Found this elsewhere and thought I put the word out.

Semper Fi,
Ryan

I am active duty Coast Guard and thought the someone from the Marines should read this. I have my unit donating items, but they are only Coast Guard items. If any one could help Email me at jasonthompson2@charter.net

Thanks

Electrical fire claims Southside Cafe, but owners say they will rebuild
BY Suzanne Le Breton

PONTCHARTRAIN NEWSPAPERS

SLIDELL - The military artifacts hanging on the walls of Slidell's Southside Caf/ Bar and Grill spoke of the Marine Corps' commitment to family and country. The soldiers' photographs, letters and medals served as reminders of the hardships of war.
Today, former Marine captain Dan DeBlanc and his wife Sharon are relying on the Corps' Semper Fidelis spirit to rebuild their burned out neighborhood eatery.

At 4 a.m. Sunday, workers temporarily living in trailers nearby reported hearing an explosion and seeing flames from a rooftop air-conditioning unit engulfing the structure, Dan DeBlanc said. Within minutes, firefighters were on the scene, but by 5:30 a.m., the wood-frame building, which was just two weeks away from reopening after Hurricane Katrina, was completely destroyed.

On Aug. 29, Katrina's tidal surge dumped 3 feet of water inside the Pontchartrain caf/, tossing tables and equipment about. For the past eight weeks, the DeBlancs, several of their employees and many friends worked daily to gut and rebuild the popular establishment.

The couple's Chamale home was also damaged by 2 feet of water, but it remains gutted and waiting for repair. "We've been living on our boat since the storm," Dan DeBlanc said. "We owe it to our customers and our 62 workers to get the restaurant open. Everyone was excited about the progress we were making."

On Monday, as Dan DeBlanc waited on his insurance adjuster, he mused that in three month's time, the restaurateur has become something of an insurance expert. "First there was wind and water, and now fire... I'll be able to answer anyone's insurance questions after this."

The DeBlancs' resolve to rebuild is solid. But the loss of 14 1/2 years' worth of memorabilia cuts deep.

In the days immediately following the storm, Southside Caf/ employees helped pack away the hundreds of photographs of soldiers, letters home, medals and other items that adorned the walls and ceiling of the caf/.

Even the huge American flag that hung over the main bar - it once draped the coffin of a customer's grandfather who served in World War II - was boxed for safekeeping.

All of those items were destroyed in Sunday's fire, Dan DeBlanc said.

"When I opened the restaurant in 1991, I had pieces of my memorabilia hanging on the wall," Dan DeBlanc said. As a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, the former officer's items included a rotor blade, swords, medals and etchings of the names of friends killed in action. "The collection just mushroomed with items from our customers and their family members. We had filled the walls. We can rebuild the restaurant, but the memorabilia is irreplaceable," he said.

Only a fire-scorched Corps insignia, a couple of knives, helmet and mortar shell survived the blaze.

"We'll get the building put back together and then put a call out to our customers," Dan DeBlanc said. "We'll never get back what was lost; we know these things were very special to the people who gave them to us. We'll just start over again."

For many, the neighborhood eatery is more than a Slidell landmark; it's a place for family to gather, share a beer and swap stories.

Longtime customer Warren Vinot, an "old-time" restaurateur from the Rigolets area, ate lunch every day at Southside Caf/. For days after the storm, the DeBlancs feared for their friend's safety. When Vinot heard his favorite lunch spot had burned, he had his grandson drive him into town.

"You're going to have to wait about four months for your grilled catfish," Dan DeBlanc said as he embraced Vinot.

"If your family is well and you have your health, you'll be OK," the elder Vinot said.

The DeBlancs are hopeful construction on the Southside Caf/ will be complete by Mardi Gras. Until then, they continue to hold Bike Night at the Northshore Harley-Davidson, along the I-10 Service Road in Slidell, on Wednesday nights.

"(The Southside Caf/) has been a pretty special place for Marines and for our customers," Dan DeBlanc said. "We're still in a bit of a daze right now, but we'll be back. Better than before, too."