« Previous · Home · Next »
Holiday Wishes
By Charlie
Hi folks,
Your friendly neighborhood staff officer reporting from abroad. First of all, I have to say that being in an infantry battalion is hands-down the best place to be as a young officer. My dealings with the folks up at brigade (only one echelon up) have proven to me that experience at a lower level unit is an absolute necessity. Lots of officers don’t get the opportunity to serve at my level. An officer of my rank at a division or above command would be relegated to “assistant to the chief coffee fetcher” or some other functionally bereft position. Here, I’m in charge.
So I count myself among the lucky ones. Anyway, the job is going well. The holidays, however, put a strain on not only us deployed soldiers, but our families back in the rear. Remember, the families are the ones who didn’t volunteer.
So now might be a good time to check out the “Support the Troops” tab at the top of our webpage, and throw some of that holiday bonus towards some worthy causes. I’m going to plug Soldier’s Angels because I’ve seen their work firsthand here, and random care-packages in the mail makes Joe happy, and keeps him motivated and his mind on the mission, instead of the suck. Of course, the USO is also a worthy cause to check out. Also, if you want to send me some holiday cheer, shoot me an e-mail. I’m very lonely.
Anyway, the next few days are a time for joy and cheer and such for most folks, but remember that there are soldiers in the field this Christmas. Hopefully next year, I’ll get to spend Christmas in America.
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://op-for.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/664
Comments
I don't have your email, but you are in my heart and prayers, my friend. My son is in the delayed entry pool for the USMC and will be shipped to Parris Island in April. He is going the Platoon Leader route and has an eight year commitment. We will miss him every day, but we couldn't be prouder of the decision he has made and the character it reveals. We are proud of you, too. God bless you and watch over you.
Merry Christmas and to a Happy New Year! Thank God for the great Servicemen we have fighting for our country.
"Anyway, the next few days are a time for joy and cheer and such for most folks, but remember that there are soldiers in the field this Christmas."
We remember.
Merry Chistmas & Happy New Year. Stay safe and come home soon. Jim
Hey Charlie,
Being away from home for Christmas is about the worst thing. But there is always something around the corner to cheer you up. During the first Gulf War, my airmen got to go to Bahrain and see the Bob Hope USO show just after Christmas day. The guys were excited and after the show Brooke Shields came over to where we were to say hello. One of the guys handed me his camera to take a picture of him with her. The only problem was he was about 5 foot nothing and she is sky high. I had to hold the camera on angle to get both of their heads in the shot. Ms Shields then had him stand on a chair so we could get a better picture of him. Of course, you know which picture went back home for the squadron bulletin board! She was very nice and the guys really appreciated her coming over. Hopefully, something good like that will happen to you and you'll have a nice chuckle over it.
Best of luck and keep up the great work. We greatly appreciate the job you and your soldiers are doing for us. Merry Christmas!
Hossman
Charlie,
You're lonely? You'd be abnormal and crazy not to be. If I could wave a magic wand at Christmas, I'd whisk all of you home to your families for the day, and I'd replace you with people like me. I'm ardently supportive of our military, I probably wouldn't be able to handle a weapon to save my life, BUT...BUT I could probably talk the enemy into the ground, or at least long enough to hold the fort till you got back.
You folk who serve in our armed forces are the closest thing we have to nobility in America. We can't say enough, or do enough to repay you for your service. And always remember there are millions of us who think this way. As soon as we figure out a way to discourage the noisesome naysayers in the media, we'll have everybody on board for this mission. When Christmas day comes, I hope you will take some comfort that you are surrounded with constant prayers of millions who never sleep without remembering you and your mission. And that your profession holds the highest respect of so many.
Nollaig shona dhuit!
As a proud, American flag-waving, bumper stickered car-bearing member of Soldiers Angels and AnySoldier addict - I can only say that I wish I could do more. I would not want any servicemember to go lonely or unloved during the holidays.
Post a comment
Potential comment conditions listed here. Oh, and you may use basic HTML for formatting.
Hey Charlie! Glad to hear things are going well for you on deployment. I just got back from mine last week and am spending some quality time with Red and Jack.
The military is the only line of work that will give young guys like you and me the awesome responsibilities we have. By 26 I was in charge of an entire ship's weapons systems, sensors, ammunition inventory and electronics; now at 30 I'm in charge of 57 people who operate and maintain the ship's propulsion, auxiliaries and electrical systems. You just can't beat that.
Good luck, buddy.