When The Holidays Find You In A Foxhole

Dear Mom & Pop,

Well it's Christmas time again, and I can only imagine the excitement back home. Of hot chocolate at our hometown Christmas parade- grandpa & grandma snuggled under the old plaid blanket sitting in their folding chairs on the sidewalk. I can almost see Lucy marching along the route with her reindeer nose passing out candy to the kids. Mom, I can almost smell your cookies in the oven, being baked for all the neighbors- did you make my favorite this year? Sure wish I was there to taste them. You never could bake cookies without me picking in the dough bowl or sneaking samples of them right out of the oven when you would put them out to cool. It's funny the things that you miss.

I miss you all so much.

I'm ok. Life isn't at all what I expected over here. The things that a person sees.  I would have never believed if you had told me.

Billy says hi and thanks for the socks. You don't know how much a good pair of socks mean to a soldier. He has not had one letter from home, so I share mine. I read them aloud to the fellows and the guys all love it.  They all got a good laugh out of Jenny's fruit cake coming out like a door stop. Funny thing is we would have all given about anything for that door stop out here.

Remember Tommy Mom? He passed last week. We tried everything to save him but... anyway mom, he has a wife and a new baby he never met. Could you send my package of Christmas treats to her instead? It would mean so much to me to know you did. He held her picture as he went. She's a fine girl.  Could you look after her, you and pop? She hasn't anyone to care.

Well, we are moving out now and I have to go... I love you all.

Merry Christmas!

Your son - Claude