Christmas on Active Duty

I was stationed at my first duty assignment, RAF Chicksands, England. It was my first Christmas away from home and I was pretty down. I worked until 1530L that day. After my shift, I walked back to the barracks. Hanging from my door handle was a bag. In the bag were cookies, candy, a gift, and a personal note inside a Christmas card from an officer's wife. I learned that there was an officer's wives club on base and they decided to do something nice for the enlisted personnel. In my barracks room, I had put up a sick looking Christmas tree with a string of lights and a few ornaments I bought from the BX. I sat there in my room with the bag of goodies and read the note inside the Christmas card. I still missed my family back in New Jersey but I did not feel quite as lonely at that moment.

 

It was 2004, and we had just made it to LSA Anaconda. It was the first big base we'd been to, outside of one day spent at Warrior/Kirkuk. Otherwise, we had spent most of the past 11 months here:



So, getting a real Christmas dinner was going to be a real treat. We were all up early, wanting to be the first through the line at lunch. And of course, while we were standing outside, at the head of the line, waiting for the doors to open, the sirens stated going off and the PA system was hollering incoming.

Well, while we weren't much concerned, we made our way to the bunkers, and settled down for 15 minutes or so til they called the all clear. When we got back outside, there must have been a few thousand people flooding the line.

 

It was 1964 and I was in boot camp at MCRD in San Diego, where I grew up but unfortunately so did my family and grandmother... I don't remember if I got off for Christmas or not but I do remember mail call... The head drill instructor, Sgt. Valdez, called for formation for mail call and started calling out names as we lined up and he called, at ease... We all looked down and saw at his feet along with the mail a box the size of a foot locker... Everyone wondering who was going to get the box... We could all tell by his posture and voice he wasn't to happy about it.

So he passed out all the mail and was left with the box and I'm sure he knew who it was going to be but he made us all sweat and squirm a little... Then he bellowed out the privates name and yeah it was me... So in turn I hollered out SIR and said my last name and came running... He glared at me and said what is in this !*#&#* box?... I was as puzzled as he was and I said SIR!... THE PRIVATE DOESN'T KNOW... He then said tell me whose name is on it?... I looked at it and it was from my Grandmother, and I said It"s from my Grandmother Sir... Isn't that sweet he said with gravel in his voice... And where is dear Old Grandma?... She's 15 miles from the base SIR!... I think he about lost it... WHAT the !*#&#*?... Just open the box... I responded AYE, AYE SIR!

So I removed the tape and opened the box and it was full of pokey bait... You know food they don't serve at the mess hall... It was solid, there wasn't any packing just goodies... Candy bars, Popcorn Balls just to name a few... The DI looked down at me with a smirk in his voice and after dragging out all the other DI's to come take a look, said Private, NOW YOU'RE GOING TO EAT EVERYTHING IN THIS BOX... So I started unwrapping and eating as the platoon looked on... After a while I wasn't feeling to well and one of the DI's looking on commented Hell Valdez, have a little pity, it's Christmas... Next thing I heard was Sgt. Valdez's voice bellow out PLATOON!... The platoon answer YES SIR!... Turn to on the box... Merry Christmas!... They went into the box like hogs to corn... Me, I just sat on the side and watched, I had, had enough... Brother Glen

OOOOORAH!... Merry Christmas my brothers in arms!

 

Brother, I did not serve in a forward combat unit, so I tip my hat to you and those veterans on the Baptist Board who did and rejoice that God protected your lives.

 

It was definitely a life changing experience. Not much left of where were. The on the move satellite tech caught up and put the FM stations out of business.

Google Maps

 

The worst was sitting along the Ho Chi Minh trail on Christmas Eve and day.

The best was when I came home in March and my family had postponed their Christmas until I got home!