Free Republic

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 16, 2007 – They came from around the country, some with tears in their eyes, putting holiday demands on hold to honor veterans most never knew. In a few hours in freezing temperatures, about 3,000 volunteers yesterday placed more than 10,000 balsam fir wreaths with blazing red bows on graves at Arlington National Cemetery here. “I wish I could lay one on all of them,” said Charles Wright, a Vietnam War Marine veteran and commander of the Kansas City Composite Squadron, a civil air patrol unit. “This is a tribute I’ll remember forever.” Morrill Worcester, owner...

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...