This group does some real fine work. I hope they can get all of the red tape worked out so they can send some of Louisiana over to the hard working troops in Iraq.
.................................................. ................................................
Gumbo Krewe gets call to Iraq
But aid is needed to feed U.S. troops
Monday September 15, 2003
By Mary Swerczek
River Parishes bureau
They served Louisiana food to firefighters and police officers in New York City after Sept. 11, 2001. They fed Louisiana residents and military, and they fed troops in Texas and North Carolina.
Now, the Gumbo Krewe hopes to bring Louisiana to Iraq by taking a military plane to Baghdad in October and feeding 1,500 troops at a makeshift Mardi Gras parade in a military compound.
Gumbo Krewe organizer Danielle Bradley of Norco said the effort began with a phone call from someone who talked with Staff Sgt. Jeff Kinder, who is planning a Carnival celebration in October. Kinder is a member of the 59th Civil Engineer Squadron out of Belle Chasse Naval Air Station.
Could the Gumbo Krewe come and dish up its food and love in Iraq?
"We've been like, 'Yes, we've been waiting for a call,' " Bradley said. "We love doing it here at home and in the United States. We'd love to be able to serve overseas or anywhere else that needs us."
The Gumbo Krewe was conceived after the Sept. 11 attacks by Shawn Bradley, Danielle's husband. Caravans of members went to New York City three times and set up their trailers and served food to firefighters and police officers a few blocks from the World Trade Center. Since then the group has responded to many requests to cook and serve food to those suffering from disasters.
Danielle Bradley said she is on the phone almost daily trying to cut through U.S. government red tape to enable the group to travel to Baghdad. Travel arrangements will still have to be hammered out.
"People there are bending over backward," Bradley said. "There are so many over in Baghdad working on this."
Bradley hopes 15 Gumbo Krewe members, including four New York City firefighters, will get the go-ahead to serve chicken and andouille gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice with sausage, king cakes, pralines and Louisiana French bread.
They also hope to bring videotaped messages from people here.
"We thought what a better to let them know they are needed and supported here in Louisiana," Bradley said.
The trip to Iraq will be a quick one, with Krewe members hoping to arrive Oct. 9, serve food Oct. 10 and then leave the next day.
"We want to get in and out and not cause a lot of disruptions," Bradley said.
Military officials in Baghdad say they appreciate the Gumbo Krewe's effort but face challenges in bringing the group to Iraq.
"It's a wonderful idea, and we're checking into what is and isn't possible," said Air Force Master Sgt. John Norgren, adding that, because commercial flights aren't now allowed in the country, officials are considering use of a military plane.
"It's a one-step-at-a-time process. We're still at the stage of figuring out how to get them here," he said.
Bradley said that from the reception she's gotten as the trip is planned, she knows the gumbo will improve morale.
"Even though we're thousands of miles apart, we've bridged that gap," Bradley said. "The greatness of this state is going to passed thousands of miles overseas."
Krewe members will pay for the trip and future missions by selling raffle tickets for a package that includes a four-bedroom, two-bath, 2,112-square-foot camp outside of Dulac; a 2003 GMC Sierra SLE half-ton, four-door, extended cab truck; and a 2003 center-console Cobia 214cc with a 200-horsepower Yamaha engine and boat trailer. Tickets are $200 each.
"Without that money, the Gumbo Krewe can't continue," Bradley said. "We're not supported by any government agency. It's just donations."
To contact the Gumbo Krewe, call toll-free, 1-866-464-8628, or check its Web site at
www.gumbokrewe.org. 
Linear Mode
