Merry Christmas!

[Warrior-Mentor]

To all our Brothers and Sisters deployed overseas right now, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We appreciate your service and sacrifice.

You are carrying on an American Tradition.

God Bless and Godspeed.

“And remember… people will want to know:

“What is it Americans once did?”

“How is it we became Americans?”

On Christmas Day 1776, Washington’s Army had collapsed from 30,000 in Brooklyn in September, to 2,500.

Less than 1 out of every 1,000 Americans had the courage to be with Washington Christmas Day.

Of that 2,500 - one third did not have boots.

They wrapped their feet in burlap and they left a trail of blood marching the 9 miles to Trenton.

Washington decided to cross an icy river, at night, in a snow storm, to march at night in order to surprise 800 professional German Soldiers, win a surprise victory, capture all 800 Soldiers and reestablish the legitimacy of the American Revolution.

Two weeks later, he had 15,000 volunteers.

The password that night was “Victory or Death.”

I want you to go from here and look every successful person you know in the eye,
And look every Patriot you know in the eye and tell them:

“There are young men and women risking their lives all around this planet in uniform,
in the State Department, in our Intelligence Community,
so we can be free.

“Don’t tell me how much you’re giving.

“Don’t tell me how tired you are.

“Don’t tell me how frustrating it is.”

This country was created by people who were willing to say “Victory or Death” while marching in burlap bags in the middle of a snow storm.

… This is work George Washington would have approved of. And this is work you need to take seriously for the next three years so we can give our children and grand children the greatest, freest and most prosperous country in history.”

- Newt Gingrich

VIDEO:
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/a...2/madness.html

_________________________________

George Washington's Christmas 1776
Crossing The Delaware Wrapped Perfect Gift to Raise the Spirit of 76

Dec 14, 2007
Roger Saunders

General Washington and Colonel John Glover beat the Hessians in the Battle of Trenton, giving the best Christmas gift ever to the 13 brand new United States of America.

The only thing normal about this Christmas Morning in 1776 was the smell of an abundance of food being prepared. Was General Washington planning a celebration? He was not! This little military encampment on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River did not have much to celebrate. They had just been through 4 months of defeat in this American Revolution. This included a grueling and harrowing flight across New Jersey that began with a midnight boat ride from Brooklyn on Aug 29th. Their joy when the statue of King George was torn down after hearing the Declaration of Independence seemed a memory too far recessed to be illuminated by any new Christmas light.

A Christmas Card?

George Washington had formed a plan to attack the town of Trenton on the New Jersey side of the Delaware. Trenton was occupied by mercenary Hessians commanded by Col. Johann Rall. On Christmas Eve, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a Continental “surgeon” saw General Washington writing short notes on several scraps of paper. One might surmise that he was writing Christmas notes to members of his military “family”. This may have seemed even more likely when he called a messenger to deliver the slips to his staff. Dr. Rush noticed one of the slips of paper fall to the floor. When he picked it up and read it, there was no Christmas cheer. Instead it was a stark statement; a child of their stark situation. “Victory or Death!” Washington had decided to use this as the password for the day as his intrepid plan was unwrapped.

The Plan

Washington and his staff had planned this assault very carefully. They had very good intelligence from a small network of spies (they even knew that Col. Rall usually slept until 9am). It was to be a three pronged attack. Col. John Cadwalader would take 1800 Philadelphia Associators and New England Continentals and cross the Delaware south of Trenton. Militia General Ewing would take about 800 Pennsylvania Militia and to a crossing point directly across from Trenton. Washington would take the remaining 2400 Continentals and cross ten miles north and march to a pre-dawn meeting with the others and take Trenton by surprise.

The Christmas Gift

The ambitious and complicated plan began to unravel from the start. It had been very cold and ice had already begun to form on the river. Yet, in the last few days, a premature thaw had loosened great chunks of ice and sent them hurtling downstream. This was a disaster on a night when timing was so critical to the plan’s success. The worst blow was that the ice was so bad in the two crossing locations to the south that they did not succeed. For the Continentals it was a Christmas nightmare. They were hours behind but Col. John Glover’s Marblehead mariners once again showed their character and skill by bringing soldiers across a river under extreme circumstances, without any loss of life. The rest of the grueling march in a mixture of snow sleet and rain finally ended, not with a pre-dawn raid but with an all out assault of the Hessian positions in Trenton. Even without two thirds of the attacking force, these Continental Soldiers gave a priceless Christmas gift to their commander and the rest of the new nation.
Victory … finally … after so many defeats.

The Spirit of 76 was resucitated in the Battle of Trenton that began on Christmas Day in 1776. That same spirit would face many more challenges but its indomitable character was cemented into the American psyche and has still not been shaken loose today!

SOURCE:
http://americanhistory.suite101.com/...s_spirit_of_76

[Dozer523]

The story, often told (on PS.com) about the Soldiers' Christmas Truce during the First World War reminds me of the honor and duty of service and the unity that can come among Soldiers. Warrior Mentor's thread seems a good place to revitalize that truth. Merry Christmas to all.

