I first popped into First United Methodist Church's "free Tuesday lunch" back when I was in grad school at UW-Whitewater.  It must have been around 2003 or 2004. I was already 50 years old.  Be that as it may, no one seemed preoccupied with "the old guy" at the lunch.  I was just another old student, and younger students just left me alone.  I alway felt obligated to explain to the greeter at the church chow line I was actually a student.  The young woman greeter always looked at me with an incredulous glance as if wondering why I was so self conscious about something I could do nothing about.  The church is a chip shot from the campus and is targeting students to feed. 

    And so it was again the other day when I went back to the campus to follow up on a couple grad school issues.  It had been a while since I ducked in for a lunch, but it was a good as I remember it.  This time I made sure a dropped a generous donation in the basket because I did not feel like a totally official student again. 
 
    It was ambitious enough to feed dozens of students for a couple hours every Tuesday during the school year in a better economy.  Now it must be a real challenge.  The same young woman from my early vistis was still greeting.  She said they had been doing the weekly meal for about eight years.   

    There is no proselytizing, just good eats.  As I remember they tried to have a different menu each week.  This day, they served up tacos, beef and chicken, soft and hard shell. They had a good side of corn.  There was lots of homemade breads like I remember from my grad school days.  There was a big kettle of pickled beets.  And of course there was a side of Mexican creamy beans.  

    They always had a good crisp tossed salad bowl with fresh dressings to choose from.  And this day was no different.  The salad hit the spot. The drink options were lemonade or milk.  

    I had forgotten what a departure their kind gesture of lunch for students was.  It must really be helpful now in this bad economy.  I hold this church dinner at the top of my church dinner list until further notice.  

    If you are a student at UW-Whitewater or visiting the campus on a Tuesday, and need a pleasant and kind break, stop by the First United Methodist Church between 11 a.m. -ish and 1 p.m. - ish. If you are not a student - but rather a parent or guest campus speaker or something of the sort and you go...I would sure drop some cash in the basket, if for no other reason than it is one heck of a good meal.   

    For the record, this particular post is in regards to the meal that was held on Tuesday, October 5, 2010.  Find First United Methodist Church at 145 South Prairie Street in Whitewater, Wisconsin.  Check out their Web site at:  www.fumcwhitewater.org .  Or call (262) 473  -  2131 for more information. 

                      Wisconsin Military Service Person Special Mention of the Week
    (each week Cooldadiomedia mentions a Wisconsin service person killed in Iraq or Afghanistan)

    Marine Corporal Joshua Mark Schmitz, 21, Loyal, Wisconsin, died on Tuesday, December 26, 2006 in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was in the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Corporal Schmitz was killed during combat operations. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mentioned Schmitz was the second person from Loyal killed in Iraq. Army National Guard Staff Sergeant Todd Olson was killed December 26, 2004 in Samarra, Iraq. Loyal is a small town of around 1300 near Marshfield, Wisconsin near the center of the state. Also, December 2006 was a particularly hard month for Wisconsin as Schmitz was the fourth Wisconsin military service person to die that month. The paper went on to say Josh played on Loyal's high school football team all four years. Josh joined the Marines shortly after he graduated in 2003 from Loyal High School; he was on a second tour in Iraq. The Journal Sentinel went on to mention Josh was remembered as a Green Bay Packers fan, for having a sense of humor, having curly hair, and he liked to play drums. He played drums in a band that played at the annual fair in Marshfield and at weddings. He also was a drummer in his high school band. Schmitz was said to have had a problem with his feet that could have prevented him from getting in the Marines, but he kept working at it and finally got in. The Marshfield News Herald via the Clark County Internet Library Project mentioned Josh was due to come home from Iraq in just six weeks and complete his enlistment in September of 2006. He hoped to go to college and possibly start his own business. The publication also mentioned he sang in the choir his senior year; and, he was a linebacker on the football team. It went on to say Josh was the second-oldest child in his family. Wisconsin 2007 Senate Joint Resolution 13 noted Joshua Schmitz was born January 16, 1985, in Marshfield, Wisconsin. The Resolution added he had been "an all−conference football player, model student, and generous volunteer." At the time of his death Joshua Schmitz was survived by his parents Mark and Kelly Schmitz; his siblings, Angela Colby, Stephanie Schmitz, Justin Schmitz, Brandon Schmitz, and Nick Schmitz: and his grandparents, Ken and Bonnie Gilles, and Marlin and Virginia Schmitz. Corporal Joshua Schmitz was the 67th Wisconsin military service person to be killed in Iraq since the spring of 2003.

         As of this blog entry's posting date:

    98,171 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
    
    9,733 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    4,428 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003. 

    1321 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.

    318 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    823 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001. 

    31,967 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003. 

    8,530 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001. 

    102 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    23 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.

    144 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    21 journalists (various nationalities) have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.

Wisconsin military service person special mention of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; washingtonpost.com; thehighground.org;  Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; iraqbodycount.org; www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf; and, icasualties.org. 

 

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