A Few of FR's Finest...Every Day...12/16-18/05 ....Christmas In The Heart

Sgt. Rodney Murray, Freema & GodBlessUSA

[GodBlessUSA]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Dutchess, Dolly Cali, Mama_Bear, GodBlessUSA ~

We received the following in FR mail from freema last week and wanted to share it with you today.

"The following poem was written by a local soldier, Sgt. Rodney A. Murray on December 16, 2003. He collected toys for Iraqi children, and taught at our high school for two days before getting called up. His wife is one of the sweetest women I've ever had the pleasure to meet.

Rodney was killed on Mother’s Day, 2004, in a vehicle accident between Baghdad and Scania when his Humvee was sideswiped by a passing tank.

Rodney joined the Army Reserves in July of 2000 and was called to Iraq on February 11, 2003. Rodney left on February 14. Ten months later he was able be with his wife on

December 16, just in time to celebrate their three-year wedding anniversary and wrote the following poem. Rodney left again on December 30."

In Memory Of Sgt. Rodney A. Murray


All I want for Christmas is to see my wife,
Friends and family, be at home, that's all.
The young soldier really meant it.
And a bit of guilt he did feel
Of having his miracle come true;
Though not enough to change his plan;
With no kids to play Santa to, yet,
Some with such would have to stay.
Of all such days, Holiest of Holy,
Every soldier, every national, every vulnerable Citizen of this ravaged land
We claim to help should be able to celebrate.
But cold mornings in a lonely guard shack,
Riding lonely desolate supply routes
Tries to deny the celebratory mood.
And chaos and beastly acts alike
Try to rid others of a celebration of sorts.
A ruthless dictator captured
Becomes a festive celebration to some.
While others will avoid, hopefully,
Festive ending fiasco
In loss of life and will.
That's how they'll spend Christmas
If only that reason to celebrate.
Others cling to hope as their Yule Tide;
Hope for home soon from a foreign land,
Hope for a home,
Civilization in a lack luster land,
Hope for a difference one made
Or hope just to make it out alive, another day.
But it's guaranteed, the soldiers who
Have to stay in an Unsilent Night,
A non Holy Night,
Will instinctively glance at their watches,
When subtracting eight equals twenty-fifth at home.
And they'll silently utter Merry Christmas
From the heart to spouses and brothers,
Friends, loved ones, fathers and mothers.
But there's the rub. Like you at home,
All nestled and nice, calm and comfy,
They'll have Christmas in the Middle East.
For it will be in the heart, in grateful
Honor and remembrance of that Holy Night,
When the world received the greatest gift,
Wrapped in Hope, Grace, Mercy, In Love,
For all mankind.
Such will have Christmas
In their hearts, where it should be.
While others in that land,
The one promised to Abraham's seed
Will know nothing of it.
For they must of followed Ischmael's seed
Instead of Issac's.
No Christmas for them.
Can they even tell you their "Messiah's" birthday?
Death date would probably be easier,
But they'll claim to tell you what he wants
You to do to get to Heaven, maybe even
Doing away with ones that follow
That First Noel-
Cause in it you do nothing to get to Heaven,
Save receive the gift,
The Christ in Christmas.
So, you don't take for granted this Holy Season,
And grumble for lack of parking spaces.
Don't let crowds confound you
Or busy bustle bring a frown to you.
Love the busy schedule of family and friends,
Give in honor of the birth of Him who gave
You All.
Remember, some won't have Christmas,
And some will have it merely in their hearts.
Merry Christmas Rodney Murray ~ 12-16-2003

09-27-05 ~ Hall of Fame #13

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 12-12-05 Military Monday 12-13-05 Finest Christmas Tables, Part II 12-14-05 Finest Christmas Tables, Part II, cont'd 12-15-05 Dems to U.S. Troops: It's not too late to lose! But time's running out.

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' Every Thursday at the Finest The guy's good, folks!

[dutchess]

Sniff sniff... Three hanky alert.

Beautiful job GeeBee. The presentation and music are wonderful and...what a special poem from one of our "finest". God bless his soul.

Have been running around "stressing" as we begin our family Christmas celebration at our house tonight with family coming in from 3 states. Your thread is a great attitude adjustment. (((((geebee)))))

[GodBlessUSA]

(((((dutchess))))) Good Morning , It really is such a heartfelt poem. May our Brave Hero rest in peace. I pray his family is doing well. I really appreciate the opportunity Billie and freema, gave me to post this thread.

