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in
this issue |
Christmas
poem
Thanks
to
all
our marvelous, loyal friends that we have met this year.
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Christmas
poem |
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'TWAS
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE LIVED ALL ALONE, IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE
MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE. I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO
GIVE, AND TO SEE JUST WHO IN THIS HOME DID LIVE. I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A
STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE, NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE. NO
STOCKING
BY MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND, ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES OF
FAR
DISTANT LANDS. WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS, A SOBER
THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND. FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, IT WAS DARK AND
DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY. THE SOLDIER
LAY
SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE, CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR IN THIS ONE BEDROOM
HOME.
THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER, NOT HOW I PICTURED A
UNITED STATES SOLDIER. WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ? CURLED
UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED? I REALIZED THE FAMILIES THAT I SAW
THIS NIGHT, OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS WHO WERE WILLING TO
FIGHT.
SOON ROUND THE WORLD, THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY, AND GROWNUPS WOULD
CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY. THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM EACH MONTH OF THE
YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE. I COULDN'T HELP
WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE, ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.
THE
VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE, I DROPPED TO MY KNEES AND
STARTED
TO CRY. THE SOLDIER AWAKENED AND 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." THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER AND DRIFTED
TO
SLEEP, I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO WEEP. I KEPT WATCH FOR
HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL AND WE BOTH SHIVERED FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL. I
DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT, THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT. THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, WITH A VOICE SOFT
AND
PURE, WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA, IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."
ONE
LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT. "MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT." This poem was written by a Marine stationed
in
Okinawa Japan. The following is his request. I think it is
reasonable.....
PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many
people
as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our
U.S. service men and women for our being able to celebrate these
festivities.
Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make
people
stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed
themselves
for us. Please, do your small part to plant this small seed. |
Thanks
to all our marvelous, loyal friends that we have met this year. |
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Sorry
if I got off the subject of Health - I just need to get this salute off
to our service men.
Thanks
for
your
patience and support. Without you we couldn't keep going.
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