CG Recruits Join ‘Fireside’ Families, Friendships Linger for Many Years

COURT HOUSE – When Americans sit down to their Thanksgiving meal tomorrow, traditional foods such as turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and stuffing will grace their tables. 
When families in Cape May County sit down for their dinner, many will include recruits from the Coast Guard Training Center Cape May as part of the day’s tradition. 
“We can’t have Thanksgiving without them,” noted Carol Burke, whose family has hosted recruits at Thanksgiving for about 18 years.
“I know what it’s like to be away during the holidays,” said Navy veteran Larry Pratt, whose family has hosted recruits for Thanksgiving and Christmas for nearly 22 years.
Pratt, Burke, Richard Morinelli and Judi Fusaro are among hundreds of local families who have hosted recruits during Operation Fireside, an event sponsored by the Southern Shore Chapter of the American Red Cross since 1981. Local families host recruits for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas Day. They recently shared their experiences, talking about traditions and other activities done during the visits.
Filling a Void
“We started the year my son was in the military, and we had an empty spot at the table,” recalled Fusaro, of Upper Township. “It was hard with him being away, and we saw in the paper that they were looking for host families. It filled a void at our table and was really a wonderful experience.”
Fusaro has hosted for 20 years.
They ask for three recruits, based on their available table seating, but some years have only had two. The numbers fluctuate based on the number of recruits and the number of families registered to host.
“One mom was so appreciative that she made me a quilted runner for my table that we use every year,” Fusaro said. “It’s a wonderful reminder.”
Fusaro said they still stay in touch with some of the recruits and their families.
“One recruit who is stationed in Florida will be meeting us in Clearwater this spring,” she said. “His parents live in San Antonio, Texas, and on graduation day knocked on our door to thank us in person.
“It’s fascinating that these people, who you never met before and don’t know, come into your home in the morning and by the time they leave that evening, you feel like you’ve known them forever,” she said as she reflected on her family’s experiences. “It’s a wonderful experience, and you make new friendships each time.”
As part of her tradition with the recruits, Fusaro said they like to take them around Cape May, Cape May Point, and other areas so the recruits can see where they are.
“If it’s a nice day, we’ll take them sometimes to the Ocean City boardwalk,” she said. “One year we had two recruits from California who had never seen snow. It was one of those years when it was cold at Thanksgiving time, and we had snow. It was funny to see how thrilled the recruits were to be walking in their shiny shoes in the snow.”
Showing off Cape May
The Morinellis, of Court House, also like to show off Cape May and share its history with recruits they have hosted over 19 years. “We like showing them the Victorian homes, the fishing, and beaches,” Morinelli said.
He and his family got involved hosting recruits because a friend did it, and often they all would join for dinner.
“Last year we had a recruit who was at Columbine at the time of the shooting,” Morinelli said, referring to the Colorado High School which was the site of one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern U.S. history in 1999.
“They are so appreciative, and their parents are always so appreciative as well,” he added. “One family from Texas has stayed in touch with us and invited us out to visit. Another time we had a recruit who wrote us and told us she ended up quitting. 
“Another mother sent us a comforter with a map of Texas where her son was from. We’ve had recruits, male and female, from ages 18-27. It’s all been pretty cool.”
Over the years, the Morinellis have also seen the advent of technology brought into the recruits’ lives. They recall some years ago when cell phones didn’t exist, so the recruits would have to share their landline.
When cell phones arrived on the scene, recruits weren’t allowed to have their own, so they would share their hosts’ cell and landline phones. Now, the recruits can use their own phones for the day, and apps like Facetime enable them to see their families.
“They just want to call home, sleep, know what is going on in the world, eat candy and some home-cooked food,” he added. “One year they wanted to help me rake leaves in the yard because it was something that reminded them of home.”
Vet Knows the Feeling
Pratt, of Corbin City, served three deployments in the Persian Gulf. He was activated just before Christmas and knows what it’s like to be away from family during the holidays.
He recalled during one of his deployments an American family in Saudi Arabia who opened up their home for a day to any soldier to come by.
“It was a chance to shower, watch American TV, have a home-cooked meal and be with other Americans for the day,” he said. “I know what it’s like not to be home for the holidays, and while the food isn’t bad in the military, it’s not like real home-cooked food.”
The Pratts host recruits for Thanksgiving and Christmas. He recalled one year when he told the recruits that they didn’t have a traditional Christmas dinner with turkey.
“They looked at each other, and you could see them thinking ‘What did I get into?'” he said laughing. “Then I told them we would be having filet mignon, on the grill, and you saw both their eyes light up.
“‘Chief,’ they said to me, ‘we can handle that,'” he said, noting he was a chief petty officer in the Navy.
This past summer, the Pratts had a fire in their home but plan to be moved into their renovated home in time for the holidays. “No matter what, we’ll be ready for their visit,” he said.
Family Members Served
Burke, of Upper Township, said it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without recruits. Her stepfather was in the Coast Guard, her stepbrother was in the Navy, and her uncle served in the Army. Her youngest daughter was just a baby when they started hosting 18 years ago.
“We’ve had the newlywed, recruits from out west, and the recruit who became a father while he was in training,” she recalled. “He just wanted to hold my daughter who was an infant at the time.”
Over the years, they, too, have stayed in touch with recruits and their families, exchanging cards, letters, and photos. “There’s always new stories, new friends, and sometimes some long friendships that are started,” Burke noted. “They always bring a new liveliness to the table.”
Over 500 Recruits This Year; Families Needed for Christmas
This year, about 150 families and organizations will be hosting recruits for Thanksgiving and Christmas, according to the Red Cross.
Typically, recruits in all weeks of training participate in Operation Fireside, according to the Coast Guard.
For Thanksgiving this year, there are five weeks of trainees on board: Weeks 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, roughly 520 recruits.
They are picked up about 9 a.m. Thanksgiving Day and returned to the base by 8 p.m.
For Christmas, there will be six weeks of recruits on board: weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7, roughly 650 recruits.
On Christmas, they are picked up at noon. The service “discourages gift giving” because it is considered contraband and not allowed.
Those recruits who do not celebrate Christmas can stay on base if they wish and not participate in Operation Fireside.
For recruits in earlier weeks of training, it is important they continue to develop cohesion, even in an off-of-training environment. Given the importance of that principle, the Coast Guard tends to “batch” them together in larger groups with organizations who can house many of them together at the same time.
At this time, host families still are needed for Christmas. Anyone interested in hosting recruits should contact the Red Cross at 609-562-3483 by Dec. 4. For next year, registration starts in September by calling the Red Cross at 609-562-2258.
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.