I forgot you have a house full coming. It will be so fun seeing everyone you have not seen in a while and all together too. It will be a wonderful party, I'm sure. No stressing, LOL, you will do a fantastic job! :)

[PreviouslyA-Lurker]

Thank you for the Christmas carols, GBUSA!

...and God bless you and your family this Christmas season and throughout the new year!

PAL

[GodBlessUSA]

Thank You so very much PAL
I wish you and your loved ones a Blessed Christmas and New year. :)

[Billie]

Morning, dear li'l sistah! This is getting to be old hat for you now - posting threads! AND.... getting easier, I hope. You're doing such a fantastic job, and we couldn't be happier having you in the 'family of sistahs'!

Freema, thank you for sending us the information and very poignant poem from Sgt. Murray's heart, and thank you so much, GeeBee, for the beautiful way you jumped in and put it together, and on such short notice.

Also love this Christmas music and I'm saving some to my desktop so that I will have them on my harddrive and won't have to wait for *buffering*! Listening to Greensleeves right now - and the little kitty looks like he's playing piano to the beat!

Warm Christmas Greetings

[GodBlessUSA]

This is beautiful Billie. I'm so happy to be included here at the Finest. Thank you so much for everything.
I don't think it's quite old hat yet though. LOL :)

[snugs]

Woolworths was where I got the chocolate tree decorations for WV Nan well half of them the other half from ASDA (Walmart).

[snugs]

i have downloaded them as well so that i can listen to them either on my computer or my hi fi

[Billie]

"Wear Red" Friday

You will soon see a lot of people wearing Red on Fridays. Here's why..... The Americans, who support our troops, are the silent majority. We are not "organized" to reflect who we are, or to reflect what our opinions are. Many Americans, like yourself, and all their friends, simply want to recognize that Americans support our troops. Our idea of showing our solidarity and support for our troops is starting Friday and continuing on each and every Friday, until this is over, that every red-blooded American who supports our young men and women, WEAR SOMETHING RED.

Word of mouth, press, TV -- let's see if we can make the United States, on any given Friday, a sea of red much like a home football game at a University. If every one of our memberships share this with other acquaintances, fellow workers, friends, and neighbors, I guarantee that it will not be long before the USA will be covered in RED - and make our troops know there are many people thinking of their well-being. You will feel better all day Friday when you wear Red! So let's get the word out and lead by example; wear RED on Fridays.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS! WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE. FOR US, THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED!! GOD BLESS AMERICA.

received this in my email June 10th, the author is unknown.
I am wearing red today and every Friday ~ Billie

[Billie]

Yoo Hoo! Wolfie.....over here - lots of little red riding hoods. :)

GeeBee

[Texagirl4W]

What a beautiful red hat. That purple is my favorite color.

[La Enchiladita]

I really enjoyed "Greensleeves," Gracie. It's a classic, just like you!

[PreviouslyA-Lurker]

Thank you! See you Monday, gotta go for the day!

[PreviouslyA-Lurker]

Gotta go for the day, Billie, see you Monday! Enjoy the weekend!

PAL

[LadyX]

What an extraordinarily beautiful theme and music selections you've posted, GeeBee!

freema, we are indebted to you for sharing this story, so typical of the hearts of our American protectors and heroes.
If you did not know, I am a USMC veteran of the Korean Conflict, instructing women recruits in classroom subjects at Parris Island.

My first Christmas there was in 1952, aboard a base where graduating recruits were usually flown directly to the West Coast and ships to take them to combat in Korea. A few Marines stationed on base I had dated, some afterward sent to Korea, and it *always* was heartwrenching when I heard from my classroom near the airfield (since relocated) those flights taking off to go to combat.

That Christmas I spent on base - the next as a young married woman in nearby Beaufort, followed by Rochester, NY, Chincoteague, Virginia, 2 more back in Rochester; and then 4 in Florida with my two little boys and parents.

In October 1961, I married a Korean Conflict Marine veteran who had reentered the Air Force. The boys and I were placed on a flight from Florida to join him in Rapid City, South Dakota (Ellsworth AFB) at 10 p.m. on December 23rd. (It turned out to be the very last time I spoke with /saw my mother).

We went to Atlanta, and transferred to a flight to Chicago's O'Hare Airport - the first time in 3 days flights could land there because of blizzards!
We had to sit there in a cold hangar until 0400 when the next leg to Minneapolis/St. Paul was to depart...it after boarding sat on the runway an hour because another plane had skidded into and was stuck on the path our flight had to use for takeoff.