The first truce began on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1914, when German troops began decorating the area around their trenches in the region of Ypres, Belgium, for Christmas. They began by placing candles on trees, then continued the celebration by singing Christmas carols, most notably Stille Nacht (Silent Night). The British troops in the trenches across from them responded by singing English carols.
The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were calls for visits across the "No Man's Land" where small gifts, were exchanged, such as whisky, jam, cigarettes, and chocolate. The artillery in the region fell silent that night. The truce also allowed a breathing spell where recently-fallen soldiers could be brought back behind their lines by burial parties. Proper burials took place as soldiers from both sides mourned the dead together and paid their respects.
In many sectors, the truce lasted through Christmas night, but in some areas, it continued until New Year's Day.

The truce occurred in spite of opposition at higher levels of the military. Earlier in the autumn, Pope Benedict XV had begged for an official truce between the warring governments, "that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang." It was considered possible by the Germans but angrily denounced by the British who blithely ignored any further peace overtures made by Benedict - although the pope's ten conditions for a lasting peace were largely subsumed by Woodrow Wilson in his "14 Points".

British commanders Sir John French and Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien vowed that no such truce would be allowed again[citation needed], although both had left command before Christmas 1915. In all of the following years of the war, artillery bombardments were ordered on Christmas Eve to try to ensure that there were no further lulls in the combat. Troops were also rotated through various sectors of the front to prevent them from becoming overly familiar with the enemy.

On Christmas Day 1915, after some shouting between both trenches, the Royal Welch Fusiliers got out of their icy trench and greeted the Germans. Bertie Felstead, a Corporal in the Fusiliers, recalled that the Germans probably were already out of their trench before the British got out. He claimed that nothing was planned and that what happened was entirely spontaneous.[1] A football was produced from somewhere – though none could recall from where. "It was not a game as such – more of a kick-around and a free-for-all. There could have been 50 on each side for all I know. I played because I really liked football. I don’t know how long it lasted, probably half-an-hour, and no-one was keeping score.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce

[Warrior-Mentor]

Added a fuller version of the story here:

http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/...56&postcount=1

[T-Rock]

Merry Christmas!!!

Thank you all for your service and sacrifice…

Originally Posted by Dozer523

The story, often told (on PS.com) about the Soldiers' Christmas Truce during the First World War reminds me of the honor and duty of service and the unity that can come among Soldiers. Warrior Mentor's thread seems a good place to revitalize that truth. Merry Christmas to all.

The first truce began on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1914, when German troops began decorating the area around their trenches in the region of Ypres, Belgium, for Christmas. They began by placing candles on trees, then continued the celebration by singing Christmas carols, most notably Stille Nacht (Silent Night). The British troops in the trenches across from them responded by singing English carols.
The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were calls for visits across the "No Man's Land" where small gifts, were exchanged, such as whisky, jam, cigarettes, and chocolate. The artillery in the region fell silent that night. The truce also allowed a breathing spell where recently-fallen soldiers could be brought back behind their lines by burial parties. Proper burials took place as soldiers from both sides mourned the dead together and paid their respects.
In many sectors, the truce lasted through Christmas night, but in some areas, it continued until New Year's Day.

The truce occurred in spite of opposition at higher levels of the military. Earlier in the autumn, Pope Benedict XV had begged for an official truce between the warring governments, "that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang." It was considered possible by the Germans but angrily denounced by the British who blithely ignored any further peace overtures made by Benedict - although the pope's ten conditions for a lasting peace were largely subsumed by Woodrow Wilson in his "14 Points".

British commanders Sir John French and Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien vowed that no such truce would be allowed again[citation needed], although both had left command before Christmas 1915. In all of the following years of the war, artillery bombardments were ordered on Christmas Eve to try to ensure that there were no further lulls in the combat. Troops were also rotated through various sectors of the front to prevent them from becoming overly familiar with the enemy.

On Christmas Day 1915, after some shouting between both trenches, the Royal Welch Fusiliers got out of their icy trench and greeted the Germans. Bertie Felstead, a Corporal in the Fusiliers, recalled that the Germans probably were already out of their trench before the British got out. He claimed that nothing was planned and that what happened was entirely spontaneous.[1] A football was produced from somewhere – though none could recall from where. "It was not a game as such – more of a kick-around and a free-for-all. There could have been 50 on each side for all I know. I played because I really liked football. I don’t know how long it lasted, probably half-an-hour, and no-one was keeping score.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce

Dozer -

I've always liked this story and I told it to my boys earlier today.

One of the many truths of WWI is, we faught a noble foe, who had honor, who loved God, and who were Christians my birth and behavior, who loved family, and who loved the Spirit of Christmas.

Things sure have changed,...

WD

[frostfire]

Merry Christmas to all! Wishing you a joyful end of 2009 and a blessed beginning into 2010

[JJ_BPK]

Merry Christmas to All,,
If your still serving, Thank You,,
If your in one of our current conflicts,, Stay Safe..

God Bless
Jean & Jim
A Couple of Old Parrot Heads
In The Conch Republic
Just South of Reality

[Dozer523]

Freakin' elves just finished putting together the Arcade Hoops Basketball game. (0625 Local)
Little twit started around 0300 Local.
Looks like he's headed for the Cabinet where the Oban 14 YO is stored.


Merry Christmas to all . . .

and to ME . . . Good F-ing night!

[Surgicalcric]

Merry Christmas everyone.

[Kyobanim]

Merry Christmas all!

Merry Christmas to all!!

[FireInside]

Merry Christmas to all and thank you for all you give.

[albeham]

Merry Christmas everyone.

[18DWife]

Merry Christmas <3

[longrange1947]

MERRY CHRISTMAS Everyone!!!!!