This video may be a bit late for Christmas, but it reminds me of how hard this time of year is for our troops away from home. I spent all four Christmases while I was in the Coast Guard away from home. For me, the first one was really bad. I slept a lot!! I was in ET school in New York City during a really hard winter. I was 18 and never had been away from home during the holidays. Only two of us from our class stayed on base and we had to alternate to cover the watches. 12 on and 12 off for almost a week. Every 1/2 hour we had to walk almost 1/4 mile of hallways and attic to punch about 30 stations to prove we were there. VERY lonely building with nobody around. Didnt even have TV! The next two Christmases werent so bad. I was in Hawaii and spent them with a church family who were also stationed with me. The fourth year I was in Oregon and was assigned radio watch three nights in a row around Christmas. A group of people from church gathered and made a tour of the local military stations where members were stationed. We really had a good time singing and sharing a small feast together, with a small worship service at the end. New Years was the pits all four years, though. Nothing like being with family when the new year rolls in! One of my pet peeves is hearing people say they support our troops. HOW do they support them? How do YOU support them? I would just like to ask any of you who know of a local military member who is away from his/her family to try to make contact with them, or, if possible, to even go visit them, or invite them to spend the day in your home with you. Just let them know you are thinking of them and do whatever you can to alleviate the loneliness of the season. Dont just give lip service. DO something for them. https://youtube/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sUGOjNsE4aY
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 23:19:38 +0000
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