Col. Eileen Ahearn, 47, a military intelligence officer from Fort Huachuca deployed to Baghdad to help thwart insurgent attacks, poses with "Santa" in her office overseas.
Posted on 12/24/2005 7:19:27 AM PST by SandRat
It's tough to feel warm and fuzzy about Christmas with the sound of car bombs exploding in the distance.
But Southern Arizona troops serving in Iraq are doing their best to muster the holiday spirit in one of the least festive places on Earth.
Their efforts are often humble. Cutout snowflakes and dollar store bows adorn their overseas offices and "hooches" — soldier slang for wartime sleeping quarters.
Santa Claus makes the occasional appearance in these parts. So does the Grinch — in the form of a Halloween-surplus skeleton wearing a red hat and combat fatigues.
The rituals and decorations provide a comforting connection to home, say some of the 1,000-plus local troops deployed to the Middle East.
"Being away during the holidays is kind of hard, so you have to do whatever you can to cheer yourself up" said Sgt. Charles Barela,32, of the Army's 69th Signal Company, who is on a yearlong deployment from Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, 75 miles southeast of Tucson.
"Putting up decorations makes me feel better," said Barela, an oft-deployed New Mexico native who's been separated from wife, Juanita, three of the last four Christmases.
Barela's team — nicknamed the Cable Dawgs — helps keep U.S. computer networks running in Baghdad. They live and work in the heavily fortified Green Zone near one of Saddam Hussein's palaces, the site of frequent mortar attacks and attempted suicide bombings.
Many have children — in some cases, infants — back home at Fort Huachuca.
Spc. Chastity O'Dell,29, a Texas native, gave birth to a boy, Lucas, in June. When she left for Iraq four months later, her mother moved into her military home at Fort Huachuca to become the baby's caregiver.
"I just want to say Merry Christmas to my son," O'Dell wrote in an e-mail. "Mommy loves you."
Staff Sgt. Ivonne Rountree, 30, a Virginia native who supervises about a dozen 69th Signal Company soldiers in Baghdad, said her mother mailed gifts for all the soldiers in her unit. She plans to tuck the presents under a Christmas tree made from construction paper and colored markers.
The unit also will share a Christmas meal to boost morale, said Rountree, whose own two children, Xavier, 8, and Alexus, 6, moved from Fort Huachuca to Virginia with her husband, Antoine, to be near extended family while she's away.
Col. Eileen Ahearn, a military intelligence officer from Fort Huachuca in Baghdad on a one-year assignment to help thwart insurgent attacks, said soldiers "bring the holiday celebrations with us."
Ahearn, 47, recently had a visit from Santa in Baghdad, and her office there is decorated with Christmas stockings and photos of husband Robert Barfield, who is waiting for her at home in Sierra Vista.
Army Lt. Col. Richard Ast, a Nogales, Ariz., native assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to track the progress of military efforts in Iraq, said the Christmas tree in his office was sent by citizen groups who wanted to show support for troops.
"We really appreciate it," said Ast, whose mother, sister, and other relatives still live in the Southern Arizona border city.
"It meant the world to us that people back in the States take the time and effort to put together such a thoughtful gift."
ping
Nice! I wonder how many of those ornaments and trees and Santa hats came from the great folks at the Canteen?
"Putting up decorations makes me feel better," said Barela, an oft-deployed New Mexico native who's been separated from wife, Juanita, three of the last four Christmases.
Great post, SandRat!
What every child wants on their Christmas tree.Merry Christmas SandRat,How are you:)
fighting a sore back for the last three days and still but it's a Good Christmas. How you?
I am still wrapping.Rest your back,that works for me.I know it hard to rest this time of the year.
I won't be online as often as usual between now and Janurary 2, 2006. Best wishes to all of you for a happy, healthy New Year, too! :o)
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.
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