Happy New Year!!

A Holiday Letter

I found this on Military.com and thought that it was such a good story, having stood the test of time, that I would post it here for others. Christmas, or life, is what you make it. You have the power to determine how positive life will be. Constant negativity undermines all of us, pulls us all down and makes life miserable and depressing. I have this blog, because I was weary of constantly being criticized for being too positive about my country and it's military. I try to be like the sailor in this letter. Someday, I too, will pass quietly into the night. I hope that when the door closes, that I will leave happiness behind me.

Background information and commentary by Andrew Carroll: THE UGLY AMERICAN, published in 1958 by William Lederer and Eugene Burdick, is a fictionalized account of the two men's experiences working in Southeast Asia. Although the book focuses primarily on the deficiencies of America's foreign aid program at the time, it is memorable for its accounts of Americans acting in a boorish and insensitive manner toward the citizens of their host country. While traveling in France almost fifteen years later, however, Lederer witnessed an incident involving an American sailor that touched him so deeply he sent a letter to the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C, Admiral David L. McDonald. This letter, which I included in an earlier book I edited titled LETTERS OF A NATION, is printed below in its entirety.

Admiral David L. McDonald, USN
Chief of Naval Operations
Washington, D.C.

Dear Admiral McDonald,

Eighteen people asked me to write this letter to you.

Last year at Christmas time, my wife, three boys and I were in France, on our way from Paris to Nice. For five wretched days everything had gone wrong. Our hotels were "tourist traps," our rented car broke down; we were all restless and irritable in the crowded car. On Christmas Eve, when we checked into our hotel in Nice, there was no Christmas spirit in our hearts.

It was raining and cold when we went out to eat. We found a drab little restaurant shoddily decorated for the holiday. Only five tables were occupied. There were two German couples, two French families, and an American sailor, by himself. In the corner a piano player listlessly played Christmas music.

I was too tired and miserable to leave. I noticed that the other customers were eating in stony silence. The only person who seemed happy was the American sailor. While eating, he was writing a letter, and a half-smile lighted his face.

My wife ordered our meal in French. The waiter brought us the wrong thing. I scolded my wife for being stupid. The boys defended her, and I felt even worse.

Then, at the table with the French family on our left, the father slapped one of his children for some minor infraction, and the boy began to cry.

On our right, the German wife began berating her husband.

All of us were interrupted by an unpleasant blast of cold air. Through the front door came an old flower woman. She wore a dripping, tattered overcoat, and shuffled in on wet, rundown shoes. She went from one table to the other.

"Flowers, monsieur? Only one franc."

No one bought any.

Wearily she sat down at a table between the sailor and us. To the waiter she said, "A bowl of soup. I haven't sold a flower all afternoon." To the piano player she said hoarsely, "Can you imagine, Joseph, soup on Christmas Eve?"

He pointed to his empty "tipping plate."

The young sailor finished his meal and got up to leave. Putting on his coat, he walked over to the flower woman's table.

"Happy Christmas," he said, smiling and picking out two corsages. "How much are they?"

"Two francs, monsieur."

Pressing one of the small corsages flat, he put it into the letter he had written, then handed the woman a 20-franc note.

"I don't have change, Monsieur," she said. "I'll get some from the waiter."

"No, ma'am," said the sailor, leaning over and kissing the ancient cheek. "This is my Christmas present to you."

Then he came to our table, holding the other corsage in front of him. "Sir," he said to me, "may I have permission to present these flowers to your beautiful daughter?"

In one quick motion he gave my wife the corsage, wished us a Merry Christmas and departed.

Everyone had stopped eating. Everyone had been watching the sailor. Everyone was silent.

A few seconds later Christmas exploded throughout the restaurant like a bomb.

The old flower woman jumped up, waving the 20-franc note, shouted to the piano player, "Joseph, my Christmas present! And you shall have half so you can have a feast too."

The piano player began to belt out Good King Wencelaus, beating the keys with magic hands.

My wife waved her corsage in time to the music. She appeared 20 years younger. She began to sing, and our three sons joined her, bellowing with enthusiasm.

"Gut! Gut!" shouted the Germans. They began singing in German.

The waiter embraced the flower woman. Waving their arms, they sang in French.

The Frenchman who had slapped the boy beat rhythm with his fork against a bottle. The lad climbed on his lap, singing in a youthful soprano.

A few hours earlier 18 persons had been spending a miserable evening. It ended up being the happiest, the very best Christmas Eve, they had ever experienced.

This, Admiral McDonald, is what I am writing you about. As the top man in the Navy, you should know about the very special gift that the U.S. Navy gave to my family, to me and to the other people in that French restaurant. Because your young sailor had Christmas spirit in his soul, he released the love and joy that had been smothered within us by anger and disappointment. He gave us Christmas.

Thank you, Sir, very much.
Merry Christmas,

The Year in Photos 2005

This is a very good slide show, worth the time to view it.

