One word at a time (or two or three...)

Nicole tagged me with this, and it's only supposed to be one word each. Since I'm not always overly concerned with rules I have not followed that convention.

Edit: I have now changed some of my entries after having been severely chastened by Nicole who is apparently much more interested in the 'letter of the law' than I was.

Yourself: Enthusiastic
Your Partner: Organized
Your Hair: Brown
Your Mother: Pipsqueak
Your Father: Steady
Your Favorite Item: MacBook
Your Dream Last Night: Code
Your Favorite Drink: Orderville Water (I drew the line here because water is not just water)
Your Dream Car: 1969 Dodge Charger Hemi
Your Dream Home: Self-Made
The Room You Are In: Clean
Your Ex: Tall
Your Fear: Incapacitation
Where You Want To Be In Ten Years: Professor
Who You Hung Out With Last Night: Nicole
What You Are Not: Delicate
Muffins: Apple Cinnamon
One Of Your Wish List Items: 24" iMac
Time: Night
The Last Thing You Did: Eat
What You Are Wearing: Hat
Your Favorite Weather: Hot
Your Favorite Book: Tolkien
The Last Thing You Ate: Soup
Your Life: Peachy
Your Mood: Mellow
Your Best Friends: Geeks
What You Are Thinking About Right Now: Computers
Your Car: Passat
What You Are Doing At The Moment: Studying
Your Summer: Fun
Relationship Status: Eternal
What Is On Your TV: White Christmas
What Is The Weather Like: Cold
When Is The Last Time You Laughed: Today

Silent Night...

Since the reason for my favorite Christmas song/hymn was unanimously missed (multiple times by some) I've decided to set the record straight.

As an unofficial student of military history, I came across something when I was 16 that changed the way I would look at life forever. There are several accounts of this story published and I'm sure many more that sadly have passed from this world with those who experienced it. So I'll stick with two of them.

The first is the account told by British soldiers on the Western Front of World War I. On the evening of December 24, 1914 British troops at several places noticed small lights appearing above the German trenches. Those who could see through the mist soon passed on that the Germans were holding small Christmas trees adorned with candles. Through the cold night air came the words, "Stille nacht, Heilige nacht..." and soon the English version joined in. Soon, men who 12 hours before had no other object in mind than killing each other and staying alive were mingling and exchanging gifts in "no man's land." It has been reported that soccer matches were played on ground pockmarked with artillery craters. In one place a German officer provided beer not only for his troops, but for the British troops opposite them. Despite the disapproval of higher ranking officers, those soldiers on both sides of the line put down their weapons for a few hours to commemorate the birth of the Savior of the world.

The second is an account from the 101st Airborne Division, in Bastogne, Belgium December 24th, 1944. Those who have seen or read Band of Brothers will remember that the 101st (particularly Easy Co. in this case) defended Bastogne through the worst of the Battle of the Bulge and by Christmas, the tide was about to turn. That night, Christmas Eve, soldiers on the lines and in town heard German voices singing those very same words, "Stille nacht, Heilige nacht..." While there were no soccer games recounted, or (to my knowledge) any gift exchanges or other face to face exchanges, soldiers on both sides put down their weapons for a brief time to remember Christmas.

It was about that same time in my life that my friend Jenny introduced me to the Garth Brooks song, Belleau Wood. Not entirely historically accurate as far as I have been able to piece together, but worth a listen.

As a young man with a great-grandfather who may well have experienced a similar unofficial Christmas truce during his time in France in 1918, a grandfather who may have done in World War II, a father who spent a Christmas in Iraq in 1990, and whose only goal in life at the time was to be an Army Ranger these accounts affected me greatly. Silent Night has been my favorite hymn since that time, when I learned that through the miracle of Christmas even soldiers on opposite sides of the field of battler can recognize that each celebrates the very same thing, the birth of our Savior. Even though I am now a civilian and will not likely wear the uniform again, I wholeheartedly wish my fellow soldiers, "Merry Christmas" and hope that they too can find a quiet moment on that most holy night.

The Aftermath: Then and Now

As we all know, yesterday marked the 65th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This was not a normal act of war, but a cowardly act planned and prepared while their diplomats covered the action by a false attempt to reach an agreement in Washington. There was virtually no warning. Their only (very feeble) excuse was that it was an attempt to neutralize the clearly superior US military presence in the Pacific. The only small consolation we can take from that event was that the vast majority of the casualties were soldiers, those who knew that a possible outcome of their service could very well be death.

On that terrible morning, 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians lost their lives, as well as over 1,000 wounded.

Just over 5 years ago, something very similar happened when hijacked airliners crashed into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. This also was a cowardly attack, but without even the poor excuse of trying to gain military superiority as was the case with Pearl Harbor. The terrorists who orchestrated those attacks did so with no military goal in mind, with no other design than to terrorize the American people and to destroy our way of life. This was not an attack on soldiers who, however unprepared they were, could fight back. This was an attack on innocent civilians, for many of whom the thought that their chosen profession could result in their death had never occurred.

On that terrible morning, 2,973 people lost their lives, including 343 NYFD firefighters, 23 NYPD officers, and 37 Port Authority Police officers. As with Pearl Harbor, there were also over 1,000 people wounded.

65 years ago, the response of the American people was swift and resolute. The United States immediately declared war on Japan, and almost immediately afterward on Germany and Italy. We entered a war that a large portion of the American public had previously been dead set against becoming involved in. Despite the large numbers of casualties, the public supported the war effort enthusiastically. Gasoline, iron, and even tires were rationed. The public opinion was that the war must be won at all costs. America's involvement in the war lasted from December 1941 to August 1945, with U.S. military occupation of of Germany and Japan continuing for years afterward. This was not achieved without great cost. Over 400,000 American soldiers and over 11,000 American civilians lost their lives. Nearly half a million Americans died as a result of that cowardly attack, and of the actions of Germany and Italy in Europe.

