the early US fighting ships
> > needed marksmen in the "fighting tops" to shoot the enemy officers on
> > ships they were fighting. They were almost always ship board Marines
> > that could go ashore and fight on foot.
>
> The history of Marines pre-dates *the USA. I know it is contrary to
> American sensibility to acknowledge that so many of its traditions stem
> from the days when the British had 13 colonies. The British had marines
> as early as 1664.Many of the early American commanders had previously
> served in the British army, so it was only natural that they would
> develop their armed forces along the same lines as the British.
>
> When naval ships engaged the enemy he sailors manned the guns and the
> marines made up the boarding parties. Marines were also used as security
> forces, protecting the officers from mutineers.
>
> > In WWII the Marines were primarily amphibious assault troops in the
> > Pacific theater and did well against some of the elite Japanese troops.
> > Nowadays they are just like the other armed force branches, they fight
> > in the air, on ships, and on land, excelling in what they do best: First
> > to Fight and First In.
>
> I thought the deal was that the marines did the amphibious landings and
> led the initial assaults, and then the army came in and relieved them.

My resident authority, DH (the former Marine), agrees that, in the
early days of the Corps, "the Navy did the sailing and the Marines did
the fighting," but today's Marine covers a lot more bases. He reminded
me that a US Marine unit provides security services aboard Naval
vessels - much the same duty they provide at American Embassy
locations throughout the world. Today, depending upon the ship,
Marines may also be involved in shipboard gunnery duty and Marine
pilots are often assigned to duty on Naval Aircraft Carriers.

It's a source of pride to him that all Marines are cross trained to a
degree that allows them to adapt & serve in a wide variety of
situations - air, sea, and land....in DH's words "Marines are trained
to go where they're needed and get the job done." Suppose, that's why
DH is so gosh darned handy to have around.

Nancy T

ntantiques wrote:
> On Nov 12, 12:57 pm, Dave Smith > wrote:
>> George Shirley wrote:
>>
>>> Folks, the U.S. Marines came about because the early US fighting ships
>>> needed marksmen in the "fighting tops" to shoot the enemy officers on
>>> ships they were fighting. They were almost always ship board Marines
>>> that could go ashore and fight on foot.
>> The history of Marines pre-dates the USA. I know it is contrary to
>> American sensibility to acknowledge that so many of its traditions stem
>> from the days when the British had 13 colonies. The British had marines
>> as early as 1664.Many of the early American commanders had previously
>> served in the British army, so it was only natural that they would
>> develop their armed forces along the same lines as the British.
>>
>> When naval ships engaged the enemy he sailors manned the guns and the
>> marines made up the boarding parties. Marines were also used as security
>> forces, protecting the officers from mutineers.
>>
>>> In WWII the Marines were primarily amphibious assault troops in the
>>> Pacific theater and did well against some of the elite Japanese troops.
>>> Nowadays they are just like the other armed force branches, they fight
>>> in the air, on ships, and on land, excelling in what they do best: First
>>> to Fight and First In.
>> I thought the deal was that the marines did the amphibious landings and
>> led the initial assaults, and then the army came in and relieved them.
>
> My resident authority, DH (the former Marine), agrees that, in the
> early days of the Corps, "the Navy did the sailing and the Marines did
> the fighting," but today's Marine covers a lot more bases. He reminded
> me that a US Marine unit provides security services aboard Naval
> vessels
In my glory days as a swab they were called Fleet Marines. There were
some based at Norfolk, VA and another batch at San Diego, CA.
- much the same duty they provide at American Embassy
> locations throughout the world. Today, depending upon the ship,
> Marines may also be involved in shipboard gunnery duty
From what I've been told by young Gyrenes that would mostly be on those
LPH's and others that carry Marines and their gear around the world
and Marine
> pilots are often assigned to duty on Naval Aircraft Carriers.
>
> It's a source of pride to him that all Marines are cross trained to a
> degree that allows them to adapt & serve in a wide variety of
> situations - air, sea, and land....in DH's words "Marines are trained
> to go where they're needed and get the job done." Suppose, that's why
> DH is so gosh darned handy to have around.
>
> Nancy T
ALL Marines are basic riflemen first, specialty MOS come next. Even the
Commandant, IIRC, is required to qualify with the rifle each year as are
pilots. All Hospitalmen attached to Marine units are Navy. Called
"Corpsman" for the old Hospital Corps of the Navy. Mostly they wear
Marine uniforms, often with Navy insignia on the arm. My eldest BIL
spent 1942 through 1945 as a corpsman attached to Marines in the Pacific
during WWII. Says the only time he wore a Navy uniform was when he
graduated boot camp and corpsman school and when he got discharged.
Every picture I've seen of him in the Pacific he's wearing Marine
utilities and on leave he wore Marine greens with Navy insignia. He died
in 1986 and was buried with both the Marine insignia and a Navy fouled
anchor attached to his suit.
>

ntantiques wrote:
>
> It's a source of pride to him that all Marines are cross trained to a
> degree that allows them to adapt & serve in a wide variety of
> situations - air, sea, and land....in DH's words "Marines are trained
> to go where they're needed and get the job done." Suppose, that's why
> DH is so gosh darned handy to have around.


