I had several people ask me for this recipe. I hope you enjoy it.The movie Flags of Our Fathers has me thinking more lately about Iwo Jima, the war, and my father's brother. That's him up there with his best friend Private James F. Ryan. It would be the last picture taken of either one of them.
Prosper Terrenoire, Jr., or June as he was called, was 19 when he and his friend landed on Iwo Jima. They survived two weeks. According to a Marine who knew them both, they died together, a fact that gives me some small comfort but did nothing to help my grandmother, a woman who never recovered from the loss of her son.
From everything I know about my uncle he was not really cut out to be a Marine. He was undisciplined, described as "the only boy who could get detention hall in detention hall." He was funny, I've been told, and a charmer. From his picture he wasn't bad looking either.
According to the old Marine who was kind enough to tell me something about him, my uncle and Jim Ryan were "the first to go on liberty and the last to return." They were often AWOL. They were often drunk. They were often in the company of women who were happy to take a private's pay in return for their contribution to the Marines' morale.
When I read or hear about young Marines being killed in Iraq, I can't help but think of my uncle, his friend James Ryan, and my grandmother, a mother who nearly lost her mind with grief and who carried the wounds of Iwo Jima with her until she died.
In their honor, I named this recipe after my uncle's unit. With deep respect to those who serve, then and now, over there or here at home, I present:
FIFTH MARINE BLACK BEAN CHILI
2 T olive oil
1.5 lbs. beef steak, cut into cubes
1 green chili, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp thyme
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 cans beef broth
1 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes with juice
1 28 oz. jar of tomato sauce
2 cans of black beans.
1 tsp of unsweetened cocoa
1 T tequila
1 T red wine vinegar
Brown beef, onion and chili pepper in olive oil until onions are transparent. Stir in garlic, cumin, coriander, chili powder, thyme and red pepper flakes for 30 seconds. Add beans, broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce and simmer 1.5 to 2 hours. Stir in cocoa and simmer an additional ten minutes. Add tequila and vinegar, stir and heat through. Serve over brown rice.
If you try it and like it, let me know. And if anyone can find out anything about James F. Ryan, I'd appreciate it. I know he was KIA on March 4, 1945. I've traced him back to northern California, but that's as far as I got. Ryan isn't exactly an uncommon name. I know you all are researchers, so if any of you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them. I think his family would like a copy of that picture.
Semper Fidelis.
6 comments:
Thanks David.
This is from Wikipedia: Late in 1967, General Westmoreland had said that it was "conceivable" that in "two years or less" U.S. forces could be phased out of the war, turning over more and more of the job to the South Vietnamese.
This was in today's news: The American military commander in Iraq, General George Casey, says Iraq's own armed forces should be able to take over security responsibility within the next 12 to 18 months. (ABC Australia News Online).
It seems the looking-for-a-way-out lies have started, and that makes every young soldier's death so much more of a tragedy.
Anyway, that's a great photo, and I'll try the recipe.
Dave: My father's brother was killed in the Ardness forrest close to the end of the Battle of the Bulge. Strikingly similar story ... he was there 4 weeks and was just unlucky. He was killed in an artillery barrage; one of the unlucky replacements an episode of Band of Brothers depicted. I contacted the Rainbow Division and they gave me all kinds of info, including a number to call of an officer who told me about the artillery barrage. Being thick sicilians, my father's family completely shut down after his death (his mother wound up in an asylum). They never discussed anything about the lost son/brother. The Rainbow Division family were truly wonderful. I have his burial spot in France, etc., and they sent a picture (my youngest son looks exactly like my uncle).
Here's to hero uncles.
I will definitely try the chilli ...
All best, brother.
Great story. My Uncle went missing-in-action somewhere over the Indian Ocean between Australia and Indonesia. He was a crew man on a PBY, those planes that landed in the water in the middle of a battle to pick up downed pilots. I think they were on a trip back to base and their plane never made it.
A few years ago I got the opportunity to go to the U.S. war memorial in the Philippines near the airport in Manila. They have walls and walls etched with the names of the missing and dead from the area. I came in search of my Uncle's name. As I approached the memorial, a wave of emotion washed over me. It was like nothing I ever felt before. It was a beautiful day, there was no one around. I don't think my eyes were dry for even a second over the next hour. I did find my Uncle's name. I did take a piece of paper and do a rubbing which I later gave to my dad. I still get a little emotional now when I think about it. There were the names of over 17,000 dead, and for a little bit, it felt like they were all there around me.
Another raised glass to uncles known and unknown.
Sounds like a wonderful recipe. I'll have to give it a try this weekend.
My grandfather was a Navy captain of a dredge. I don't recall which island battle it was, my history's rough, but his job was to create a beachhead for the Marines to land.
So he's got his ship, dredging muck and mud to create a landing space, while the Japanese are on one side of him trying to blow him out of the water and the Americans are on the other side of him trying to give covering fire.
That image has always stayed with me. The desperate whine of artillery shells the size of VW's overhead. One of them in front of you, one of them behind you and the third one in the air. I can't imagine there was a clean pair pants on that ship by the end of the day.
Rainbow Divison? Interesting, because that was my father's. He was waiting with others for the Leopoldville when it was attacked. They were supposed to be on it but there were a few mishaps getting there and instead they watched it attacked. I'm trying to remember other details ... my father did say something about the leader (captain?) got lost on way, that's why they didn't meet it. I know he always went to Christmas Eve mass thereafter. He was in France and stayed on a bit later after war over (hence my name). I'll have to check with my mother on more details. He really never talked about experience. My uncle survived the Bulge and he also didn't talk about the war much (except after one of the brutal hurricanes hit FL and he said people were like war refugees waiting to get food/water). My father and his two brothers served, each in a different branch and each very different experiences.
I am sorry for your loss, David. We love chili and I'll make it soon.
Jeanne
A wonderful tribute to a wonderful generation, David. I doubt there aren't many of us have ties to our American hero's-and who appreciate your wonderful post. My husband's brother was a WWII pilot-shot down over the Pacific-and died in a Japanese prisoner of war camp.
And-being my husband is an ex-jar head who served in Korea - and who loves chili-you can bet I'll be making yours very soon.
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