Vietnam Veteran's 9th Infantry Division, 6-31st | home
Christmas 2005
Merry Christmas
Memories of Christmas from Vietnam
1967-1968-1969
he years have passed by and it is in the quiet moments one can reflect on those days; when Christmas meant a few hours of silence, a time to rest and enjoy the season even though one was so far from home. We remember our Brothers, and we remember that Silent Night!
From our House to Yours
'Brother to Brother'
We wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas, and the brightest blessings for a wonderful and prosperous New Year!
A DIFFERENT CHRISTMAS POEM
The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said, "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
"My Gramps died at `Pearl' on a day in December."
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas Gram always remembers.
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of `Nam,
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue ... an American flag.
"I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother,
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."
"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget,
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.
The Brother's Respond
Best Wishes for a blessed and meaningful holiday season, Merry Christmas and a prosperous and healthy 2006 to ALL! ~ Art Ciccarelli **VIETNAM VETERAN, 1969/1970** GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.
Just wanted to say Hi to all the guys I served with. ~ Larry Berko
Merry Christmas to you brother. ~ Gary Stoltz 1968/1969
I appreciate the greeting. Merry Christmas to you all. ~ Chris & Anne Hicks
Hello Bravo Bears - Just wanted to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy, Prosperous new year. ~ Ruben V. Zavala 1970
This Christmas let us light seven candles in remembrance of the true meaning of Christmas:
Light the first candle for the Man whose birth we celebrate on Christmas Day. May that the fire from that candle light the world.
Light the second in honor of the gift of His love. May the light from this candle touch every heart - those who believe and those who do not.
Light the third candle in honor of your children and your family; for they are among your greatest gifts.
Light the fourth for the young men and women in the armed forces who sacrifice so much so that we may have the right to celebrate Christmas - or not - in accordance with our own beliefs.
Light the fifth candle for your friends. For they, indeed, are among your greatest treasures.
Light the sixth for the less fortunate ones: For the mother who has no food to give her child; for the father who has no job; for the children who go hungry. May the glow from this candle guide our conscience.
Light the seventh candle for those who are suffer. For those who are ill, forgotten, lonely; for those who are homeless and are huddled on dark winter nights in the unseen corners of cities all over the world. In remembrance of them' let us this candle. And, may the light from this candle burn always lest we forget them when Christmas has passed. May The Blessings of Christmas Be With You Always!
Celebrate Christmas with love and joy and share it with all of those you love. May your family find peace and happiness and love in the glow of the Seven Candles of Christmas, and pray for Peace on Earth.
May the Spirit Of Christmas live within your heart at Christmastime and always.
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