A Soldier's Christmas

[treycount64]

I am proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free

And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me

And I proudly stand up next to you and defend her still today

cause there ain't no doubt I love this place God bless the U.S.A.

[robertabpk]

OMG.......absolutely awesome !! I am privileged to have received this and to be reminded, in this rat race world we live in, of our dearly beloved military and all they do for us. Everyone of them is a hero and I thank God for them all, in and out of uniform. May God bless them and may God bless America.

[billintulsa]

@robertabpk That is very kind of you to say, Robert.

[NinjaTeemo]

Wow. this makes you think, look at all we have and look what the small things they have. the leftovers a day to old we throw away and a soldier would cherish that food..... merry CHRISTmas, Jesus loves you all

[billintulsa]

@NinjaTeemo Merry Christmas to you, too.

[298fmr]

Thank you and every member of our military...and may God bless each and every one of you!

[billintulsa]

@298fmr . . . And God bless you, too.

[68gsw]

I've read the words before, but hearing them gave this an entirely different dimension. I cannot type through the tears. God Bless every single man and woman serving this great nation, and may he watch over their families as well as they watch over us. To our service personnel I say...I've got your back, thanks for having mine.

[billintulsa]

@68gsw Thank you so much, and God bless you.

[FURYATKMART]

To accousticdecay;

You are so wrong. Your service in the CAP does count. You provided services that would otherwise have to have been provided be active duty presonnel. The CAP by its very deffinition and charter from Congress is a vital part of the defense of this great nation. So I would like to thank you for your service.

Jerry A USN VietNam

[Bugaboo173]

Thank you to every soldier who will be overseas this Christmas! We all hope you can come home soon!

[FURYATKMART]

Only one word comes to mind WOW.

That was so well done. I have seen this before on the net. Hearing it brought it to life for this old vet. GOD Bless our troops all over this world for they are the line that will not be crossed the line that keeps us free and able to live our lives here in the Greatest nation on earth. Thank you to all those who have served and to those who now serve so that me and mine can live our lives in freedom and peace.

Jerry A. USN Viet Nam

[billintulsa]

@FURYATKMART God bless you, Jerry.

[luvkershaw]

@FURYATKMART, two things I have to say to you, sir. THANK YOU and WELCOME HOME. I mean those two things with every fiber of my being.

[billintulsa]

@luvkershaw Thank you.

[billintulsa]

@FURYATKMART God bless you, Jerry.

[smmack1]

Thank you for making such a production! I wish we had several million more of you!!!!!! God Bless our military and God Bless America!!

[billintulsa]

@smmack1 Wow - thanks for the kind words!

[bekmk]

So very true and worthy of our time to watch it.

[billintulsa]

@bekmk Thank you so much, please re-post and share to help meet the goal of 50,000 hits by Wednesday.

[acoreana24]

Thank you for protecting me and my family, your are in my prayers. Merry Christmas to all our men and women in the uniform and their families. God Bless!!

[billintulsa]

@acoreana24 And God bless you, too.

[accousticdecay]

I am sharing this on FB in honor of several buddies, one is a Pearl Harbor survivor who died at 93 last spring. Yeah, real men can cry, guys!

[billintulsa]

@accousticdecay God bless you and thanks for your service.

[accousticdecay]

@billintulsa I only served in Civil Air Patrol... that does not count. But I'll pass this on to my soldier & sailor buddies.

[billintulsa]

@accousticdecay You certainly DO count!!!! Thank you for your awesome service.

[pepelepu73]

This is such a moving tribute to our soldiers. However, I would like to point out that it was originally written in 1986 by Lance Corporal James M. Schmidt.  It appeared in the the Marines' magazine, Leatherneck, in 1991. The actual title is, "Merry Christmas, My Friend." For the full story, go to snopes dot com and look it up.

Thank you again for posting this. I will be sharing it.

[billintulsa]

@pepelepu73 Thank you for the update. I saw the text version last year and the text seen in my graphics are as they appeared on that version (I kept them under the belief that I was adhering to the original). As with so many things posted on the Internet, many bits of information get lost along the way. Thank you again for your comment, and I truly hope that I at least retained the feel of the original.

[pepelepu73]

@billintulsa I meant no disrespect. On the contrary, I am very glad that you took the time to do such a wonderful reading of the poem and make this video to share with us. The version doesn't really matter as much as the sentiment behind it.

For a veteran such as myself, or a current service member, things like this help to make it all worth it. Thank you.

[billintulsa]

@pepelepu73 HA - no disrespect felt - and I am truly glad you enjoyed the production.

[Tmackay100]

What a great tribute to the men and women in the military. Thank you to whoever put this together.

[billintulsa]

@Tmackay100 I did not write this poem so reading it was a pure pleasure.

[Agentg427]

This is a beautfiul poem and video done well.. my sincere and humble "thank you" to every soldier for keeping us safe. Freedom is never free.

[uprootedfish]

Great video and and poem! God bless our men and women fighting for us, without them, there's no holidays, no freedom, no tomorrows!!!

[billintulsa]

@uprootedfish AMEN!!!!!

[Anntam9]

Never heard this before. It is beautiful and i will send it to all the people I know. It is a blessing that we have all these brave men keeping watch over us. I wish them the best and a safe journey back home to their love ones. Shirley Belanger

[billintulsa]

@Anntam9 Thank you for the kind words, Shirley. Please share anywhere you can, as I am trying to reach 50,000 plays by Dec 13.

[billintulsa]

@Anntam9 Incidentally - I worked at a radio station in Colorado with an Ernie Belanger - any relation?

[billintulsa]

Vielen Dank.

[Hanzochu]

Mögen alle Familien, die lieben, die in den vereinigten staaten militärische eines Tages erhalten sie das größte Geschenk, das wir alle beten für unsere lieben, die Rückkehr. Vielen Dank für die video- und gedicht.-deutsch

May all the families who have loved ones serving in the united states military one day get the greatest gift that we all pray for, the return of our loved ones. Thank you for putting this video and poem up.-translated-

[billintulsa]

@Hanzochu Vielen Dank.

[Hanzochu]

@billintulsa Meine Freude Freund.

[billintulsa]

I am honored - Thank you.

[scotto452]

Someone sent this poem to me several years ago and I keep the text version of this poem posted all year. It has been sent regularly each Christmas since then. I'm pleased to find this very fine narrated rendition of the poem which will be added to this year's distibution.

[billintulsa]

@scotto452  Thank you, Scott, I am honored.

[ManOfRhythm]

Very well done and well spoken. Combat is never easy. God Bless all our soldiers past, present, and in the future. May there someday be a lasting peace worldwide.

[billintulsa]

@ManOfRhythm Thank you, but this was written so well, that it spoke for itself.

[wearywisewoman]

Thank you so much. This is a wonderful reminder of our boys and girls serving to protect our freedoms.

[billintulsa]

@wearywisewoman Thanks for your kind words.

[saannie55]

I have seen the text version of this poem and while I like both , this version really made it seem so much more real, I have tears running down my face as I type this, Thank you so much for sharing and Have a very Merry and Blessed Christmas.

[billintulsa]

@saannie55 thank you so much.