Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)
- Who said, “F-E-A-R has two meanings: ‘Forget Everything and Run’ or ‘Face Everything and Rise.”?
- In what movie did we hear (and who said it), “Nobody’s walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas.”?
- What song was sung during the 1914 WWI Christmas Truce?
Photo Credit: MC3 Ian Thomas.
I don’t know about ya’ll, but at this time of year, two things always cause me to put my life in perspective.
One is the Christmas season—a time for joy, a time for family & friends, and a time to appreciate all the blessings the Lord has provided. No… this isn’t going to be a religious post. Those of you that know me, know me.
The second… my birthday is this month. Yep, I’m one of those kiddos who had to wait almost an entire year before getting any presents. But year this is a big one—70. Hard to believe where the time’s gone. I can now say, “I’ve been around for seven decades.”
One of my favorite life-isms, from my darling wife, Becky: “When you first break out a new roll of toilet paper, it unravels slowly. But as you near the end of the roll, it seems to unravel much faster. Sort of like how time flies when you get older.”
Ain’t that the truth.
Reflection & Perspective
One thing I reflect upon is where I spent my first Christmas away from home and compare it to where my dad spent Christmas in 1944.
I enlisted in the US Navy in July 1973, barely 18 years old. Long story short, I started college (Florida State University) fresh out of high school at the tender young age of 17. Much too young, way too immature, and being my first time away from home, a lot (repeat, “a LOT”) of partying. FSU asked me to leave after I received a 0.7 GPA.
“Dismissed for academic reasons.”
Go figure.
So, I joined the Navy. I was an Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Handler: basically, I worked two different jobs with Navy aircraft. One was as a Crash firefighter; the other, as a Yellow Shirt Director. My first duty station was NAS Agana, Guam, right after I graduated from ABH “A” School in Lakehurst, NJ. I got to Guam at the end of November in 1973 after traveling 36 hours.
That’s where I spent my first Christmas away from home—on a beautiful island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Nice, gentle warm breezes continuously blowing across the island.
Yeah… paradise.
No Comparison…
My dad, on the other hand, spent Christmas 1944 in Luxembourg during the Battle of the Bulge. He was an officer in a forward Infantry unit (Company H, 317th Infantry Regiment, 80th Division). Company H was the Heavy Weapons Company for the 2nd Battalion. He was a mortar man.
A Lieutenant at the time, he’d recently returned to his unit from the hospital, recuperating from an injury that happened in early October 1944 in Sivry, France.
He’d been acting as a forward observer for his mortar platoon and was in the second story of a farmhouse when a German artillery shell hit the house, collapsing the roof on top of him. He was knocked unconscious with his leg stuck under a roof timber.
A fellow soldier found him and got him out of there, returning him to his unit where they sent him back to be treated. Two months later, he returned to his unit on December 14, 1944… two days before the Battle of the Bulge began.
Of course, back then, no one knew what the Germans were up to, nor did they know what they’d be up against.
It was the coldest winter in 50 years and most of the time, he and his men spent the nights outdoors in the relentless cold. He used to tell me that they’d hand one blanket out to a 2-man foxhole. That way, one soldier could get some warmth while the other stayed awake.
In a letter he wrote home to his parents on December 26, 1944, he stated,
My Christmas was very enjoyable under the circumstances. My men & I spent our time indoors in a nice big Chateau where we had fires. We had turkey with all the trimmings for dinner. Our kitchen fixed it for us. My men got lots of packages and letters.
dated December 26, 1944.
… No Comparison, Whatsoever
What my dad didn’t mention, but revealed in his WWII Diary (published as “You Can’t Get Closer Than This: Combat with the 80th ‘Blue Ridge’ Division in World War II Europe”) was the realities of war:
It was Christmas Day. At first light, we got orders to saddle up and move back. We were to dig in on the high ground about a mile north of Niederfeulen, Luxembourg. We were in regimental reserve while the 1st and 3d battalions attacked Kehmen. What a way to start Christmas Day. The head of our column moved slowly and, as a result, the men began to bunch up. The Krauts noticed this opportunity and opened up on us with artillery as we moved up the side of a hill. They were firing screaming meemies—large-caliber rounds fired in clusters. We heard the rockets coming, but there was little we could do other than spread out and run like hell. There was no cover around.
