A tome from our friend Hal...about serving and missing the holidays at home
...As a kid, I, like most people took Christmas and all of the family get together opportunities for granted. Then came Christmas 1969, 1970 and 1971.
Christmas 1969 saw me nearing the middle of the last phase of my military training. We were going to get a three day break, but we were too far away to even consider trying to make it home.
Everybody talked about having thier own little family like get together because there was no way we'd even be able call home to families who already knew we
wouldn't be there with them.
Because of where we were, each of us had already told the home folks not to send us presents other that eats and treats that could be mailed to us.
Come Christmas morning, even the most "back-slidden" of us gravitated toward the only available church service, performed for all denominations by our
Chaplain, a Rabbi.
Then it was on to a half eaten, "social" breakfast that ended up being our only other gathering as a group for the day.
Yes, we did eat two other meals that day, but they were consumed in, and by, the silence. No one wanted to talk as our hearts and minds were too many miles
away.
After we graduated in February of 1970, we all reminisced.
Universally, we all agreed that our first Christmas away from home was the saddest day of our young
lives.
1970 and 1971 saw me away from home again in a war zone. As unpleasant as those times in my life were, I still consider the loneliness and being out of touch with my family over the Christmas holidays to be the most depressing time
of my life.
Please, throughout this season, keep at the forefront of your thoughts and prayers, all military and other government employees serving our nation away
from home and family.
Thanks, Hal
-------------------------
The Miller Christmas Card.
I miss it!
Here it is.the BEST Christmas ad EVER!..
CLICK & ENJOY:
stanmajor@aol.com
No comments:
Post a Comment