Public response to the attacks on the World Trade Center was every bit as swift and every bit as serious. The nation was united as it hadn't been in years. The war on terror was almost immediately launched to prevent similar attacks on the American people. The war in Iraq was initiated ostensibly to prevent Saddam Houssein from using WMD's, and also to curtail Iraqi support of Al Qaeda. In the war in Iraq, nearly (and maybe more by now) 2,500 American soldiers have died. In Operation Enduring Freedom (the war on terrorism) there have been less than 500 deaths. This is less than 1% of the American military casualties in World War 2. Yet somehow, despite the fact that terrorist attacks still happen somewhat frequently (obviously not major ones like the WTC or London Subway attacks) the American public has lost interest in the effort. Al Qaeda and Taliban forces still do virtually whatever they want in the Middle East. Extremist clerics call for the destruction of the United States and state that they and "their people" will fight us until we are utterly destroyed. Yet somehow, the American public and Congress have lost heart for this effort. War is terrible, certainly, but it is no more terrible now than it was 65 years ago.

My question is this: What has changed in the last 65 years? For that matter, what changed between 1941 and 1968? In both instances, as many people died in one day in the event that instigated the conflict than have died since the World Trade Center attacks. Why is it that in World War 2 the news being brought to the American public, while it contained casualty reports, was of the advancement of the front lines in Europe, which islands we had retaken in the Pacific, and how much damage we were doing to the enemy? Why is it that now all we hear in the news is the "terrible death toll" and how many problems are still cropping up?

So as we remember the tragic events of Pearl Harbor and the conflict that followed, let's not forget to have some perspective on the tragic events of 9/11/2001 and the conflict that has followed. Let's not place a thin veneer of "Support our troops" over the apathy and disinterest that seem to be appearing everywhere. Could the war have been won 60 years ago if we supported our troops then the way we do now? How many of us would be willing to give up the rubber-band thin tires on our shiny SUV's to support the efforts of our soldiers in the Middle East? How many of us would park our cars and walk to our destinations in the cold so the soldiers could have the fuel they need to carry on the fight? Let's remember the brave soldiers who fought in earlier conflicts, and the brave citizens who supported them. Let's not dishonor their memory by the thin facade of "support" that seems to prevalent.


[Disclaimer: In making this post I am not dismissing the fact that American soldiers are dying. If I hadn't met Nicole when I did and had her hearty encouragement not to re-enlist, I would almost definitely be over there with them. I am fully aware that there are people in this country who truly support our troops and their mission. I am merely stating that there is a large difference between the resolution of the American public and media as a whole in the aftermath of two very similar events.]

[Most of my information on casualties came from Wikipedia.org if you care. If I have inaccurate information feel free to correct me and I'll update this post accordingly.]

Christmas Interrogation...

I guess I have officially been "tagged". I don't know who started the whole "blog tag" idea, and I'm not sure I want to, but Nicole said she "tagged" me so here goes...

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Hot chocolate. With LOTS of whipped cream. And maybe a peppermint tossed in.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? At my folks' house they are usually unwrapped.

3. Colored lights or white lights? Any and all colors, except solid blue. What the heck does that have to do with Chrismas?

4. Do you hang mistletoe? That's a really good idea... :)

5. When do you put your decorations up? After Thanksgiving. I usually cave and let Nicole put them up the day before we leave for Thanksgiving so they will be up when we get back.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Meat. Any kind.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Nicole thinks I'm weird because I don't have very many specific, time-stamped memories from before I was 11 or 12, so I'll just say all of them.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? When I was five or six my dad dressed up as Santa for his company's Christmas party. How I picked my dad's tanker boots out of all the other soldiers was a mystery, but at the time, my dad was the only adult I knew with blue-grey eyes. We didn't openly admit as a family the truth about Santa until I was 12.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Usually.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? That'll probably be up to Nicole at some future point when we have a tree.

11. Snow: love it or dread it? I am definitely a summer person, but I don't mind the snow.

12. Can you ice skate? I can fall on my can and make a really good attempt at breaking my butt-bone...

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Although the trip to Hawaii this year from Nicole's parents was a doozy as far as presents go, the one I think I appreciated the most was when I was 14, I wanted to start bow-hunting but there was no money for a bow, then on Christmas morning a left-handed (important for me) bow I had seen in a pawn shop a few weeks earlier showed up on my chair. That gift resulted in some great memories with me and my dad.

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? The birth of the Savior.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? My mom's cinnamon rolls. Or my mom's homemade saltwater taffy.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Every Christmas Eve back home I would go to the grave of my uncle Pete (he died shortly after birth) and tell him Merry Christmas and tell him how my year was. I haven't done that for a year or two, maybe next year when we're in Orderville again...

17. What tops your tree? My folks had a cardboard star wrapped carefully in tinfoil for a long time. Even though we don't have a tree, I'll always remember that tinfoil star.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Having the ability to give. For most of my life growing up, we made presents for people, and I never felt like I could make anything that anybody would want, other than my parents. It's nice now to be able to get presents that I know will be better than my feeble attempt to make something. It's equally as nice to have the know-how to make something useful and or nice.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Silent Night. The first person to guess the correct reason why gets a prize.

20. Candy canes: yuck or yum? Definitely tasty...


Oh, and I tag...No one.