Summary: Its hard to grasp Christmas in the military, in times of War or Peace. Having spent most of my life with a father in the United States Air Force (now retired) and my own 10 years in those ranks
(USAF) I wanted to convey a bit of reality through fiction for one and all to get a glimpse of how all of those members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines are spending this holiday.
Disclaimer: JAG and its characters belong to Paramount and CBS. No copyright infringement intended, nor am I making a dime off these simple words and fantasies.
Song Notes: The Christmas Carol – "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear"
Author's Notes: Very special thanks goes to Barb (IBSourMouse) for her suggestion and inspiration for this story. She asked that I write something like this for all of you and I can only thank her for her belief that I could do this and her dedication to the fanfiction community. I would also like to express my appreciation to Eagle Eye, my betareader for her continued support and patience with me during this past year of friendship and stories. Your input has been invaluable as has our friendship.
And finally I would like to thank you for reading and supporting me with your kind words and wonderful feedback! I, and my family, would like to extend the warmest holiday wishes to you and yours with
prayers of PEACE and JOY for the New Year!
Afghanistan……..
A cold breeze blew in off the sand, infiltrating every fiber in his coat, chilling him to the bone. He glanced up from where he sat at his station, his nose and chin now exposed to the cold, up from the
scarf around his neck they had been hibernating in, to glance around at the tundra he had called `home' for the past year. Nothing moved. Rocks did not fall prey to the passing wind of the night and the cool
sand lies still. Still there was beauty in the desolation, the way, during the daylight hours, the sand warmed itself in the sun and would take in the heat and color of fire. The way the sun's shadows would play across the graded shades of brown; from the dark chocolate of hot cocoa just like his grandmother had made years ago to the lightest tan, the color of hot tea with milk, like his Mother had made him drink when he was sick so long ago when he was home.
Another rush of wind washed over him and he hunkered down again, covering his chilled cheeks once more, visions of home still in his mind, yet his body was miles away in Afghanistan. Without tilting his
head upwards he could see the Christmas Star, shining in all of its glory across the Christmas sky above him. No streetlights to drown out the brilliance of its light. A sound of footsteps broke him from
his meandering thoughts and he quickly grabbed for his gun. The small flap of camouflage netting pulled back to reveal the smiling face of his relief watch, there to break him for midnight chow and a bit of
sleep before his next rotation.
"Merry Christmas, Gunnery Sergeant Galindez."
It came upon the midnight clear,
that glorious song of old,
from angels bending near the earth
to touch their harps of gold:
'Peace on the earth, good will to men,
from heaven's all-gracious King!'
The world in solemn stillness lay
to hear the angels sing.
The Vietnam War Memorial (The Wall)……….
The black marble had taken in the frigid cold of the winter's night. The only warmth was that of Harm's forehead pressed against it as he removed the leather glove from his right hand to trace the letters of his father's name yet again, just as he had done every previous Christmas Eve that he could remember. The silent snow that fell in quiet abandon around him was the only witness to his tears. Every year it tore at his heart to have lost his father. There was no gift that Santa could bring that could ever ease the dull ache of losing his father so far away from home. No reminder of that war, no reason or theory could ever be able to make him understand why a war that the masses found so repugnant, so senseless at that time, and even now, could ever take away neither the pain, nor the pride that his father had lost his life for such a noble purpose. His father died serving the country he loved so well. To save the freedoms that can be held so dear and fought so hard to protect.
But the tears of a young man feeling the loss every year serve as no consolation. They offer no tribute or forgiveness. They are merely a simple expression of an emptiness that will never go away. That will
never let go. No matter how many years go by, he will remain that young boy, forced to become a man to protect those very things his father died protecting.
God, Country and Home.
"Merry Christmas, Dad," Harm's warm breath fogged the dark stone edifice before him, the light of the Christmas Star above him playing on the reflection of his face on the smooth marble surface, "I love
you."
Still through the cloven skies they come
with peaceful wings unfurled;
and still their heavenly music floats
o'er all the weary world;
above its sad and lowly plains
they bend on hovering wing,
and ever o'er its Babel sounds
the blessed angels sing.
The Roberts' Residence……….
Turning off the kitchen faucet, Harriet wiped her hands on the Christmas themed hand towel and looked into the front room where little AJ was helping his father put together the small train that always ran underneath their Christmas tree. The scene was reminiscent of the Christmases before, after AJ had been born and they spent Christmas together as a family. Only this year it was different. This year, Bud had returned from his tour of duty missing his leg, his job now in peril. And try as they might, it put somewhat of a damper of things. They tried valiantly to keep their smiles and good cheer in front of their son, inside they were both uncertain of their future and because of that, the distance between what they had been just a
year ago and now was vast.
