Merry Christmas, Mr. & Mrs. G. God bless you, and, as always, thanks for all you both(!) do serving our country. And that includes keeping this blog!

Mr. and Mrs. G. - thank you for the gift of this blog - which was my personal gateway to all blogs. I didn't know they existed until one day - Stryker News linked to you and you listed all the MilBlogs - and from there - the world of blogging was opened to me. May your Christmas be bright and filled with hope. Get home safe Greyhawk. And thanks Mrs. G for keeping us informed and doing a great job holding down the fort. Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas Mr. and Mrs. G. Thank you both for your service to God, County, and us average Americans. We love you and are praying for your safe return.

Oh, and the Santa and the Homecoming pictures spoke a thousand words. Great job!

That's the best poem these eyes saw.

Thanks to all who've left comments this week - very much appreciated.

Wow - I'm slow but eventually I catch on!

That's our actual Christmas tree in those pictures on the logo. Awesome babe!

To both of you and yours, my thanks for the service by all and wishes for a Very Merry Christmas. May your gift be granted with all speed and ceremony.

Mrs G
This email is from your sis at Xmas -
I am typing for her - she
is getting emotional thinking of you being by
yourself at Xmas.
She is proud of you and is thinking about the kids.
Hang in there - and she says thank you to
Grayhawk and COME HOME SAFE!!

Mr. & Mrs. Greyhawk, you have helped me to fulfill my blogging obligations this Christmas, with your beautiful poetry. Thank you for allowing us into your world. And thank you for blessing us by allowing us into your lives. God bless you both, and Greyhawk, we're praying for your safety! Merry Christmas to you and your family. Ours was merrier, thanks to you!

Thank you for your service to our country. Let's hope and pray that 2005 will be more peaceful through your efforts.

This poem taken from Blackfive's blog pretty much says it all in the last four lines:

THE SANDS OF CHRISTMAS
By Michael Marks

I had no Christmas spirit when I breathed a weary sigh,
and looked across the table where the bills were piled too high.
The laundry wasn't finished and the car I had to fix,
My stocks were down another point, the Chargers lost by six.

And so with only minutes till my son got home from school
I gave up on the drudgery and grabbed a wooden stool.
The burdens that I carried were about all I could take,
and so I flipped the TV on to catch a little break.

I came upon a desert scene in shades of tan and rust,
No snowflakes hung upon the wind, just clouds of swirling dust.
And where the reindeer should have stood before a laden sleigh,
eight Humvees ran a column right behind an M1A.

A group of boys walked past the tank, not one was past his teens,
Their eyes were hard as polished flint, their faces drawn and lean.
They walked the street in armor with their rifles shouldered tight,
their dearest wish for Christmas, just to have a silent night.

Other soldiers gathered, hunkered down against the wind,
To share a scrap of mail and dreams of going home again.
There wasn't much at all to put their lonely hearts at ease,
They had no Christmas turkey, just a pack of MREs.

They didn't have a garland or a stocking I could see,
They didn't need an ornament--they lacked a Christmas tree.
They didn't have a present even though it was tradition,
the only boxes I could see were labeled "ammunition."

I felt a little tug and found my son now by my side,
He asked me what it was I feared, and why it was I cried.
I swept him up into my arms and held him oh so near
and kissed him on the forehead as I whispered in his ear.

There's nothing wrong my little son, for safe we sleep tonight,
our heroes stand on foreign land to give us all the right,
to worry on the things in life that mean nothing at all,
instead of wondering if we will be the next to fall.

He looked at me as children do and said it's always right,
to thank the ones who help us and perhaps that we should write.
And so we pushed aside the bills and sat to draft a note,
to thank the many far from home, and this is what we wrote:

"God bless you all and keep you safe, and speed your way back home.
Remember that we love you so, and that you're not alone.
The gift you give you share with all, a present every day,
You give the gift of liberty and that we can't repay."

1. Our thoughts are with you. Maybe not the way you think, in my case.
2. Read 2Slick's posting about the geezer with the 101st combat patch from VN, hear about Col Roberts (now at Bragg), and feel a galaxy of emotions -dominant: jealousy.
3. The fear and horror fade and what remains is memory of a sense of purpose that elevated us above the normal run of humans and a fellowship whose closeness eludes understanding for those who haven't been.
4. May that comfort and keep you until you have returned to your family and the mundane, albeit worthy, course of human affairs.
Happy holidays, V/R JW
PS- I describe you as the big dog of in-country bloggers to my geezer buddies.