Sharpwriters' Thoughts Blog Archives - Archives - July 2001 June 2002 July 2002 August 2002 September 2002 October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 June 2007 August 2007 September 2007 December 2007 March 2008 May 2008 July 2008 August 2008 April 2009 September 2009 October 2009 December 2009 January 2010 February 2010 June 2010 Current Posts Tuesday, December 22, 2009 Thanks for your service Jeffrey and Samantha are on the road, headed this way. I had something I wanted to post for Christmas but I'm afraid I won't get it copied and posted if I don't do it now, so... This is from a clipping perhaps from the Quanah Tribune-Chief, and it may have been taken from the Stars and Stripes, or my uncle Joe may have been reporting from Korea to the local paper. I don't know when Joe was in Korea. The Monday Christmas during the fighting was 1950; Joe was 22 that Christmas. The article says: _________ Sidelights About Soldiers and Service by Joe Anderson (Ed's Note: Cpl. Joe H. Anderson, Quanah youth, is presently on the staff of "Stars and Stripes.") With the 25th Infantry Division in Korea. - The Quartermaster had apparently ordered what the Army's insistent reverse wording probably called "One each Christmas, white, Korean style, M-1850." It snowed for weeks--not every day, but off and on, starting just in time after a dry spell that it put Christmas back in the soldier's mind before that particular cold Korean Monday appeared on the scene.   Where they had received them, the messes served their special Christmas rations: canned turkey, canned cranberries, canned everything. It was one of those meals that the army seems to save up for weeks in advance – one of those with which they try to make up for weeks of corned beef hash.   Up in the medical company of a Negro regiment in this division, the "Medical Harmonaires," a quartet that could give some real competition to their radio namesakes, switched from spirituals to carols. They were beautiful.   The field chapel services were packed – as usual, but a bit more so.   Where there had been fighting before, the fighting continued – but you've heard of that in much greater detail than the soldier in Korea ever hears. He's always too close for perspective.   The soldier joked as usual about the talking the diplomats were probably doing as usual. If his Christmas packages had arrived, he opened them. Many packages hadn't.   It wasn't much of a Christmas, but the soldier did his best with it. __________   Thanks, soldiers still in Korea. Thanks, soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, wherever. Thanks for your service. Have a really merry Christmas!     Share | posted by Barbara Rollins @ 4:28 PM 0 Comments: Post a Comment Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom] << Home