Bedfordtimesregister.com - Veteran's Beat: Reflecting on a Christmas message from VFW leader

by Ron Seman

National Commander-in-Chief Glen Gardner, Jr. of the Veterans of Foreign Wars has an interesting and timely article entitled "A Christmas Message" in the December issue of the VFW's National Magazine.

Perhaps a few of his thoughts will serve to revitalize the need for such messages at this truly special season of the year.

"It is easy to say 'let us remember our troops' during the Christmas season, but how many of us really understand the painful nobility of this sacrifice?"

He continues: "Bruce Kluger asked in USA Today last Christmas, 'For those on active duty in the Middle East, the business of battle knows no holiday."

According to Gardner, "I could not have possibility said it better." But he did not stop there. 'Equally heartbreaking -- and incomprehensible -- is the wrenching vacuum that war inflicts on families on the home front," he wrote.

"Christmas celebrations in Afghanistan and Iraq are, by necessity, subdued," Gardner said. "More quality food, special church services and private thoughts of loved ones usually constitute this most beloved of holidays in the war zone. Yet these gestures never seem to be enough."

On Dec. 25,2007, McClatchy News Service was one of the few media outlets to report on the troops directly from the field. At Patrol Base Warrior Keep in southwest Baghdad, two of its reporters interviewed soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 187"1 Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, to sample their sentiments.

"If I didn't feel like this is where I needed to be, I think it'd be horrible," Chaplain Eric Light told them. "Our holidays are so tied to our families, it's nearly impossible to recreate them here."

Gardner, again: What we can do as veterans is to remind those around us of the emotional importance of this time of year to the troops thousands of miles from home; after all, they are "honoring our nation with their service while fighting wars whose consequences have nothing and everything to do with the humanity at the heart of the holiday," Kluger aptly pointed out.

"While we are keeping them in our thoughts, let's not forget the other GIs on far-flung fronts that never make newspaper headlines. From Kosovo in the Balkans to South Korea in Northeast Asia, tens of thousands of Americans maintain lonely vigils. Still others prowl the seas, protecting our shores from afar. Their missions should never be taken for granted or forgotten,' Gardner said.

"The debt of gratitude we owe the tiny percentage -- less than 1 percent -- of Americans who bear the burden of our freedom can probably never be adequately paid," Gardner said. "But the least we can do is to give them more than a passing thought. As we enjoy Christmas revelry, keep in mind that someone in uniform is making that possible. Chances are that it might even be a family member. If so, you need not be reminded of the sacrifices being made."

As the mother of one Afghanistan soldier said, "Each American should remember during this season that our soldiers are fighting the battle over there so we can be safe here at home."

Cdr. Gardner concludes his essay by saying he and his wife wish all veterans a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a great New Year. We join him in this solemn and profound wish.

COMPUTER WOES: I have been experiencing some awful problems with my computer. I can use Microsoft Word to write this column, but am unable to get my AOL service working. Maybe Santa will bring me a new machine that will enable me to continue my weekly talks with you. In the meantime, I will continue to fax my column to our Stow office. For those of you who have sent me e-mails, please be patient. I will get to read them soon and use the information you have sent. For the time being, I suggest you send e-mail news to Senior Editor Robert Recker at rrecker@recordpub.com.

AM HOLIDAY SCHEDULE: Members of the Acker-Moore Memorial Post, 3733 Fishcreek Road in Stow, have a busy schedule upcoming in the next six weeks. A sampling includes the Canteen Christmas party, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m.; Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Christmas Day, open from 4 p.m. to midnight; Dec. 31, New Year's Eve party, 6 p.m. to midnight, cost is free to AM members and S7 for guests; Jan. 1, New Year's Day, open from 4 p.m. to midnight; Jan. 10, American Legion Auxiliary's annual visit with patients at the Brecksville VA Hospital, volunteers needed; Feb. 7, God and Country ceremony, tickets available in January; and Feb. 14 or Feb. 21, Sons of American Legion lasagna dinner and raffle. Questions? Call the post at 330-673-1608.

PURPLE HEART AWARDS: U.S. prisoners of war who die or died in captivity are now eligible for the Purple Heart, according to a recent Pentagon statement. The Pentagon now officially presumes that their deaths are the result of enemy action, and, thereby, qualifies them for the award. Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.), who introduced the Honor Our Fallen Prisoners of War Act that called for the measure and passed in 2006, the only POW's who were previously eligible for the Purple Heart were those who died of wounds inflicted by an "instrument of war."

"But those who died of starvation, disease, abuse, freezing or other causes during captivity were not," Filner said. The directive is retroactive to Dec. 7, 1941. Families with questions can call the Army: Military Awards Branch, 703"32S-8700; Navy: Navy Personnel Command, Retired Records Section, 314-592-1150; Air Force: Air Force Personnel Center, 800-616-3775; and Marine Corps: Military Awards Branch, 703-784-9340.

REMEMBER our men and women serving America in Iraq, Afghanistan and at other posts around the world. Keep them and their families in your daily prayers. Write a letter, and send a package of goodies-

Thanks and God Bless America!