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Seasons Greetings


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Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and let us hope 2019 is kind to us all.



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and showing that Santa's sleigh is now outdated, this is what I call airborne.. 605th Military Airlift support Squadron.



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Stay safe



Richard


Edited by rpbcps
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Merry Christmas to all,

Said more eloquently than I ever could:

 

http://www.gospelweb.net/Christmas/marinechristmaspoem.htm

 

By James M. Schmidt, a Marine Lance Corporal
stationed in Washington, D.C., in 1986

Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,
In a one bedroom house made of plaster & 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.

 

Semper Fi and pass the ammo...

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Christmas is an important holiday for the French Foreign Legion. All legionnaires, cadres and legionnaires, spend and celebrate Christmas together as a family. The Foreign Legion welcomes men of different nations and beliefs, but everyone takes pleasure in meeting around the Christmas nativity scenes that, in each regiment, are the subject of a competition. Christians or not, the legionaries do not have to pray to participate in the making of these nativity scenes.

 

Despite the controversy maintained by some ayatollahs of secularism, there is at least one place where the traditional nativity scenes are unanimous, inside the Foreign Legion! The Christmas nativity scene contest is part of the tradition that continues year after year. Legionnaires create their nativities with salvaged material and often use a lot of imagination to achieve good results. Where ever they are posted this tradition is carried on, indeed I have participated in this tradition in various parts of the world, having passed Christmas over the years in Chad, Djibouti, Central African Republic and French Guiana, while serving in the 1980's.

https://www.medias-presse.info/inauguration-de-la-creche-de-noel-de-la-legion-etrangere-a-bordeaux/102435/

 

https://www.horizon-provence.com/provence-noel/creche-noel-legion.htm

 

Merry Christmas

 

Richard

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