Twas the Night Before Christmas...A Soldier's version...

[mother/babyRN, RN]

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.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,

A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,

NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,

NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,

JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,

ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES

OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,

AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,

A SOBER THOUGHT

CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,

IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,

I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,

ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,

SILENT, ALONE,

CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR

IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,

THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,

NOT HOW I PICTURED

A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO

OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?

CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,

THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES

THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,

OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS

WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,

THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,

AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE

A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM

EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,

BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,

LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER

HOW MANY LAY ALONE,

ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE

IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT

BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,

I DROPPED TO MY KNEES

AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED

AND 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."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER

AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,

I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,

I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,

SO SILENT AND STILL

AND WE BOTH SHIVERED

FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE

ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,

THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR

SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,

WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,

WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,

IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,

AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,

AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

--

[911fltrn]

Made me cry the first time i read this!

We have troops in harms way, you can hate war as i do but you better support the troops if you dont want my foot you know where. Hope everyone is having a great day!

[SmilingBluEyes]

beautiful. thank you for that!

[mother/babyRN, RN]

And lets not forget the Navy and my personal favorite, the Coast Guard, which is the fifth branch of the Armed Services and is often left out incorrectly.....

The Sailor's Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, the ship was out steaming,

Sailors stood watch while others were dreaming.

They lived in a crowd with racks tight and small,

In a 80-man berthing, cramped one and all.

I had come down the stack with presents to give,

And to see inside just who might perhaps live.

I looked all about, a strange sight did I see,

No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.

No stockings were hung, shined boots close at hand,

On the bulkhead hung pictures of a far distant land.

They had medals and badges and awards of all kind,

And a sober thought came into my mind.

For this place was different, so dark and so dreary,

I had found the house of a Sailor, once I saw clearly.

A Sailor lay sleeping, silent and alone,

Curled up in a rack and dreaming of home.

The face was so gentle, the room squared away,

This was the United States Sailor today.

This was the hero I saw on TV,

Defending our country so we could be free.

I realized the families that I would visit this night,

Owed their lives to these Sailors lay willing to fight.

Soon round the world, the children would play,

And grownups would celebrate on Christmas Day.

They all enjoyed freedom each day of the year,

Because of the Sailor, like the one lying here.

I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone,

On a cold Christmas Eve on a sea, far from home.

The very thought brought a tear to my eye,

I dropped to my knees and started to cry.

The Sailor awakened and I heard a calm voice,

"Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice."

"Defending the seas all days of the year,

So others may live and be free with no fear."

I thought for a moment, what a difficult road,

To live a life guided by honor and code.

After all it's Christmas Eve and the ship's underway!

But freedom isn't free and it's sailors who pay.

The Sailor say's to our country "be free and sleep tight,

No harm will come, not on my watch and not on this night.

The Sailor rolled over and drifted to sleep,

I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.

I kept watch for hours, so silent, so still,

I watched as the Sailor shivered from the night's cold chill.

I didn't want to leave on that cold dark night,

This guardian of honor so willing to fight.

The Sailor rolled over and with a voice strong and sure,

Commanded, "Carry on Santa, It's Christmas, and All is Secure!"

HONOR, COURAGE AND COMMITMENT