Christmas 1968, Christmas 1969, Christmas 1970. I remember each of those as if they were just a year ago.
I remember they were warm, no they were hot. I remember thinking how good the snow would feel if I was back home in Iowa. I remember eating meals of fairly delicious items such as turkey and warm cranberry sauce, all pretty tasty considering we were usually eating canned items daily.Christmas day was eagerly looked forward to by many because a free service for calling home was available thru the USO and a small army of volunteer short wave radio enthusiasts.Considering we were over 10,000 miles from home and the cell phone had not yet been invented this was not an easy task to accomplish. Waiting in line for a 10 minute call lasted a few hours, yes I remember.
Men and women in the military are now concentrated in Iraq and Afghanistan but they are stationed all over the United States and in many foreign countries. They volunteered to serve their country and are honor bound to fulfill their missions.But they are remembering also what life in Morrison is all about this weekend. They may be logging on to the Internet and bringing up our website just to connect with their hometown. They might be on a cell phone calling back home before they go back on duty tonight.As we enjoy a Christmas weekend here in Morrison, take a moment to remember our men and women serving in all parts of the world and say a prayer for their safe keeping and safe journey back to Morrison as they complete their tour of duties.I know they are remembering us right now and we need to remember them as well.