Posted on Nov 28, 2015
What is your most memorable Christmas while deployed?
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2011 Christmas Lights- Thank You Troops and Veterans! Thanks for Your Votes!
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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...
Deployment
Vietnam War
Christmas
Memories
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 176
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I was on yet another war deployment and we'd been given some downtime to Rest Reload and Regroup. we Arrived in France for a short stay and I immediately put in for leave for the entire visit because we'd be there on Christmas day. I got a hotel room a hot shower and lots of food! I talked to my wife and kids on Christmas and that just made the entire deployment worthwhile for me. I got to tour the city of Marseilles, and the whole city was filled with lights people having a really good time. Put a lot of things about this life back into perspective. But we had a good time!
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1974 USS Independence CV62, walking the line to get food and looked up to see the skipper of the ship serving. I looked at him and said thank you skipper and Merry Christmas.
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How the hell did you get to see Bob Hope? I was there in 69 and he never came close to anywhere I was. I don't remember christmas as it was just another workday.
And houches? We only had GP mediums. I thought you Marines roughed it!
Oh Well!!!!
And houches? We only had GP mediums. I thought you Marines roughed it!
Oh Well!!!!
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It was Christmas Eve1964 at Pleiku, Vietnam. I was a corporal with the 560th Military Police detachment. Bob Hope landed at Camp Holloway, 52nd Aviation unit. It was an unplanned stop, but due to weather, which forced half of the show to fly somewhere else. It was try and organize some sort of security fast. I was patrolling with my Thompson .45 sub machine gun at the rear of the spectators. I had 5 or 6 MPs at various locations. The perimeter fence consisted of two stands of wire. Vegetation grew up to the edge. There were probably 200 or so GIs in the audience. Hope naturally quipped about where was Pleiku? Everything went off all right, they did an abbreviated show with all the performers, but most of the production crew and musicians had been on the other plane. Pleiku was attacked on 7 February 1965. Both the II Corps Advisory compound where we were billeted and Camp Holloway were attacked. That was really the start.
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I had to make a run by truck to Long Binh 1970 Christmas and inside the base was a Christmas Tree made from sand bags with lights that I took a picture of. I thought it was the greatest thing that I saw that day.
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Christmas 2009. Got a half day off and spent the morning with my daughter who was deployed with us as the BN intel analyst,
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Christmas 1969 at NSA DaNang. Christmas Eve at Deep Water Piers, our division Bos'n dropped off a pallet of Colt 45. Needless to say we all got hammered. I remember waking up on Christmas morning majorly hung over and home sick (I was 28 days away from going home). We were all pretty sick that day. Worst Christmas ever.
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I was on guard in our squads night logger at midnight on Christmas eve 1970. Everyone was sleeping and I had the PRC225 radio. There was usually nothing to hear on night watch but we had to be able to be contacted, just in case. About 5 minutes till midnight soft Christmas music started streaming from the headset. As I listened I felt a wonderful warmth fill my heart. I thought about the radioman on the other end of the line and how he though about putting some Christmas songs out to us that did not get out of the bush to see Bob Hope.
SP4 Jack Walker US Army Ret.
SP4 Jack Walker US Army Ret.
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