During my twenty years of military service I was fortunate enough to spend only a couple of Christmases away from my loved ones.
Thousands of our finnest men and women are spending their second or third Christmas far from home, away from their fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters.
Many of them, newlyweds, are spending what would have been their first Christmas as a married couple, thousands of miles away from their new wife or husband.
Many others, Dads and Moms, are spending this holiday season away from their young, precious ones—for many it would have been their first Christmas together as a new family.
Too many of them are celebrating the birth of the Newborn King, away from their own newborn. Some have not even had the chance to see their newborn, to hold him or her in their arms.
Our brave men and women in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan are attempting to celebrate Christmas while fighting those who not only have utter disdain for such a celebration, for our beliefs and religion, but who would also do everything in their power to, on this most holy of days, do our troops harm.
In my case, the sacrifices made by our heroes in Afghanistan and in Iraq have weighed heavily on my heart and have been foremost in my mind throughout the year and especially during Christmas.
I just want to wish our troops and to their loved ones back home as
"Merry a Christmas" as possible.
JLugo
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v...f4pM&vq=medium