MCB Camp Pendleton

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CO opens home and gives comfort to wounded troops;

2 Jun 2005 | Lance Cpl. Miguel A. Carrasco Jr. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- When Lance Cpl. Steven R. Kaustinen walked into the home of his commanding officer, he got a firm handshake, a caring hug, and was well on his way to a full stomach.

Nearly 40 other wounded Marines, many accompanied by wives or girlfriends, got the same -- hosted by a superior officer intent on taking care of his own.

Col. Stewart R. Navarre, commanding officer of the 5th Marine Regiment, and his wife, Yana, opened their home May 24 to Marines within the regiment who were wounded while deployed to Iraq.

Navarre summed up the get-together as "a chance to get to know my Marines on a personal level and make sure they are well taken care of."

All of the Marines own Purple Heart medals that attest to their wounds. Some offered vivid accounts of how they earned the medals.

"We were ambushed while on a patrol in Ramadi, when I was shot in the right hand between the ring and middle finger," said Kaustinen, a point man with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. "I knew I had been shot in the hand, but all I could do was try to get back into the fight."

Kaustinen, 25, of Hemet, still has not regained full mobility in his right hand.

"Growing up, I always wanted to be ambidextrous. I guess I got my wish," chuckled Kaustinen, as he touched his right hand, feeling the jagged scars left by the bullet-s entry and exit.

The story swapping stopped while Navarre led a prayer. Guests bowed heads and held hands as Navarre gave thanks under a still-blue sky in his back yard.

Navarre-s prayer remembered other Marines from the regimental family. He petitioned for the safety of 1st Bn., currently serving in Iraq, and 2nd Bn., 4th Marines, in Okinawa, Japan. He also prayed for the quick recovery of Marines with 2nd and 3rd Bn. who recently returned from Iraq.

Then, the solemnity gave way to conversation and laughter, including many tales that began "remember when?"

Cpl. Jesse N. Salazar, who was a team leader with 3rd Platoon, Company E, 2nd Bn., recalled Oct. 3, 2004, the day a rocket propelled grenade landed less than 5 feet from him as he stood post in Ramadi.

"I still have shrapnel stuck in my lower back and shoulder," said Salazar, 28, of Santa Cruz. "It is a constant reminder of the day I was forced to leave my Marines."

Salazar, a bit hesitant to share the next part of his story, coughed to clear his throat.

"I started to cry when they told me I was going home," he explained, loudly enough to be heard over the din of evening traffic on Interstate 5. "I wanted to be where I was needed the most -- with my family in Iraq. Even if I couldn-t be fighting alongside them, I wanted to be near them, knowing their every move."

Some of the stories were told across a table in the back yard.

The yellow tablecloth featured the eagle, globe and anchor. A combat boot with a plant placed inside -- a Mrs. Navarre specialty -- served as a centerpiece.

After the blessing, Mrs. Navarre quickly announced where the "chow line" started.

Marines toted plates stacked high with grub -- including a seemingly endless supply of lasagna, dinner rolls and salad topped with Mrs. Navarre-s homemade oriental salad dressing.

"Several of the Marines asked for the recipe for the salad dressing," laughed Mrs. Navarre. She knew they would, she added.

The Navarres- hospitality didn-t stop at the meal; they say they-re endeavoring to help the Marines in other ways, too.

"I want to make sure that all of their needs are provided for, like medically and financially," Navarre said while talking with one Marine about a job opening for his wife.

The young Marines felt they were treated like family, Kaustinen said.

"My wife and I have two children, roughly around the ages of these young Marines," Navarre said. "So treating the Marines like our own is not hard, it is rewarding."

"I think it is great that the (commanding officer) took time to recognize us, invite us into his home and treat us like his own family," said Chris A. Loomis, with Co. E, 2nd Bn.

Loomis, 20, of Mason, Texas, still wears a bandage on his left forearm where he was shot Dec. 18, 2004, while on a patrol in Ramadi.

"I was told, 'you should treat the Marines like your family,- and I definitely want the best for my family, so I want the best for my Marines and their spouses," Mrs. Navarre said. "I want these Marines and their families to come into my house and feel like they are at home."

As the Marines called it a night, none could escape without another firm handshake from the colonel and another caring hug from his wife.

