Do you have a good (winter) holiday story?

2016-02-09T16:02:48-05:00

If you had any memorable Christmases or Hanukkahs while serving, please share.

*This was accidentally converted to an update before, but I was given permission from RP to repost as a question.

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made Feb 9 at 2016 4:14 PM

2016-02-09T16:14:52-05:00

In 2009 I had just gotten to a COP with a new unit. Literally only knew these guys for about 48 hours. They had decorated the beehut with lights and stuff and made it as nice as possible. We got a bunch of snacks and watched Christmas movies. It was actually one of my favorite Christmases.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Feb 9 at 2016 4:16 PM

2016-02-09T16:16:10-05:00

Christmas 1970, Monkey Mountain RVN radar site, night shift Christmas eve. At the stroke of midnight a deep voice came booming out on Guard frequency -
"This is God on Guard, Happy Birthday Son"
And just as quick a smaller voice came back on Guard - "Thanks, Pop!".
That kept me chuckling the rest of the shift.

Christmas dinner in the chow hall was the biggest feast I eve saw. Fruit was at a premium there so I loaded up my cargo pockets with apples and oranges for my Mama-san who had children at home that would look at it as a real treat.

My own family sent me a decorated Christmas tree complete with presents to put under it.

A Christmas to remember...

Response by SGT Allison Churchill made Feb 9 at 2016 5:20 PM

2016-02-09T17:20:13-05:00

These are both great. If you gentlemen wouldn't mind sharing them with a larger audience, would you send me an email at [login to see] ? I'll give you more details.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Feb 9 at 2016 6:50 PM

2016-02-09T18:50:19-05:00

Nothing exciting. Every year my family buys presents for a needy family. It warms our hearts as there is no commercialism, greed, or ulterior motives to bind us.

Response by SFC Everett Oliver made Feb 9 at 2016 8:47 PM

2016-02-09T20:47:28-05:00

How about new years? While stationed in Worms Germany we decided to spend New Years Eve with friends In Rheinbollen. Even though I had CQ on New years Day. A 45 Minute Drive up the autobahn. Normally. What we didn't count on was 10 to 12 inches of snow between midnight and 6 AM. I took off at about 0615 to be there by 0800. I fought and slid to the autobahn and found one set of tire tracks and no plows. I followed that one set of tracks all the way to Worms where the tracks kept going and I kept a steady speed in my AMX (Not made for snow but for show) off the autobahn, up the ramp, and into town I pulled in the gate at 0810..... The guy i was relieving said he didn't expect me before noon.....

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Feb 10 at 2016 2:43 AM

2016-02-10T02:43:12-05:00

Had to laugh as it triggered memories of two Christmas days in Antarctica. One was at South Pole where everything is expensive to fly. So we made a tree out of a broomstick, hangers, and whatever shiny wrappers we could find. For entertainment we set a few buckets of DFA (diesel) outside to turn into jello. Then we had a carving contest with the winner getting theirs lit off first.

Second started out after Thanksgiving. McMurdo ran out of beer and the bosses decided to start flying pallets of it in on C-141s so folk didn't turn to the hard stuff. For some reason they didn't think to include any in our drop. I was out on a long traverse getting resupplied every now and then by air drop. As a Ham radio operator I was bemoaning the no beer problem to a ham in Christchurch. On Christmas Eve, our air drop contained a package from that Ham. It was two bottles of altar wine blessed and ready to go compliments of the Archdiocese of Christchurch. Very nice note attached. Christmas was very special that year out in our Scott tents by the Preway heaters. Our tree? An ice probe with C-Rat cans hanging from it.