CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq8212;I am old enough to remember when Thanksgiving was still a cherished and important holiday and it wasn’t until the day after that the beginning of the madness that has become Christmas would commence.
Nowadays, my favorite holiday, Turkey Day, is little more than another day off for most folks and merely an afterthought because Christmas stuff starts hitting the shelves long before Halloween comes around.
In fact, my wife probably tells people that I absolutely loathe holiday shopping and everything that the modern-day “Winter Break” resonates. Although the commercialized aspect of that statement is true, the irony is there are few things I wouldn’t be willing to give up in order to spend the upcoming festive days at home.
Like most holidays here, Thanksgiving was just another day for me and several thousands of my comrades. Insignificant as the holiday has become back home, the day of thanks came and went like most others here do: the sun shining, missions being executed, work being completed and thousands of miles separating most of us from all we know and love.
Moreover, were it not for the excruciatingly long lines outside of all the dining facilities and the decorations inside those buildings, one would hardly have known that a holiday was occurring.
Despite the “Groundhog Day” effect, it is hard not to know what special day it is, what we’re missing out on and to reflect on holiday memories of the past. When these uniforms are put on, those joyous times will occasionally be put on hold and become a standard issue that all who serve must overcome and cope with in their individual ways.
For me, I take solace in the fact that there are only three major holidays remaining until I am reunited with my wife and daughter. Like the ancient watermarks that line my beloved Wasatch Mountains, I count down the days as the holidays come and go, putting them in my rearview mirror and focusing on the days ahead.
For my family members, however, it will be their first holiday season without me around, without “dumb old dad” to play the gift box guessing game or without husband to keep wife on task by hustling her in and out of the shopping centers. No holiday movies, no eggnog (never really liked the stuff), no Christmas tree and yes, thankfully and selfishly, no holiday hassles either.
The conundrum is that even on the most painful days, it is an honor to be serving here with those I serve with. Doing what I do, I am exposed to many amazing people committing acts of heroism, selflessness and camaraderie as well as an assortment of charismatic characters. Yet the fact remains that most of us with spouses, children and close-knit families would trade it all away to be home if only for those days.
Be that as it may, these same folks look at one another, they look at the state of much of the world, they scratch their heads and wonder, “If not us who else will?” It is that unanswered question which will keep a relatively few amount of Americans away from their homes and their families during this and many other generations to come.
I, for one, am blessed and lucky to number myself among these ranks. As the bells begin to jingle, chestnuts roast on open fires, Jack Frost nips at noses and we let it snow, let it snow, these folks I’m here with will simply keep plugging along.
When your children are nestled all snug in their beds and Old Saint Nick squeezes himself down your chimneys, please don’t forget my brothers and sisters in arms8212;especially those who are here now, who work to help make that safety possible and give Rudolph a free place to land.
Although it is very faint, the light at the end of this tunnel is finally coming into view for those in my unit. Here’s to hoping it keeps on coming for all of us over here and that these holidays pass quickly. From the desert, I say Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year.
Editor’s Note8212;Douglas L. York is a former U student serving with the Utah Army Air National Guard’s 128th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment in Baghdad, Iraq. For feedback on this column or its contents write Douglas at [email protected] or via the USPS at:
Spc. Douglas L. York
DSTB, 4th ID (PAO)
Unit #43119
APO, AE 09344
Douglas L. York