This annual year-end special features the best of Army.mil's feature photos,

drawn from a variety of Defense Department sources. These photos capture

the essence of our Soldiers,

living the Warrior Ethos and answering the Call to Duty.

Troops Visit Mosul Orphanage

U.S. Army Spc. Brent Hendrix, assigned to Alpha Troop, 4th Battalion, 14th Regiment, Mortar Platoon, lets a child touch his face at the Dar Al Zando Kindergarten and Orphanage in Mosul, Iraq, Dec. 22, 2005. The soldiers distributed school supplies and toy stuffed animals during their visit to the kindergarten and orphanage. U.S. Army photo Spc. Clydell Kinchen

Christmas in Iraq

From the blog, 'One Marine's View' by Capt B (who may be the best military blogger on the planet), comes this funny, poignant story of a soldier's Christmas. Below, is an excerpt.

.

"We had a couple of Santa’s that conducted a frontal attack on one

location as their fighting spirit rang through like the holidays as they

kicked in doors and delivered their gifts, what a country!
hey opened up the BIG can of whoop ass on one terrorist

but then of course we gave them a medal, some more ammo

and claymore mines and fired our support by fire positions to

let them continue their attacks."

Holiday Messages to the Troops

Secretary of Defense Holiday Message Joint Chiefs Chairman Holiday Message

This is one of the many Holiday Messages

to our Troops at Stars and Stripes.

Sgt. Derrick Sablan - I Love You, Uncle Derrick! Someday When I Am President, I Will Make There Be No More Wars. Josiah Ali Sablan Me

http://holiday.stripes.osd.mil/

The Glenn Beck Christmas Tour Salute to the Troops

See the Glenn Beck Christmas Tour Salute to the Troops Free Video - Requires Windows Media Player

White Trash Christmas

I hope that no one is offended by this little video.

My family is scattered throughout

South Carolina, Georgia and Florida

and I live in Texas.

I guess that this video appealed

to my 'white trash' roots, y'all.

http://www.toonedin.com/movies/WhiteTrashXmas.html

USO Marine of the Year

I love a good story and it's even better when it comes

from a worthy organization, like Helmets to Hardhats.

USO Marine of the Year Award

The USO Marine of the Year Award is the highest honor that can be

bestowed upon a regular member of the Marine Corps League. The

candidates for this award are nominated by the people who know

them best; the Marines of their own Battalion. Once these Marines

make a recommendation, they send it to the Commandant of the

Marine Corps. He then chooses who should be given this special

award.

This year, Staff Sergeant Matthew Anderson, husband of Helmets to

Hardhats employee Connie Anderson, won this prestigious award.

Connie is a Marketing Coordinator at Helmets to Hardhats, and has

worked with the company since February 2004. The Marine of the

Year award was introduced and honored at the Hilton Hotel in

Washington DC on September 14th.

According to his platoon, Staff Sergeant Anderson continually puts

himself in a position of danger in order to be the most effective during

combat operations. He is able to quickly anticipate the point of friction

and eliminate any problems that may arise. He is consistently exceeding

what is expected of him.

During one ambush on his platoon he led an assault on a suspected

enemy position, which lead to the discovery of an illegal weapons and

ammunition cache. On another occasion he maneuvered his vehicle

through a cloud of smoke and debris, ensuring that the rest of his convoy

did not become trapped in a kill zone.

Staff Sergeant Anderson participated in a USO program - Operation Care

Package - that makes up care packages and mails them to soldiers serving

overseas.

We congratulate Matthew on this great award and give thanks to all of you

who serve or have served our country!

A Hat tip to Helmets to Hardhats.

Every Day Heroes

From the Outstanding Milblog, the Mudville Gazette:

Every Day Heroes

Greyhawk

The President:

The work ahead will also require continued sacrifice. Yet we can be confident, because history has shown the power of freedom to overcome tyranny. And we can be confident because we have on our side the greatest force for freedom in human history: the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. (Applause.)

One of these men was a Marine lieutenant named Ryan McGlothlin, from Lebanon, Virginia. Ryan was a bright young man who had everything going for him and he always wanted to serve our nation. He was a valedictorian of his high school class. He graduated from William & Mary with near-perfect grade averages, and he was on a full scholarship at Stanford, where he was working toward a doctorate in chemistry.

Two years after the attacks of September the 11th, the young man who had the world at his feet came home from Stanford for a visit. He told his dad, "I just don't feel like I'm doing something that matters. I want to serve my country. I want to protect our lands from terrorists, so I joined the Marines." When his father asked him if there was some other way to serve, Ryan replied that he felt a special obligation to step up because he had been given so much. Ryan didn't support me in the last election, but he supported our mission in Iraq. And he supported his fellow Marines.

Ryan was killed last month fighting the terrorists near the -- Iraq's Syrian border. In his pocket was a poem that Ryan had read at his high school graduation, and it represented the spirit of this fine Marine. The poem was called "Don't Quit."

The Rest of the Story.