Little AJ squealed and clapped his hands with pleasure as the train took off across the tracks, its horn sounding its Christmas cheer. Harriet smiled at her husband, who looked to her with a look of such
love that for a moment, all of her fears drifted away. Gone were the thoughts of the impending uncertain future, now filled with hearth and home on this Christmas Eve. She ducked back into the kitchen as
she heard Bud begin the story he had read to little AJ every Christmas Eve, TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, her cue to assemble the plate of cookies and the glass of milk to bring into the living
room to leave for Santa. This year every tradition was going to be shared, every heart would warm with the adoration and awe of Christmas through their son's eyes. And as she entered the living room she glanced out of the front window, smiling at its reflection of the merry scene of the tree, a father and his son as well as allowing the light from the Christmas Star in the sky above to shine down on them all.
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night."
But with the woes of sin and strife
the world has suffered long;
beneath the angel strain have rolled
two thousands years of wrong;
and man, at war with man, hears not
the love song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
and hear the angels sing.
Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean……..
With a tired sigh he closed the laptop before him and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on something other than work. Removing his glasses which had been perched on the end of his nose, he glanced
out of his window to the darkness below. A bright light caught his attention and his eyes focused on the Christmas star shining so brightly that it seemed almost a beacon of light guiding him to his Francesca. The image of his daughter's delighted smiles that awaited him took over the jargon of dissertations and he smiled to himself. Fatherly pride was something that came naturally; now, with so many to look after, to include his daughter, their relationship taking on a new, mature meaning. Before his daughter had called him, he had been looking forward to quite a bleak holiday. Meredith was out of town with her own family, and his family at JAG had their own plans or were on every corner of the globe during this time of heightened awareness, regardless of the holiday season. Then his daughter called and invited him for Christmas. A blessing he could have only hoped for before, now coming true.
AJ remembered all of the Christmases he had missed when his daughter had been growing up and he would always live with those regrets. The regrets of a man who made the military his life. He gave up so much
to fulfill every obligation and mission to put his in the place he was today. Honestly, he would not change a moment of it, not one iota. That selfishness would burden him with the regrets of a failed marriage, dreams put on the back burner and the loss of the time to watch his only child grow from a baby to a girl and on to become a very beautiful and talented woman.
He looked forward to the end of this flight; he had taken the time to learn a phrase in Italian to welcome his daughter back into his arms, into his life for just this Christmas with hopes for many more.
Merry Christmas, my beautiful daughter, I love you.
For, lo! the days are hastening on,
by prophet bards foretold,
when with the ever-circling years,
comes round the age of gold,
when peace shall over all the earth
its ancient splendours fling,
and the whole world give back the song
which now the angels sing.
USS Seahawk……..(location undisclosed for security reasons)
Christmas Eve on the Seahawk, away from friends and family, Mac mused as she watched Petty Officer Coates put the finishing touches on the decorations that now graced their office. Green tinseled garland
strung from one end of their small office to the other, small red ornamental balls gleamed in the fluorescent lights. It was as cheery as it could be…Christmas aboard a carrier at sea. It seemed a bit strange now to be away from all she held dear. And with that simple thought and a nod to PO Coates to leave for midnight chow, Mac realized that both she and PO Coates were similar in that way. They both had little or no family to spend the holidays with, but they shared in the friends that wished them both well and sent numerous
care packages to keep their morale up. Colorful tins of cookies and candies, decorations to hang up and beautiful Christmas cards filled with loving words.
Not that being away from family was of any consequence for her, but her friends, yes, she missed them all immensely. This would be the first Christmas Eve spent without the party at Bud and Harriet's, the
Christmas Eve Mass, the wondering of how Harm was taking yet another Christmas Eve without his father, and now without Sergei, visiting the memorial, alone. She wondered about the look on her godson's face
when he opened the gift she had left for him at Thanksgiving, that lovely remote controlled sailboat that she had carefully picked out for him to sail in the park's pond with his father, or his godfather, for that matter. She hoped the Admiral was not spending the entire holiday in his office due to another reindeer incident as much as she hoped Gunny was safe and sound in Afghanistan.
With that thought she moved the mouse connected to the legal computer in front of her to send a few emails home when she noticed that even this had been touched by PO Coates Christmas cheer. Wallpaper had been added of the manger scene in Bethlehem, the Christmas Star shining down on the manger that held the Baby Jesus. She regarded that with a smile and a quick prayer of PEACE then opened a new
message in Outlook and began to type…
"Merry Christmas…..Thinking of you…..Wish I was there……"