A Soldier's Christmas

[KickChick]

Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities in comfort and peace.

 

Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe.

 

.... stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.

 

A Veterans Christmas

 

 

 

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

 

GROWN-UPS 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."

[Pacificshore]

Outstanding post KC.................3 CHEERS FOR OUR MEN & WOMEN IN THE ARMED FORCES

[ZR440]

Too bad I didn't read this earlier, but I'm still going to send this to my best buddy who is a warrant officer with the Army Special Forces.