Brothers and families
of the Second Military District,
In this season of peace and joy, I am
strengthened by the many acts of love and charity which are carried out without
fanfare or notoriety. Christmas is about our collective ability to
share, to love, and to be loved. In the story of the Grinch who stole
Christmas; the Hoo’s welcome Christmas morning, in spite of having lost all the
material goods they coveted, with the following tune Fah who for-aze! Fah who
for-aze! Dah who dor-aze! Dah who dor-aze! Welcome Christmas, Welcome
Christmas, Come this way! Come this way! Fah who for-aze! Fah who for-aze! Dah
who dor-aze! Dah who dor-aze! Welcome Christmas, Welcome Christmas, Christmas
Day. These somewhat nonsensical words
are the perfect expression of the true sense Christmas has in our lives
throughout the years. Christmas is the
song we annually raise up and sing in an effort to renew our spirits and
pronounce our faith in humanity. In the
celebration of Christmas we are reminded that there is a redemptive power,
which can heal and renew our spirits as we watch Christmas stories such as “The
Christmas Carol” or The Bells of St. Mary’s.
Christmas reminds us of our commitment to our fellow man and our
challenge to eliminate ignorance and want.
Our Civil War ancestors understood the
true meaning of Christmas. Soldiers far
from home and hearth celebrated four Christmas Days in the far flung outpost
and encampments of the Union Army. I
often am overcome by the strength they possessed and the dedication it
took. For the soldiers Christmas would
have been bereft of the material things that many hold dear today. My own experiences with Christmas in the
service, during the 1st Persian Gulf War, are still a powerful
reminder of how simple things like a box of cookies or that stale but wonderful
apple sauce cake; were the perfect gift because they were filled with the love
of family.
The second stanza of the Hoo’s Christmas
song says, “Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome Fah who rah-moose Fah who
rah-moose Welcome, Welcome, Welcome,
Welcome Dah who dah-moose Dah who dah-moose Christmas day is in our grasp
Christmas day is in our grasp So long as we have hands to clasp So long as we
have hands to clasp” It is my sincere
hope that, in this joyous Christmas season, each of you will be clasped in the
arms of your friends and family and that,
you may find the opportunity to clasp your fellow man in your own.
May this be the year
we truly realize peace on Earth and good Will to man.
In Fraternity,
Charity, and Loyalty
Mark R.
Day, Lt. Colonel
Commander 2nd
Military District
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