What is your most memorable Christmas while deployed?

In 1969 I was a Marine helicopter pilot in Viet Nam. The Bob Hope show was playing in DaNang, and, to allow the Marines there the opportunity to attend the show, the units based north of DaNang flew their missions.
I drew the mission of transporting the Division Commander; unusual since he normally flew in a UH-1E. We arrived to pick him up and were immediately loaded with huge crates of socks and hot food. Once we were loaded, the General appeared, along with the Division Sergeant Major who was dressed as Santa Claus.
We spent the rest of the day flying to all the remote sites where Marines in the field were involved in combat operations. At each site, the General and “Santa Claus” would dismount, serve a hot meal and give clean socks to their Marines.
Christmas 69 certainly wasn’t my most festive Christmas, and none of us shared the joy of our families, the Christmas feast, or a candlelit worship service, but the memory of the joy those Marines got from a hot meal and clean socks is with me to this day.

Christmas Eve 1969, RVN, I was on Rat Patrol. Two jeeps, each jeep with a driver, Radio Operator, and two men manning a M60 machine gun. I was the Radio Operator, and our job was to patrol the roads at night to keep the VC from planting mines. We drove the roads randomly without lights. At midnight, we could see red and green flares shooting into the sky from the direction of Cau Ha Combat base. The next day, the whole battalion was read the riot act, to ensure that this behavior did not occur ever again. New Year's Eve, I was again on Rat Patrol, and the same thing happened back at the base.

Christmas Eve 1966, Bearcat South Vietnam, spent it alone sitting on a sandbag wall looking at the stars.

Korea, 1964.
We got trucked to the Div HQ for the Bob Hope Show but arrived a trace late due to some confusion about coverage on the Zone. Anyhoo, by the time we got there the only seats were way back in the nosebleed section.
Show time! Bob Hope walked out on stage, looked around and headed back off stage. The CG looks confused and follows him off only to return a few minutes later to adjust the seating. Seems like the first five rows had been reserved for and filled with officers, not an uncommon practice at the time. But not one that pleased Mr. Hope. Apparently he wasn't going to start the show until there were Soldiers in those from rows, and by that he meant us enlisted swine. So we in the back got moved to the front and those in front, including the Div Staff, got our seats. A great show.

That was the first and only time I got to see a Christmas show of any sort while deployed. In fact the only celebrity I saw during the time in RVN was Maggie Ray. She actually came to where the teams were and visited, as in sitting around and actually b*llsh*tting with the troops. Way better than a show!

WOW! It's been a while since I've thought about this but: Christmas 1973, Waegan, S. Korea. I was 19 years old, first time away from home and in a foreign country. I had just met a lady and we wanted to spend the holiday together, but had no clue what to do. As it turned out, there was an orphanage just outside our compound. It was poor, run down and the kids were hungry and dirty. Our post chaplin arranged with the Korean authorities for troops to adopt an orphan for Christmas and take them to the mess hall for Christmas dinner. My date, who later became my wife and I adopted a little boy, named "Cha" for the day, but we kept him for 3 days, with permission, of course. This little guy was filthy when we got him, but I took him to the barracks and let him take a shower, and change his clothes. We bought him 2 sets of clothes, a winter coat and a pair of boots and shoes. This little guy never knew what a shower was, but he sure had fun. We took him back to the orphanage on Sunday and he was the best dressed and cleanest of all 50 or so kids that lived there. It was also his first time ever sleeping in a real bed. I'll never forget the look of joy and awe on his face each time he did something new. As we said our goodbyes, he bowed in front of me, showing me respect the traditional way and when he straightened up, he promptly grabbed my knees with a bear hug and wouldn't let go. Our chaplin adopted him the following year. To say that that was an emotionally charged Christmas, would be an understatement. One I hope to never forget.

While I was with VS-22 on board USS John F Kennedy (CV-67) deployed to the Mediterranean Sea in support of Multinational Peacekeeping Force Beirut, Lebanon 1983-1984, Bob Hope had an USO Show on board the USS Kennedy as part of his 1983 Christmas Show Bob in Beirut 1983. YNCS(AW) Mizel C Wood Retired

I spent 5 Christmas Overseas and I cannot remember one. But then I'm 74 and can't remember breakfast.

Got a resupply on Christmas in the boonies..3/506th Infantry 101st 68-69.. hot chow and packages..made a tree with lrrp ration liners and a couple of m60 belts..got socks and clean fatigues..stuffed ourselves with cookies from home..Currahee !

I was stationed 8 miles offshore on the Columbia River Lightship “RELIEF” WLV-605. Basically we are a floating lighthouse anchored as the entrance to the Columbia River (WA/OR).

There are two lightships that swap station every four months. Each Lightship has a crew of 22 with about half on compensatory leave with a crew of 11/12 aboard at only one time while “on station.”

We were replenished from time to time with water and fuel by a Coast Guard buoy tender. Just before Christmas 1974, the USCGC “FIR” WLM-212 arrived astern of us to pick up our messenger line (floating stern with a blow-up rubber ducky) and they attached the fuel/water hoses for replenishment.

The entire crew of the “MIGHTY FIR” were in elf hats and the CO in a Santa suit with Christmas music blaring from speakers on their bridge wings.

I will go to my grave remember what the crew of the “FIR” did for us lonely Lightship sailors.

Christmas 1982 was my most memorable Christmas CPT Jack Durish. I was stationed in Bamberg, Germany and went to Heidelberg, Germany with another infantry 1LT bachelor from my unit. We sat outside the castle across teh river and drank while watching the black bears they kept caged up outside by a bridge which went to the castle. The bears frolicked and play fighted under the clear black sky.
It was cold and clear, I had spent several Christmases away from family since I enlisted in 1974l but, for some reason that Christmas seemed the most poignant. I was a little homesick and melancholy