a soldier's christmas

[amolol]

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 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 Marine,
Once I Could See Clearly.

The Marine 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 Marine.

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 Marines
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 Marines,
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 Marine 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 Marine 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 Marine 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."

>>>>>>>> > > > > This poem was written by a Marine stationed in Okinawa Japan.

[Duna]

I get this one in my e-mail every year, at least for the last few years.. but it's usually a soldier, no specific branch. actually if you replace marine with soldier some parts of it read much more flowingly :)

[amolol]

ahh, i just discovered it this year. so.... um yea ill try reading it replacinge marine with soldier.

[Cirath]

Any request to perpetuate chain letters is unreasonable.

[teflor the ranger]

Life is unreasonable as well.

[amolol]

i wasnt posting it to perpetuate a chain latter, i was posting it because i thought it was interesting. my mistake for copy an pasting the whole message

[Ambar]

NO worries, Amolol. People will make something negative out of anything they see fit. This email surfaces every year at this time and gets handed down again and again. I would, however, remove the chain letter part of it.

*hug*

[amolol]

message fixed. and im sorry for anyone that i offended by trying to share a little happieness with everyone