Rangers Given Award for Valor

Outfit honored with Valorous Unit Award for performance in 2003 Battle of Hadithah Dam

From staff reports

Mention the 2003 Battle of Hadithah Dam to any Ranger and watch him swell with pride.

With good reason.

The Army thinks so highly of the performance by the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment that it recently honored the outfit with the Valorous Unit Award, second in unit awards only to the Presidential Unit Citation.

According to the award citation, the Fort Benning-based Rangers, then part of a joint task force engaged in an intense battle during the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, displayed extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy from March 30 through April 9, 2003.

Their mission: Seize the enemy-occupied Hadithah Dam in Iraq to obtain a communication line across the Euphrates River and to prevent the enemy from destroying the dam.

"It was very dangerous, against a numerically superior enemy, deep into the heart of the country behind enemy lines, with expectations of heavy enemy resistance and the dam itself thought to be rigged to blow," said battalion commander Lt. Col. John G. Castles.

The Hadithah Dam was, and still is, a vital line of communication from Western Iraq leading into Baghdad, he said. "The importance of this site was that, if destroyed, the waters would flood the Euphrates River basin all the way into Baghdad and either destroy or limit the maneuverability of coalition forces moving up into this critical area."

Originally tasked to be there for 24 hours, the force was required to remain at the critical position for several days. "Despite continued contact with the enemy, the force held firm, continuing to take the fight to and destroy the enemy, resulting in coalition forces continued movement north into Iraq," Castles said.

Maj. David S. Doyle, who commanded the Rangers during the mission, recalled the operation from beginning to end. "We infiltrated into the western desert with one plan, and then the circumstances changed during our movement. We received the Hadithah Dam mission and had less than 12 hours to plan and get moving. We planned on the hood of a vehicle in the desert and went through our troop leading procedures just like we were at Ranger School."

The battle damage assessment included 230 enemies killed, and the destruction of 29 tanks, nine S-60 anti-aircraft artillery, 14 anti-aircraft artillery pieces, 28 155mm artillery, 22 82mm mortars, six 60mm mortars, eight ammunition caches, 18 buildings, three heavy cargo trucks, two motorcycles, 10 boats and one kayak.

Previously, four Rangers received the Silver Star, 11 received the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, five received the Purple Heart, 20 received Army Commendation Medals for Valor, 15 received the Bronze Star Medal and 71 received the Army Commendation Medal for this mission.

The Valorous Unit Award is awarded to units of the Armed Forces for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy of the United States while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing armed force. The unit must have performed with marked distinction under difficult and hazardous conditions to accomplish the mission, separating it from other units involved in the conflict.

The 3rd Battalion last received the Valorous Unit Award for actions while deployed to Somalia in 1993

Wizards of Winter

Wouldn't want to live across the street from this guy!

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"THE SOLDIERS NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS"

"THE SOLDIERS NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS"

“Merry Christmas, My Friend” by LCpl James M Schmidt, USMC, 1986

Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,

In a one bedroom house made of plaster & stone.

I had come down the chimney, with presents to give

and to see just who in this home did live

As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,

no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.

No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand.

On the wall hung pictures of a far distant land.

With medals and badges, awards of all kind,

a sobering thought soon came to my mind.

For this house was different, unlike any I'd seen.

This was the home of a U.S. Marine.

I'd heard stories about them, I had to see more,

so I walked down the hall and pushed open the door.

And there he lay sleeping, silent, alone,

Curled up on the floor in his one-bedroom home.

He seemed so gentle, his face so serene,

Not how I pictured a U.S. Marine.

Was this the hero, of whom I’d just read?

Curled up in his poncho, a floor for his bed?

His head was clean-shaven, his weathered face tan.

I soon understood, this was more than a man.

For I realized the families that I saw that night,

owed their lives to these men, who were willing to fight.

Soon around the Nation, the children would play,

And grown-ups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day.

They all enjoyed freedom, each month and all year,

because of Marines like this one lying here.

I couldn’t help wonder how many lay alone,

on a cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home.

Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye.

I dropped to my knees and I started to cry.

He must have awoken, for I heard a rough voice,

"Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice

I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more.

My life is my God, my country, my Corps."

With that he rolled over, drifted off into sleep,

I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.

I watched him for hours, so silent and still.

I noticed he shivered from the cold night's chill.

So I took off my jacket, the one made of red,

and covered this Marine from his toes to his head.

Then I put on his T-shirt of scarlet and gold,

with an eagle, globe and anchor emblazoned so bold.

And although it barely fit me, I began to swell with pride,

and for one shining moment, I was Marine Corps deep inside.

I didn't want to leave him so quiet in the night,

this guardian of honor so willing to fight.

But half asleep he rolled over, and in a voice clean and pure,

said "Carry on, Santa, it's Christmas Day, all secure."

One look at my watch and I knew he was right,

Merry Christmas my friend, Semper Fi and goodnight.

Christmas Gift Ideas

From the Northwest Territorial Store:

View our selection.

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