Several men were hit. Some of the men hit the ground and wanted to stay there. That would have been suicide, but it was tough to get them up and keep them moving. When we got over the top of the hill and out of sight, the Krauts stopped shooting at us.
We were to set up the 81mm mortars behind Company G. A small patch of woods was near our proposed position. We had to search and clear that area first. We found two dead frozen Krauts who had been killed during the first part of the breakthrough. About two hundred yards from the guns was a huge house.
Because it was Christmas Day, Kad (Lt Saul Kadison) and I were determined to get our men warm. We went to investigate the house and found that an antiaircraft outfit had been there before the breakthrough and, from the equipment and supplies left behind, it was easy to see that they had moved out in a hurry.
We left a skeleton crew with the mortars and moved the rest of the men into the house. The company and battalion CPs were in Niederfeulen. The Krauts were shelling the town, and it was difficult to get around, but we finally found HQ. We learned that the kitchen was going to bring us up a real Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.
On our way back to our platoon, Kad and I saw the dead bodies of our men who had been killed the day before. They had been retrieved from the battlefield and were laid out in neat rows in the snow. Some of them were covered with blankets, others were not. Those with no cover over them looked up to the sky with fixed eyes that seemed to ask, “Is this my Christmas present?”
About 1:00 P.M. one of our cooks brought us our Christmas dinner. We had turkey and cranberry sauce with all the trimmings, and all you could eat, too. I thought about the 1st and 3d battalions. They had moved out to attack Kehmen at daylight. I hoped they might get some relief and warm food this Christmas Day.
An Obvious Difference
What a difference in what really happened and what my dad wrote home to his parents.
Yeah… my Christmas in 1973 on a Pacific Island was much different than my dad’s in 1944. He never talked about the war, only a few stories he’d repeat, most of them humorous. His generation kept things to themselves.
I know many men and women of my generation served during the Vietnam War. I never stepped foot in Vietnam, but I’m considered a “Vietnam War Era” veteran, though I often find that hard to say out loud. It’s important to me to make that distinction.
My military service was a breeze. I’ll admit, though, there were times I’d just as soon forget. But compared to other veterans (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard), no one ever shot at me; I’ve never been under an artillery barrage; and I’ve never been face-to-face with an enemy soldier.
But those events occurred years ago. Another time, another place, another life.
It’s now 2024, I just turned 70 years old, I’ve got a loving wife, two fantastic kids, and three awesome grandsons. I’ve got a roof over my head, food in my belly, and a few bucks in the bank. I’m able to help others through some tough times, and still able to get out of bed in the morning.
As I always say, “Life is a journey, one step followed by another.” Reflection and perspective.
We Are Not Alone
During this time of the year, I know you’ll remember that there are hundreds of thousands of service men and women around the world who are not able to spend this holiday time with their own families. Some may have a tougher time celebrating than others. But they are out there, helping to protect the very freedoms we continue to enjoy today.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays from “A Veteran’s Journey.”
Until we meet again,
Andy
Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran (’73-77) and the author of several books (www.azadkinsiii.com), many of which are free downloads (PDF, eBook format). He is currently retired and lives in Gainesville, Florida with his wife and life-long soulmate, Becky.
Previous Blogs mentioned in the Post:
- #4—From Civilian to US Navy
- #99—Dismissed for Academic Reasons…
- #10—“You Light ‘em, We Fight ‘em”
- #68—Flight Ops: Another Fine Day in the Navy!
- #53—You Always Remember Your First…
- #35—US Navy “A” School (ABH)
- #8—My Dad’s Journey: The Battle of the Bulge, Christmas 1944
- #36—Gone in an Instant
Answers
- Zig Ziglar.
- Christmas Vacation (1989), Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase).
- Silent Night.