CO opens home and gives comfort to wounded troops;

2 Jun 2005 | Lance Cpl. Miguel A. Carrasco Jr. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- When Lance Cpl. Steven R. Kaustinen walked into the home of his commanding officer, he got a firm handshake, a caring hug, and was well on his way to a full stomach.

Nearly 40 other wounded Marines, many accompanied by wives or girlfriends, got the same -- hosted by a superior officer intent on taking care of his own.

Col. Stewart R. Navarre, commanding officer of the 5th Marine Regiment, and his wife, Yana, opened their home May 24 to Marines within the regiment who were wounded while deployed to Iraq.

Navarre summed up the get-together as "a chance to get to know my Marines on a personal level and make sure they are well taken care of."

All of the Marines own Purple Heart medals that attest to their wounds. Some offered vivid accounts of how they earned the medals.

"We were ambushed while on a patrol in Ramadi, when I was shot in the right hand between the ring and middle finger," said Kaustinen, a point man with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. "I knew I had been shot in the hand, but all I could do was try to get back into the fight."

Kaustinen, 25, of Hemet, still has not regained full mobility in his right hand.

"Growing up, I always wanted to be ambidextrous. I guess I got my wish," chuckled Kaustinen, as he touched his right hand, feeling the jagged scars left by the bullet-s entry and exit.

The story swapping stopped while Navarre led a prayer. Guests bowed heads and held hands as Navarre gave thanks under a still-blue sky in his back yard.

Navarre-s prayer remembered other Marines from the regimental family. He petitioned for the safety of 1st Bn., currently serving in Iraq, and 2nd Bn., 4th Marines, in Okinawa, Japan. He also prayed for the quick recovery of Marines with 2nd and 3rd Bn. who recently returned from Iraq.

Then, the solemnity gave way to conversation and laughter, including many tales that began "remember when?"

Cpl. Jesse N. Salazar, who was a team leader with 3rd Platoon, Company E, 2nd Bn., recalled Oct. 3, 2004, the day a rocket propelled grenade landed less than 5 feet from him as he stood post in Ramadi.

"I still have shrapnel stuck in my lower back and shoulder," said Salazar, 28, of Santa Cruz. "It is a constant reminder of the day I was forced to leave my Marines."

Salazar, a bit hesitant to share the next part of his story, coughed to clear his throat.

"I started to cry when they told me I was going home," he explained, loudly enough to be heard over the din of evening traffic on Interstate 5. "I wanted to be where I was needed the most -- with my family in Iraq. Even if I couldn-t be fighting alongside them, I wanted to be near them, knowing their every move."

Some of the stories were told across a table in the back yard.

The yellow tablecloth featured the eagle, globe and anchor. A combat boot with a plant placed inside -- a Mrs. Navarre specialty -- served as a centerpiece.

After the blessing, Mrs. Navarre quickly announced where the "chow line" started.

Marines toted plates stacked high with grub -- including a seemingly endless supply of lasagna, dinner rolls and salad topped with Mrs. Navarre-s homemade oriental salad dressing.

"Several of the Marines asked for the recipe for the salad dressing," laughed Mrs. Navarre. She knew they would, she added.

The Navarres- hospitality didn-t stop at the meal; they say they-re endeavoring to help the Marines in other ways, too.

"I want to make sure that all of their needs are provided for, like medically and financially," Navarre said while talking with one Marine about a job opening for his wife.

The young Marines felt they were treated like family, Kaustinen said.

"My wife and I have two children, roughly around the ages of these young Marines," Navarre said. "So treating the Marines like our own is not hard, it is rewarding."

"I think it is great that the (commanding officer) took time to recognize us, invite us into his home and treat us like his own family," said Chris A. Loomis, with Co. E, 2nd Bn.

Loomis, 20, of Mason, Texas, still wears a bandage on his left forearm where he was shot Dec. 18, 2004, while on a patrol in Ramadi.

"I was told, 'you should treat the Marines like your family,- and I definitely want the best for my family, so I want the best for my Marines and their spouses," Mrs. Navarre said. "I want these Marines and their families to come into my house and feel like they are at home."

As the Marines called it a night, none could escape without another firm handshake from the colonel and another caring hug from his wife.