This poem was written by a Marine stationed in
Okinawa, Japan. The following is his request.
PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you
can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S. service
men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities.
Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop
and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.
Please, do your small part to plant this small seed.
LETTER FROM SANTA:
'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."
PencilFlag.com is a free site that began shortly after the 9/11 attack on
the World Trade Center.
The idea was simple - to create a memorial flag that could be
accessible to everyone, one that could be downloaded from computers and
attached to something everyone has - a pencil.
Widespread but only partial news coverage was
given recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon
Sinclair, a Canadian television Commentator. What follows is the full text of
his trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional Record:
AMERICA: THE GOOD NEIGHBOR
"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the
Americans as the most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all
the earth. Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted
out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and
forgave other billions in debts. None of these countries is today paying even
the interest on its remaining debts to the United States. When France was in
danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their
reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I
saw it. When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that
hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by
tornadoes. Nobody helped. The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped
billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those
countries are writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans. I'd like to
see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United
States dollar build its own airplane. Does any other country in the world have a
plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10?
If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the International lines except Russia
fly American Planes? Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man
or woman on the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios
You talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about
American technocracy, and you find men on the moon -not once, but several times
- and safely home again. You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs
right in the store window for everybody to look at. Even their draft-dodgers are
not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless
they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at
home to spend here. When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking
down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania
Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose.
Both are still broke. I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the
help of other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else
raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even
during the San Francisco earthquake. Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm
one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will
come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled
to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles.
I hope Canada is not one of those." Stand proud, America! Wear it proudly!!
"NOT UNIFORM"
They put on the uniform
And badge of silver/gold
And, it's been that way
Since the days of old.
They stand tall and take an oath
Swear, "To protect and serve."
But, it seems, they never get
The praise that they deserve.
They put their life on the line
And they don't fear the cost
Until their friends and families
Have to pay the "final cost".
We don't want them till we need them
And sometimes they'll seal our fate
Sometimes, they come too soon
And sometimes they come too late.
But, they are always willing
To come to our rescue
Or to help us with some things
Important, to me and you.
Sure! There are some bad ones
But most, are the very best
Who aren't afraid to stand firm
Face and pass the "final test".
We have to stand behind them
For they are all we've got
Between us and "the bad guys"
Who care for a lot of naught.
