Posted on Nov 28, 2015
What is your most memorable Christmas while deployed?
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We sure didn't have the wherewithal all to decorate our hooches like this in Vietnam, but one of the parents of one of my men owned an Italian restaurant in Indianapolis and they sent all the table decorations and stuff to make a helluva Christmas dinner. I and my driver stole a case of frozen steaks from the ration break down point at Long Binh and I horse traded at the mess hall for a lot of other "necessities". The young man who had grown up working in the family restaurant worked his buns off setting it all up and we had a very Merry Christmas despite missing friends and family at home. The leftovers (and they were ample) were donated to an orphanage at Ton Son Nhut. We also stuffed stockings for the orphans with everything we could find as well as small gifts our families sent from home. It became a contest to see who could make the biggest stocking. Have you ever stuffed an Army issue wool sock? They expanded so large that most were taller than the kids. That was Christmas 1967. The Tet Offensive began less than two months later...
We sure didn't have the wherewithal all to decorate our hooches like this in Vietnam, but one of the parents of one of my men owned an Italian restaurant in Indianapolis and they sent all the table decorations and stuff to make a helluva Christmas dinner. I and my driver stole a case of frozen steaks from the ration break down point at Long Binh and I horse traded at the mess hall for a lot of other "necessities". The young man who had grown up working in the family restaurant worked his buns off setting it all up and we had a very Merry Christmas despite missing friends and family at home. The leftovers (and they were ample) were donated to an orphanage at Ton Son Nhut. We also stuffed stockings for the orphans with everything we could find as well as small gifts our families sent from home. It became a contest to see who could make the biggest stocking. Have you ever stuffed an Army issue wool sock? They expanded so large that most were taller than the kids. That was Christmas 1967. The Tet Offensive began less than two months later...
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 175
The best memory of the Holidays was spending both Christmas, and New Years during Operation Desert Shield / Storm, listening to everyone complain about being away from home, and family. I would just smile, and laugh, because I was spending my holiday's surrounded by all my buddies for the first time in five years, since I never went home on leave during those weeks sitting in the barracks with nothing to do. The Commander eventually set up a Spades tournament to pass the time away; I remember my partner, and I went to the finals, winning the whole thing in just three hands.
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I didnt have a christmas in the military. But i did have three december 25ths
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1969. Departed Long Binh for R&R in Sydney on Christmas Day, arrived In Sydney on Boxing Day. I had an enjoyable week, mainly rotating between the Texas Tavern in Kings X and the Royal Auto Club downtown every evening, with days enjoying the sun on Bondi Beach.
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Christmas 1969, Marine Helicopter Squadron aboard the USS Iwo Jima. We had Vietnamese orphans in the ships Hospital and we all gathered up as much pogey bait that we could find and had a little Christmas party with them. We sang a few Hymns, led by the Nuns. Not a dry eye!
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1984 Bob Hope did his Christmas Special from the USS Independence. Plus we were in Israel
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Christmas 1969 we were trucked over to 1st Mar Div HQ to watch the Bob Hope show, I was allowed to go as I was short on my first tour, I enjoyed the show and only had to stop 1 member of my squad from shooting a soldier who kept standing up in front of us 2X!!! We rode back and I got to stay in my hooch until evening when we shuffled up the hill to man the OP were I stayed up all night wondering the contradiction of seeing a great Christmas show in a war zone when I never had a chance in the world.
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Danang Air Plane Patch in 1972, dodged rockets most of the morning. The guys on monkey mountain said they enjoyed the early morning show.
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During Desert Shield/Storm we got GP mediums to sleep in instead of under our camo nets by our tracks. I pulled guard duty Christmas eve at our ammo dump and it actually snowed out in the desert!!
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The Christmas in Kassel, Germany bare in mind I was 19 at the time. great to get together with friends. both Military and non- Military.
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Christmas1974, Darmstadt, West Germany. My roommate and I got a small pine tree, maybe 2-foot tall. We decorated it with balls of aluminum foil and Cheetos strung through with yarn. For a star topper we cut out the bottom of an aluminum foil pie tin. The next day the unit had a "health and welfare" inspection. The NCOs tore apart every aluminum foil ball looking for drugs. Needless to say, the tree didn't look the same when we put it back together!
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Christmas 1966 Chu Lai all I remember is Christmas Day we still ran or daily patrols but all patrols were ordered not to engage for that 24 hr. time period samey same their Tet. Also all patrols had to be led by E-5 & above so I became squad leader again for the day. Saw 5 or 6 VCS’s at a distance but did not engage.
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My team arranged for a Christmas dinner at the American FOB near ISAF HQ and we all enjoyed a meal together minus the officers on duty at the Afghan MOI Operations Center. We were all far from our families although we were an “Army” family and were being meddling by our mutual sacrifices in order to bring the precious gift of freedom to people who had no idea what to do with the gift. It was the last time that we could celebrate as a team before an insider murdered two incredible officers who were our team mates. We felt blessed to serve together and to have achieved so much towards to goal of Afghan self sufficiency. We had no idea that a sleeper was in our midst who would destroy our trust and the families of those they murdered. The murderer worked among us on a daily basis and the two victims were the most generous among us as it relates to kindness and generosity towards every Afghan we worked with. Our Christmas dinner was a moment that few can ever comprehend in it’s power and meaning for each of us. We all pledged to risk our lives in the effort to give liberty to every Afghan and our efforts were met with the devious actions of the Taliban and the Quetta Shura. These are people that need to be expunged from existence and the same apply to every member of their gene pool. Great men died the following February and their families were robbed of their life long contributions. I am so thankful to have served among this incredible group of warriors who were willing to risk everything in order to give the most precious gift of liberty to millions of Afghans who we never met. God bless LTC Loftis and MAJ Marchanti. They gave us a gift that few will ever appreciate or understand.
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Long Binh, Republic of Vietnam, 1969. Christmas Eve Bob Hope show with Neil Armstrong, who had walked on the moon that summer. He waved and said, "Fellows, I know what it's like to be a long way from home."
For the 25th, then, Charlie supplied some rockets.
For the 25th, then, Charlie supplied some rockets.
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Suspended Profile
Dec 2001, FOB Rhino in Afghanistan. Mail had arrived and in it were several Hickory Farms gift packs, so we shared amongst our S-3 section. It was a nice break from a solid month of MREs.
Had the fortune of being in Long Binh Xmas '67 waiting for an assignment when the Bob Hope show rolled in. Managed a spot near the stage and as an 18yr old as of just a few months had my heart rate challenged being just feet away from Raquel Welch.
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Hue Vietnam 1965. George E Jessel entertained the troops inside the VOA compound. He can outside to visit and meet the Marines that were protecting the compound. An area that was always under fire, his support of the military was very special. Cpl John T Hewitt family from Richmond Va sent our 4 man team - canned sardines, family photos, ( maybe a few cans of Black Label beer) and a Rosary each.
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