One of the problems with the structure of armed forces is the
diversification of the various forces, land, sea and air. The military
spawns huge bureaucracies, each trying hard to justify their existence
and operating on their own agenda. That sometimes leads to problems in
combined efforts. For instance, in WW II, "Bomber" Harris, the head of
Britain's Bomber Command, was intent on proving that bombers alone could
defeat Germany by pulverizing German cities, and he was reluctant to
divert his bombers to the tasks that others tried to get him to assume,
like attacking oil facilities and softening up the Normandy area for D
Day. Then there was the American campaign, and if memory serves, it was
at Iwo Jima where the US navy buggered off with their supply ships
because of concerns about Japanese submarines, leaving the Marines
without adequate supplies.

If a branch of the armed forces has a diverse role, covering land, sea
and air, they can see to their own needs for combat forces, transport,
logistics and air support. That was the rationale behind the
unification of the Canadian armed forces back in the 1960's, though they
now seem to be heading back to the old system of an army, navy and air
force.

Dave Smith wrote:
> ntantiques wrote:
>>
>> It's a source of pride to him that all Marines are cross trained to a
>> degree that allows them to adapt & serve in a wide variety of
>> situations - air, sea, and land....in DH's words "Marines are trained
>> to go where they're needed and get the job done." Suppose, that's why
>> DH is so gosh darned handy to have around.
>
>
> One of the problems with the structure of armed forces is the
> diversification of the various forces, land, sea and air. The military
> spawns huge bureaucracies, each trying hard to justify their existence
> and operating on their own agenda. That sometimes leads to problems in
> combined efforts. For instance, in WW II, "Bomber" Harris, the head of
> Britain's Bomber Command, was intent on proving that bombers alone could
> defeat Germany by pulverizing German cities, and he was reluctant to
> divert his bombers to the tasks that others tried to get him to assume,
> like attacking oil facilities and softening up the Normandy area for D
> Day. Then there was the American campaign, and if memory serves, it was
> at Iwo Jima where the US navy buggered off with their supply ships
> because of concerns about Japanese submarines, leaving the Marines
> without adequate supplies.
Try Guadalcanal, and that Admiral got censored pretty heavy.
>
> If a branch of the armed forces has a diverse role, covering land, sea
> and air, they can see to their own needs for combat forces, transport,
> logistics and air support. That was the rationale behind the
> unification of the Canadian armed forces back in the 1960's, though they
> now seem to be heading back to the old system of an army, navy and air
> force.
Probably because the unification didn't work well according to some
Canadian Forces people I know.

"Dave Smith" wrote

>> It's a source of pride to him that all Marines are cross trained to a
>> degree that allows them to adapt & serve in a wide variety of

> One of the problems with the structure of armed forces is the
> diversification of the various forces, land, sea and air. The military
> spawns huge bureaucracies, each trying hard to justify their existence and
> operating on their own agenda. That sometimes leads to problems in
> combined efforts. For instance, in WW II, "Bomber" Harris, the head of

You may want to update that knowledge. I am not sure of Canada but we all
work together as a team now.

Been ironing out that since WWII here and done rather well.

Dave Smith wrote:

> notbob wrote:
>
>> Sounds tasty, but where the heck does one get lamb shanks and how many do
>> you have to buy to make a meal or two? I can't even imagine it.
>
>
>
> That can be tough. In the grocery stores where I shop there is one where
> they are always available, one where they are often available and often
> at a really good price, and a few where there is no hope of getting
> them. The amount you need really depends on the size of the shanks. Some
> would almost feed one person while others are so small you would need at
> least two per person. You really have to look at them in the store to
> see how much meat there is on each shank and determine whether or not is
> is a enough for one person. I can easily manage two good sized shanks.
> They are delicious.
>
>
I would imagine lamb shanks received a huge boost in popularity after
they were featured as the entree in a "Survivor" reward challenge. The
winners' evident enjoyment of their prize was at least "R" rated.