The FReeper Foxhole - Wishes Everyone a Merry Christmas - Dec. 25th, 2004

[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


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U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

Our Mission:

The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

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The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer.

If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions.

We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.

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click on the books below.

Merry Christmas from the Foxhole



Our first story today is a poem brought to our attention by FReeper GailA. Thank you Gail.

Our second story was brought to our attention by FReeper StayAtHomeMother, thank you SAHM.

THE SANDS OF CHRISTMAS



By Michael Marks

I had no Christmas spirit when I breathed a weary sigh, And looked across the table where the bills were piled too high. The laundry wasn't finished and the car I had to fix, My stocks were down another point, the Dolphins lost by six.

And so with only minutes till my son got home from school I gave up on the drudgery and grabbed a wooden stool.
The burdens that I carried were about all I could take, And so I flipped the TV on, to catch a little break.

I came upon a desert scene in shades of tan and rust, No snowflakes hung upon the wind, just clouds of swirling dust.
And where the reindeer should have stood before a laden sleigh, Eight Hummers ran a column right behind an M1A.

A group of boys walked past the tank, not one was past his teens. Their eyes were hard as polished flint, their faces drawn and lean.
They walked the street in armor with their rifles shouldered tight, Their dearest wish for Christmas, just to have a silent night.



Other soldiers gathered, hunkered down against the wind, To share a scrap of mail and dreams of going home again.
There wasn't much at all to put their lonely hearts at ease, They had no Christmas turkey, just a pack of MREs.

They didn't have a garland or a stocking I could see, They didn't need an ornament-- they lacked a Christmas Tree.
They didn't have a present even though it was tradition, the only boxes I could see were labeled "ammunition."

I felt a little tug and found my son now by my side, He asked me what it was I feared, and why it was I cried.
I swept him up into my arms and held him oh so near and kissed him on the forehead as I whispered in his ear.

There's nothing wrong my little son, for safe we sleep tonight, Our heroes stand on foreign land to give us all the right,
To worry on the things in life that mean nothing at all, Instead of wondering if we will be the next to fall.

He looked at me as children do, and said it was alright, to thank the ones who help us and perhaps that we should write.
And so we pushed aside the bills and sat to draft a note, to thank the many far from home, and this is what we wrote:

"God Bless You all and keep you safe, and speed your way back home. Remember that we love you so, and that you're not alone.
The gift you give you share with all, a present every day, You give the gift of liberty and that we can't repay."

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FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[snippy_about_it]

WWII shipbuilders played Santa, worked for free on Christmas Day


World War II ship builder Nanelle Bacon holds a photograph of herself, pictured center, while at her home in Jesup, Ga. With the Battle of the Bulge raging in western Europe during World War II, workers at a Brunswick shipyard were determined to deliver one more ship by year's end.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — With the Battle of the Bulge raging in Western Europe during World War II, workers at a Brunswick shipyard were determined to deliver one more ship by year's end.


BREAKFAST IN THE SNOW Battle of the Bulge
by Robert N. Blair

To get the job done, laborers were needed around the clock on Christmas Day. About 1,500 volunteered, and they worked without pay.

Newspapers across the United States carried the story in their afternoon editions Dec. 25, and 60 years later, their hard work and generosity remains a point of pride in the coastal city.

"We were Santa Claus," recalled Nanelle Surrency Bacon, 81.

The shipyard built freighters to carry troops and supplies to the front lines of World War II.

It made its December quota before the holiday, launching its sixth ship on Dec. 23, 1944. But Mrs. Bacon and her co-workers at the J.A. Jones Construction Co. shipyard were determined to do more.

Mrs. Bacon and John Clyde Smith, who supervised 100 electricians at the shipyard, could not remember whose idea it was to build seven ships in December and donate their Christmas overtime pay to the sailors taking those vessels overseas.


SAMALNESS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT J.A. JONES CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, BRUNSWICK YARD, BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA.

But Mrs. Bacon remembers reporting for a 16-hour workday and seeing a Christmas tree, which her supervisor had cut from the woods, posted by the front gate. During breaks over crackers and colas, she led co-workers in singing carols.

