Christmas in the military is certainly different than celebrating the holidays as a civilian. And Christmas during war is an entirely unique experience from anything else. When we asked for your most prized stories of the holidays in uniform, our Vietnam-era veteran readers responded in force.
These stories made us laugh, cry and take stock of the sacrifices made by so many from the Vietnam generation. From holidays spent in locales from Greenland to Thailand, dodging enemy mortars, friendly fire or beer cans, or listening to perennial favorite Bob Hope, these Vietnam-era stories deliver poignant memories from yesteryear.
Some selections have been edited for length and clarity.
A Hopeful Christmas
"Christmas, 1965 at Tan Son Nhut AB, Vietnam: The Bob Hope [USO Tour] was the highlight. [It was a] pretty big deal for a 19-year-old."
-- James, Air Force
The Weather Outside Was Frightful
"Christmas of 1964 was spent in barracks while serving in Thule, Greenland. We spent 6 days and nights unable to exit until the storms subsided!"
-- Ken, Air Force
A Special Delivery
"Christmas, 1968, Vietnam: I was a Telecommunications Systems Repair Technician stationed at Bearcat, Vietnam.
"Just before Thanksgiving, I lost 2 friends in my unit in an ambush. As Christmas came around, I was really feeling pretty depressed and alone. I was probably as close to suicide as anyone could be without doing it. My whole world was just dashed. Ken, the guy I was replacing in the unit, was only 2 weeks from going home.
"Just before Christmas, I received a package from my parents. When I opened it, it was an 18-inch Christmas tree with little glass ornaments, along with my favorite Christmas cookies. It couldn't have come at a better time. In fact, my eyes are watering right now thinking of it.
"Thanks, Mom and Dad."
-- Dennis, Army
Home for Christmas
"After serving in Vietnam with the USMC and returning to Honolulu, I had a short stay in Tripler Army Hospital. I was anxious to get home for Christmas. Discharged from the hospital on December 22, I found a military hop back to the States [on an] older prop plane. [It] made two tries to take-off and then needed [to be fixed]. I decided to go back into town and fly commercial, even though it was a bit expensive. I got a ride and lugged all my gear back. With a bit of planning and finagling, I made it back home to Tennessee on December 23. It was a great Christmas homecoming!"
-- Leo, Navy
Hope for the Holidays
"It was December 26, 1966, [and the USS Bennington was] en-route to Quy Nhon, Vietnam to pick up Bob Hope and his entire troupe for his yearly Christmas show. It was a wonderful experience for someone who was only 18-years-old at the time. He put on a show with his group that has lasted in my memory, many years later. [I] have photos of the show and all of the stars that came with him. [I] actually met Mr Hope, Anita Bryant, and Joey Heatherton, among others.
-- Joseph, Navy
A Christmas Blunder
"Christmas Eve, 1973: We had been called out on alert early that morning to patrol the wooded area around a NATO ammo site. Just before midnight, [my battle buddy and I] walked up to the guard shack that checked every vehicle that entered the site. A light snow had started about 15 minutes earlier, so our camouflage-covered steel pots were now white with snow, as well as our shoulders on our OD field jackets. Our buddy, who was assigned to the guard shack, was listening to Armed Forces Network Radio Europe on a small pocket radio. The light snow made it very picturesque ... and very quiet, absorbing all the sounds in the woods. The three of us stood there as the AFN announcer began telling us Bob Hope had issued a Christmas message wishing everyone well, especially our armed forces, and that he was glad our troops were home this Christmas. The three of us looked at each other and were not too pleased [that] Bob Hope thought the troops were 'home' this Christmas. Standing there in full combat gear and load, covered in snow that Christmas Eve did not look or feel like home to us. I did many Christmases in the US Army before I retired, but that Christmas of 1973 will always be with me above all others."
