On December 24, 1944, in Bastogne, Belgium, the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army was involved in the “Battle of the Bulge”. It was one of the worst battles of World War II. It is told by several soldiers that around midnight on that cold, bitter Christmas Eve, Germans across the battlefield began to sing “Stille Nacht”. Soon soldiers from both fronts joined in the singing of “Silent Night”. This quiet reprieve from the horror of battle only lasted a few minutes and soon the fight raged on. In those few moments on that cold battlefield human kindness showed through if only momentarily. It's a wonderful story, but it is also somewhat sad when you look at the state of the world we live in today.
This very day in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, there are American soldiers serving side-by-side with Iraqi soldiers in an effort to bring free democracy to a country which has been denied it for 30 years. Although we serve side-by-side with Iraqi soldiers, our soldiers are faced with dangers such as the suicide bombing which was just carried out two days ago in the middle of a U.S. Army mess hall during the lunch hour. It is sad to think that 60 years later on completely different soil, our troops are again committed to a fight in which we are surrounded and outnumbered. Only this time we are surrounded by an enemy we can not see. We are surrounded by terrorism, an ideal which when put down in one person or place; it rises up again in another place. The very people that our soldiers are fighting to help often times resemble those who are fighting to destroy democracy. Our soldiers are surrounded by an enemy which they cannot see, which is so different from the war we were fighting in Bastogne 60 years ago.
Please pray for the soldiers who are physically in harms way in the name of freedom this Christmas. They cannot let their guard down for a moment to relax and enjoy the spirit of Christmas. Pray that they will somehow find some peace in this turmoil they are living in. Pray that they will live to see their families once again and to celebrate their next Christmas on free American soil with their families.
SSgt David R. Smith
379th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron
Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
