Last year at this time I posted an article on this blog titled “A Christmas Story: 1944”. It is a story about the Christmas Eve my father spent in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. The story is in the older posts of the blog.
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| Author Michael Connelly |
My Dad was in the 87th Chemical Mortar Battalion and his unit was supporting an attack toward Bastogne where the 101st Airborne Division had been surrounded and cut off by superior German forces for days. Now, 66 years later as I write this article my oldest son is preparing to spend his third Christmas since 9/11 in a combat zone. Ironically, he is with the 101st Airborne. At the same time, my youngest son is training to be a Blackhawk Helicopter pilot for the Army.
As we prepare to spend Christmas with family and friends it is important for us to remember the men and women in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard who have voluntarily placed themselves in harm’s way so the rest of us can be free and safe. There are two poems that express this far better than anything I can write. They are both on youtube and they speak for themselves.
“A Different Christmas Poem”
“A Soldier’s Silent Night”
I ask you to listen to them both and then say a prayer for our men and women in the military. To these brave warriors I can only say: You are the best of us and we thank you for the sacrifices you make every day for our country. God Bless You and Merry Christmas.