-- Bruce, Army
The Holly and the IV
"[I] arrived in Korat, Thailand [on] December 8, 1967. [I] started feeling sick [on] Christmas Eve [and went] to base hospital Christmas morning [and was sent away]. I was sick all day. [The] other guys in [the] barracks kept saying, 'You need to go to [the] hospital.' It was dark when they talked the CQ [charge of quarters] into driving me there. [The] doctor yelled at me for not coming sooner. I got to see Bob Hope's tour in my hospital gown later in the week after [my] IV was taken out. Can't forget something like that. Thanks for the memories."
-- Wayne, Army
An Olympic Celebration
"[I was] a B-52D Crew Chief stationed on Andersen AFB [in Guam in] late December 1968. We got to know the flight crews fairly well ... I told the crew I would meet the jet upon return with a surprise on the crew bus -- a few cold beers to celebrate Christmas. Well, when I opened the hatch, the crew had beat me to the celebration. Several empty Olympia beer cans hit me in the head and [fell] down the hatch stairs. We had some quick debrief business on the crew bus and finished a few adult beverages smuggled onto the bus."
-- Lonnie, Air Force
A Beautiful Sight
"Basic training at Lackland AFB [in Texas], Christmas 1961. Even though we had a marvelous Christmas show that night, instead of lifting my spirits it did the reverse. After the show was over, and with hundreds of recruits marching back to barracks with their flash lights ablaze, it was the most beautiful and the most memorable holiday in my 21 years of military service."
-- Sherman, Air Force
A Christmas Miracle
"It happened on a late December afternoon 1962 in the Ashau Valley of South Vietnam. I was a captain, flying in support of the U.S. advisory effort out of Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam. For nearly a month, low clouds and monsoon rains had prevented our weekly deliveries of rice, pigs, and chickens to the Vietnamese Army garrison at A Lưới in the Ashau Valley of the Central Highlands.
"The garrison commander repeatedly radioed us that they were low on food, then that they had exhausted all rations and were surviving on a 'Chop Suey' made of grass. We flew out to the garrison every day, looking and praying for a sudden opening in the monsoon clouds.
"[On Christmas Eve], a miracle hole suddenly opened, exposing the tiny airstrip. I immediately went into a steep, spiraling descent through a hole that held just long enough for me to line up with the end of the runway. I applied power in 'controlled crash mode' at the bottom of the spiral to cushion the landing on the rain-soaked airstrip.
"Most of the hungry, gaunt-looking soldiers turned out to unload the aircraft. They were literally killing and de-feathering the chickens as they carried them to the waiting cooking pots in the garrison. Our crew joined in celebrating their elation at the December miracle.
"In the middle of a war,we found ourselves actually delivering peace and goodwill. It was one of the best and most memorable Christmas celebrations any of us would ever experience."
-- Arthur, Army
A Raye of Sunshine
"In 1965, [the battalion] brought us in from forward camp for the Bob Hope USO Tour in Nha Trang. While in base camp, we were able to go to the nearby Vietnamese special forces camp. Lo and behold, when I got inside, there was the great Martha Raye at a slot machine next to me, dressed in fatigues with colonel insignia on her collar. She was doing a tour at many remote outposts with musicians from the 173rd Airborne Brigade. That moment will stick with me for the rest of my life."
-- Robert, Army
Silent Night
"It was Christmas Eve, 1967, and I was on guard duty in Vietnam. A friend lent me his portable radio, and I was eating crackers and pepperoni from a care package from my high school back home. Around midnight, I was listening to Armed Forces radio playing Christmas music, and I looked up into the sky at thousands of stars and heard 'Silent Night.' I still remember it like it was yesterday. The promise of peace on earth was shattered by [the] Tet [Offensive] a month later."
-- Ed, Air Force
Christmas Eve Competition
"My third Christmas in Vietnam was in 1971. Our platoon was drinking and decided to have a contest by eating LRRPs [long range recon patrol food] and drinking beer to see who would get the biggest belly. [The] guy who came in second got pissed, went into his hootch, and came out with an M-2 fully automatic carbine. He sprayed us with live ammo and missed everyone! Everyone just laughed [and] took his weapon from him. Nothing was said or done about it. [It was] just another dumb thing proving that the difference between the Army and the Boy Scouts is that the Boy Scouts have adult supervision."
-- Al, Army
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