In photographs from that Christmas, a man dressed as Santa Claus kneels on the docks with a blowtorch, flanked by two female welders.

After Christmas, workers received their holiday overtime checks already separated from their normal pay. They signed over those checks to the U.S. Treasury and turned them in to the shipyard's 13 union leaders.

The J.A. Jones Construction Co. then matched the workers' gift, donating an additional $16,080.

On Dec. 30, the Brunswick shipyard launched its seventh ship — the William Cox. "You could feel the enthusiasm of the person over the intercom system," Mrs. Bacon said. "It made you feel like you had almost given your heart or your life for the country."

On Jan. 2, 1945, the Brunswick workers received congratulations in a wire telegram from Vice Adm. Emory S. Land, chairman of the U.S. Maritime Commission.

The 3,500-ton freighters, known as Liberty ships, measured 447 feet long and were relatively crude vessels — stemming from the Allies' need to build ships faster than German U-boats could sink them.

Using prefabricated parts that were welded rather than riveted, average production time was cut from 18 months to one month. The ships cost about $2 million apiece.

The fleet proved vital to the war effort. Author Walter W. Jaffee, who has written four books on the ships, says simply, "We couldn't have won the war without it."




The Brunswick shipyard built 99 of the 2,710 Liberty ships launched from 1941 until the war's end in 1945. It closed soon after the war.

By Russ Bynum

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[snippy_about_it]

At this very special time of year we would like to wish all of our Foxhole Family a very Merry Christmas.

We are forever thankful to our veterans



Christmas mail arrives at Bruvans, France, 1917.



Cooks of Company C, 8th Field Signal Battalion preparing their Christmas dinner at Mullernbach, Germany. Dec. 25, 1918.



Sitting around a miniature Christmas tree and opening a Christmas package are (front row, left to right) S/Sgt. John F. Suchanek; and Pfc. Joseph G. Pierro; and (back row) Sgt. Charles M. Myrich; and Sgt. Leon L. Oben. All are members of F. A. Bn., 3rd Div. Pietramelara, Italy. December 16, 1943.



S. Pfc. Edmund Dill opens the Christmas package received from his wife. His buddies share the treat. Left, Pfc. Carl Anker; Right, Sergt. Ted Bailey. ETO, 11/18/44



25 Dec 1944. Sgt. Edward F. Good feeds his buddy a leg of Christmas turkey, Pfc. Lloyd Deming. Both are casualties at the 2nd Field Hosp, (San Jose, Mindoro, PI)



Men of Co "F", 9th Inf Regt, 2nd U.S. Inf Div, enjoy their Christmas Day dinner at CO HQS, Korea. 25 December 1951.



Men of Co "B", 4th Signal Bn, X US Corps, prepare to decorate the Christmas tree at Bn HQ. Korea. 11 December 1951.



Vietnam…The Army Band plays Christmas music at the Tan Nhut Airbase during the holiday season. 22-29 Dec 1970.



Vietnam…"Santa Claus" talks with a group of hospital patients during the Bob Hope Christmas Show. 22-29 Dec 1970.











We continue in our support of our current duty troops. May God richly bless us all, our veterans, our active duty troops, the contractors and friends in theatre, our allies and those who support our troops and veterans on the homefront and our entire family of Foxhole readers.





You are all a blessing to us.

Sam and Snippy

[snippy_about_it]

"FALL IN" to the FReeper Foxhole!



Merry Christmas, Good Morning Everyone.



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[radu]

Wishing all at the Foxhole a

May the day be filled with joy and contentment.

To all the men and women who serve, or have served, our country,
our heart-felt thanks to you.
Your efforts and sacrifices are deeply appreciated.

[snippy_about_it]

Merry Christmas Sam.

