Boots On The Ground
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Hello again from VFW Post 5127 in Whitley City. I trust that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and remembered how much we, truly, have to be thankful for. It is easy to forget that without the first responders, the people who work in hospitals, and the military men and women who are on duty that day, a day of Thanksgiving would not even be possible.
Now, we are in the middle of the Christmas season. The parade is over and the tree on the courthouse lawn has been decorated. Lights of every description brighten our homes and businesses. It is, for many, the happiest time of the year, but not for all. Throughout the world, there are American men and-women who will not be able to see those lights of home because they are stationed on ships at sea or on military bases in foreign countries. For them, Christmas is not an especially happy time of year.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is the only veterans’ organization whose membership is restricted to those American men and women who have served, with boots on the ground, in a designated zone of war. Although not all saw combat, the possibility for combat was always present. That possibility of imminent harm has shaped their values and how they look at life. Most have become better people because of it. But, like everybody else, they, too, have memories and, for many of them, some of their memories of Christmas are not always pleasant.
In most military installations, Christmas is treated in much the same manner as Thanksgiving Day and is centered on a special meal. For members of our post, the quality of this meal depended, largely, upon where they happened to be at the-time. Some of my comrades remember Christmas dinner being delivered to them in a helicopter that carried large, insulated containers filled with turkey and dressing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans, and pumpkin pie. This hot food was spooned into stainless steel mess kits that were so cold the food remained warm for only a few minutes. Others recall using a P38 to open small cans of ham and lima beans, John Wayne crackers and pimento cheese spread, pound cake and fruit cocktail. There was no helicopter delivery and no fancy Christmas dinner for them as they sat in the heat and humidity of the Delta, munching C rations and thankful they had tucked a bottle of hot sauce in the rucksack. The four cigarettes included in the meal were appreciated, though, as was the toilet paper. A few remember enjoying a great meal served from a chow line onto glass plates and eaten off white linen in spotlessly clean mess halls, with a variety of desserts, including ice cream, to follow. These tend to be the Air Force and Navy vets. Regardless of the individual circumstances, however, all of these special Christmas dinners were consumed in the presence of the soldier’s extended family, his or her brothers and sisters in arms, and not with their immediate loved ones.
On a particular Christmas Eve, during World War I, when German and American troops sat facing each other across a no-man’s land, the German guns suddenly grew silent. Soon, the voices of German soldiers could be heard, singing Silent Night. The American soldiers followed suit and, one after another, they picked up the refrain of that old Christmas hymn and Silent Night rang out across the battlefield. For a few hours in that meaningless war, soldiers stopped shooting at each other, and Christian men ceased trying to kill other Christian men. They were all united in a common bond of faith in Christ Jesus and the true Christmas story. That story tells us that love and compassion will bring us together but hate, jealousy, and envy will drive us apart. It is a story we all need to remember and do our best to live by.
Have a wonderful Christmas and when you see a vet, don’t forget to say Thank You.
