A retired Special Forces NCO I served with back in the early sixties in the 101st Airborne, as infantry grunts, sent this poignant reminder of Christmas and New Year’s dinners of the past. Even if you weren’t deployed, a holiday dinner in the mess hall, served on a scarred metal tray, was nothing to write home about. When I opened his email, I just sat here for several minutes looking at those familiar images from my long-ago service, particularly my 1965 Christmas in Vietnam, and thinking how fortunate I was that such a holiday meal wasn’t my last as it was for so many of my fellow troopers and all the others who have made the supreme sacrifice for this country. And those of us who made it back can assure you that there is no lonelier time on a deployment than Christmas day.

Christmas Dinner in Combat

I’m thinking this should be made into a Christmas card and sent to all our friends and family members who have never had the opportunity to have such a holiday repast, particularly the military-loathing liberals among them, to remind them of the grim reality of what it is we ask of our young warriors.