[The Mayor]

December 25, 2004

Hiding In Plain Sight

Read: Luke 1:26-35

You will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. —Luke 1:31

Bible In One Year: Zephaniah 1-3; Revelation 16

---

A Baltimore congregation found the answer to their financial troubles on the wall of their church. And it had been "hiding" there for more than 25 years! Someone finally recognized a piece of art hanging in the chapel—it was a valuable woodblock print by Albrecht Dürer, dated 1493. The work shows the angel telling Mary she would give birth to God's Son.

Some members just could not believe they had been unaware of the value of the old masterpiece, saying in effect, "If it were real, why would it be here?"

What about us? Are we overlooking the value of the event depicted on that woodblock print?

Jesus isn't hiding. The truth that God came to earth in human form is plainly announced in His Word. It is reflected in our art and in our hymnbooks. But the significance of Christ's birth is still neglected. We get so wrapped up in activities and programs that we miss the immeasurable worth of knowing who that Baby was.

What's missing is our worship. Think about the meaning of His birth. Jesus is God! He came to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21) and give us eternal life (John 3:14-18).

This Christmas, join with the wisemen and shepherds and give praise to Jesus—God who became Man. —Mart De Haan

He left His Father's throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace!
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam's helpless race. —Wesley

Christ's birth brought the infinite God to finite man.

[Fiddlstix]

Click the Pics J

[Coleus]

Merry Christmas

[PAR35]

You do know that threads like this are hard to index, don't you? WW II /Navy for the Brunswick story, or just Misc.

Have a Merry Christmas and I'll worry about it tomorrow. I estimate that I'm about half through with the index.

[trussell]

Merry Christmas Foxhole!!
Bless you all for all you do for the troops!!

[SAMWolf]

Good thread for Christmas.

Thank you ladies.

[SAMWolf]

[SAMWolf]

Merry Christmas, Radu.

[w_over_w]

MERRY CHRISTMASS!

‘Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,
In a one-bedroom house made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney, with presents to give
and to see just who in this home did live.

As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand.
On the wall hung pictures of a far distant land.

With medals and badges, awards of all kind,
a sobering thought soon came to my mind.
For this house was different, unlike any I’d seen.
This was the home of a U.S. Marine.

I’d heard stories about them, I had to see more,
so I walked down the hall and pushed open the door.
And there he lay sleeping, silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor in his one-bedroom home.

He seemed so gentle, his face so serene,
Not how I pictured a U.S. Marine.
Was this the hero, of whom I’d just read?
Curled up in his poncho, a floor for his bed?

His head was clean-shaven, his weathered face tan.
I soon understood, this was more than a man.
For I realized the families that I saw that night,
owed their lives to these men, who were willing to fight.

Soon around the Nation, the children would play,
And grown-ups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom, each month and all year,
because of Marines like this one lying here.

I couldn’t help wonder how many lay alone,
on a cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home.
Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye.
I dropped to my knees and I started to cry.

He must have awoken, for I heard a rough voice,
“Santa, don’t cry, this life is my choice
I fight for freedom, I don’t ask for more.
My life is my God, my country, my Corps.”

With that he rolled over, drifted off into sleep,
I couldn’t control it, I continued to weep.

I watched him for hours, so silent and still.
I noticed he shivered from the cold night’s chill.
So I took off my jacket, the one made of red,
and covered this Marine from his toes to his head.
Then I put on his T-shirt of scarlet and gold,
with an eagle, globe and anchor emblazoned so bold.
And although it barely fit me, I began to swell with pride,
and for one shining moment, I was Marine Corps deep inside.

I didn’t want to leave him so quiet in the night,
this guardian of honor so willing to fight.
But half asleep he rolled over, and in a voice clean and pure,
said “Carry on, Santa, it’s Christmas Day, all secure.”
One look at my watch and I knew he was right,
Merry Christmas my friend, Semper Fi and goodnight.

[SAMWolf]

Merry Christmas, Snippy.

[SAMWolf]

Merry Christmas, Mayor.

[SAMWolf]

Merry Christmas, Fiddlstix

[SAMWolf]

Merry Christmas, Coleus

[SAMWolf]

Misc. is good. :-)

Merry Christmas, PAR35.

[SAMWolf]

Merry Christmas, trussell