'Twas The Night Before Christmas,<br /><br /> He Lived All Alone,<br /><br /> In A One Bedroom House<br /><br /> Made Of Plaster And Stone.<br /><br /> I Had Come Down The Chimney<br /><br /> With Presents To Give,<br /><br /> And To See Just Who<br /><br /> In This Home Did Live.<br /><br /> I Looked All About,<br /><br /> A Strange Sight I Did See,<br /><br /> No Tinsel, No Presents,<br /><br /> Not Even A Tree.<br /><br /> No Stocking By Mantle,<br /><br /> Just Boots Filled With Sand,<br /><br /> On The Wall Hung Pictures<br /><br /> Of Far Distant Lands.<br /><br /> With Medals And Badges,<br /><br /> Awards Of All Kinds,<br /><br /> A Sober Thought<br /><br /> Came Through My Mind.<br /><br /> For This House Was Different,<br /><br /> It Was Dark And Dreary,<br /><br /> I Found The Home Of A Soldier,<br /><br /> Once I Could See Clearly.<br /><br /> The Soldier Lay Sleeping,<br /><br /> Silent, Alone,<br /><br /> Curled Up On The Floor<br /><br /> In This One Bedroom Home.<br /><br /> The Face Was So Gentle,<br /><br /> The Room In Such Disorder,<br /><br /> Not How I Pictured<br /><br /> A United States Soldier.<br /><br /> Was This The Hero<br /><br /> Of Whom I'd Just Read?<br /><br /> Curled Up On A Poncho,<br /><br /> The Floor For A Bed?<br /><br /> I Realized The Families<br /><br /> That I Saw This Night,<br /><br /> Owed Their Lives To These Soldiers<br /><br /> Who Were Willing To Fight.<br /><br /> Soon Round The World,<br /><br /> The Children Would Play,<br /><br /> And Grownups Would Celebrate<br /><br /> A Bright Christmas Day.<br /><br /> They All Enjoyed Freedom<br /><br /> Each Month Of The Year,<br /><br /> Because Of The Soldiers,<br /><br /> Like The One Lying Here.<br /><br /> I Couldn't Help Wonder<br /><br /> How Many Lay Alone,<br /><br /> On A Cold Christmas Eve<br /><br /> In A Land Far From Home.<br /><br /> The Very Thought<br /><br /> Brought A Tear To My Eye,<br /><br /> I Dropped To My Knees<br /><br /> And Started To Cry.<br /><br /> The Soldier Awakened<br /><br /> And I Heard A Rough Voice,<br /><br /> "Santa Don't Cry,<br /><br /> This Life Is My Choice;<br /><br /> I Fight For Freedom,<br /><br /> I Don't Ask For More,<br /><br /> My Life Is My God,<br /><br /> My Country, My Corps."<br /><br /> The Soldier Rolled Over<br /><br /> And Drifted To Sleep,<br /><br /> I Couldn't Control It,<br /><br /> I Continued To Weep.<br /><br /> I Kept Watch For Hours,<br /><br /> So Silent And Still<br /><br /> And We Both Shivered<br /><br /> From The Cold Night's Chill.<br /><br /> I Did not Want To Leave<br /><br /> On That Cold, Dark, Night,<br /><br /> This Guardian Of Honor<br /><br /> So Willing To Fight.<br /><br /> Then The Soldier Rolled Over,<br /><br /> With A Voice Soft And Pure,<br /><br /> Whispered, "Carry On Santa,<br /><br /> It's Christmas Day, All Is Secure."<br /><br /> One Look At My Watch,<br /><br /> And I Knew He Was Right.<br /><br /> "Merry Christmas My Friend,<br /><br /> And To All A Good Night."<br /><br /> Navy * Army * Air Force * Marines * Coast Guard *National Guard<br /><br /> Units & Reservists<br /><br /> A United States Marine stationed in Okinawa Japan wrote this poem.<br /><br />The following is his request:<br /><br />"PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as<br /><br /> many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is<br />due to<br /><br /> our U.S. service men and women for our being able to celebrate these<br />festivities.<br /><br />Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe.<br /><br />Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed<br /><br /> themselves for us. Please, do your small part to plant this small seed."
