Celebrating with Children in Vietnam - Christmas 1966
Published in the Asbury Park Press, Monmouth County, NJ - Sunday December 25, 2011
View a Slide Show of this Christmas Event in Vietnam - Click here.
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It was Christmas and we were in a far away war zone in Vietnam where we "celebrated" this glorious day together. We had worked, sweated, smiled, shared a few laughs, toiled, spilled some blood, and experienced fear together. And that Christmas we each gave thanks to our own God in our own way for not only having seen us through our trials and tribulations, but for having given us the strength to continue to do our duty with pride in ourselves and respect for our fellow troopers.
I will always remember Christmas with the kids of Vietnam. All of us took a lot of pictures. We invited village children in for a home grown Christmas party, complete with a meal, Santa Claus, and little presents. We gave those kids a look at something different than they had seen before. They enjoyed the American food, the candy, and the little presents they got. It was a break for us to see them relaxed and enjoying the whole process. I don't think they had a clue what we were celebrating and Santa Clause made some of the little ones cry, just like back home.
I remember metallic Christmas trees, too many fruitcakes, and sharing with fellow "brothers" without our friends back home. Bob Hope and his gang came over to Cu Chi with Joey Heatherton, the Korean Kittens, and Phyllis Diller.
It was a cease fire for the holiday, but who knows? I was out on a mission and returned to see our guys securing our base perimeter. They came across three VC (Viet Cong) and let them go when they dropped their weapons and ran.
At other times Martha Raye visited us, as did Joe Torre of Yankee fame. And perhaps the most shining star was Ann Margaret, a heroine to the "boys." A dangerous listening post outside our perimeter was named after her.
We made it special and memorable, uniting as "family" and reaching out to little ones to bring us Christmas magic. Isn't that really what Christmas is all about.