As a consequence, we missed the connecting flight to Rapid City, and spent the day until the next flight out in the M/St.Paul terminal. Imagine how sleep-deprived I was by then, after packing and traveling for two days! I was blessed with two wonderful boys, 6 and 7, who were extremely well-behaved, and I could let them roam within sight of me while I was rather zonked in and out, sitting upright.
Finally boarding the United flight to Rapid City, it was nearly empty, and two wonderful stewardesses took charge of Steve and Kevin so I could sleep. They took them into the cabin, gave then wings to wear, fed them - truly flying angels with a capital A!!

We thus on Christmas Eve circled Rapid City to land, the heavy snow beneath quite lovely, and my husband and a good friend were there to greet us. He had secured an upstairs apartment, and he and Dennis had set up and decorated a small tree - our first - and had presents beneath. In two hours, it was our first Christmas as a family.
On Christmas Day, we had dinner at the mess hall on base.

In the next year, as many here know, we had a daughter on September 30th, and 2 weeks later the Cuban Missile Crisis put our life in real jeopardy, Ellsworth AFB the #2 target should Russia let missiles fly and world war commence..

The next event followed quickly - orders for Fairbanks, Alaska, leaving the night after Christmas Day 1962! For the boys' sake and because it was our daughter's first Christmas, we Christmas Eve got a full-sized tree for them, taking it down the 26th. The boys (then 7 and 8) were impressed that we would be leaving the night of the 26th, driving through Canada around the top of the Rockies and over the Alaska Highway, and above the base south of Fairbanks is North Pole, Alaska..:))
We celebrated New Years Day 1963 with a midday dinner at the historic hotel at Mile Zero of the Alaska Highway.

We had 3 Christmases in Fairbanks, and then went to Myrtle Beach AFB, SC, ariving 1 July 1066.
The second Christmas there was a very lonely one for me, Bernie having left for Southeast Asia on October 7th, 1967.
This was before email and we could not afford long distance calls, and I typed long letters to him every day.

I taught that year at the base school (grades 1-8) where the boys were in the 7th and 8th grades, with all male teachers - a real plus! (Jennifer, 5, was in kindergarten)
We went to spend Christmas Day 1967 in Summerton, SC with my two sisters and their families, so the children had a lot of cousins to enjoy the day.

Bernie returned from Southeast Asia on October 7th, 1968 and we moved 2 days later on our anniversary (in heavy rain) to Charleston AFB, SC, where we had a really sparse Christmas (small doll for Jennifer and a Life board game for the boys and us; extra Gaines burger for the dog), on half pay for 6 months, and after absorbing the extra costs of the move - no base quarters - our last one in military service.
We were, however, TOGETHER, and that was all that counted!
Rather than go back for another year to Southeast Asia, as orders were soon to be cut, with the boys in high school, he left service 1 July 1969 and went into retail management, as I did (later 19 years in and around medicine), in Florida, and thereafter other states. (North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina again - then we retired here to South Carolina in 1995.)

It was never a hardship thing for me, with Christmases far from my Florida 'home'..."home" is wherever God would send me, I determined at a very early age, and Christmas is to be celebrated every day of every month of every year....it is even more so now, not dependent upon glitter and gifts and 'things' - -
Bottom Line: we have been given The Ultimate Gift!

[LadyX]

Pretend the LadyX did not say: "ariving 1 July 1066."!!!
(that was 1966, and besides, she is not a day over 453..:))

[freema]

The pleasure is all mine!

[freema]

We don't have them where I am, and I don't know if they exist anymore. I grew up in the north and LOVED to go there as a child. Condi's remark is in reference to the Civil Rights sit-ins here in North Carolina during the 1960's...

http://www.hampsteadchamber.com/A%20Southern%20Primer/woolworths.htm

[freema]

Thank YOU, Billie!!

[freema]

What a wonderful retrospective on military Christmases, something that I rarely pause to think about (even though I spent two Christmases 'in the Corps').

I made a couple big trips with small children, and it was NUTS!!! However...

speaking of the Cuban Missle Crisis!! My rector was in the Navy at Guantanamo Bay with a wife and three small children during the Bay of Pigs. The family was loaded on a destroyer with nothing really but the clothes on their back, arriving in cold Norfolk three days later.

It's good to think specifically about the extraordinary things families 'experience' to give a real perspective to civilians' lives. Thank you for sharing yours!