# God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen



## ruxted (22 Dec 2006)

God rest ye merry, gentlemen, and safe too

A few weeks ago an Army.ca member reminded us of Christmas at Ortona in 1943 with this extract from the Seaforth Highlanders’ War Diary, December 25th 1943:  http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/54149/post-491248.html#msg491248  

“The setting for the dinner was complete, long rows of tables with white tablecloths, and a bottle of beer per man, candies, cigarettes, nuts, oranges and apples and chocolate bars providing the extras. The C.O., Lt.-Col. S. W. Thomson, laid on that the Companies would eat in relays... as each company finished their dinner, they would go forward and relieve the next company... The menu... soup, pork with apple sauce, cauliflower, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes, gravy, Christmas pudding and mince pie... From 1100 hours to 1900 hours, when the last man of the battalion reluctantly left the table to return to the grim realities of the day, there was an atmosphere of cheer and good fellowship in the church. A true Christmas spirit. The impossible had happened. No one had looked for a celebration this day. December 25th was to be another day of hardship, discomfort, fear and danger, another day of war. The expression on the faces of the dirty bearded men as they entered the building was a reward that those responsible are never likely to forget… During the dinner the Signal Officer... played the church organ and with the aid of the improvised choir, organized by the padre, carols rang out throughout the church."

Not every soldier could partake.  On Christmas 1943 the 1st Canadian Division was facing a tough, brave, determined foe: German paratroopers.  Ruxted notes that the same is true today.  Many Canadian Forces members will sit down to a cheerful Christmas dinner, replete with military traditions involving the officers and senior non-commissioned officers serving the troops.  Others will, probably, eat hard rations from a tin; cooked over a small stove, as they keep a watchful eye out for an equally tough, brave and determined enemy.

Canadian sailors, soldiers and aviators are accustomed to keeping Christmas far from home and loved ones – often with one hand on Christmas dinner and the other on a weapon.  Since Ortona our Canadian Forces have kept Christmas in Korea and the Middle East, and in Africa and Asia, too.  This Christmas Canadian warships patrol the Persian Gulf and Canadian coastal waters; Canadian Forces aircraft guard our country, transport supplies to and casualties from Afghanistan and stand by for search and rescue tasks at home; Canadian soldiers serve in combat and support functions in the High Arctic, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.

Ruxted is reminded of the old English carol: ‘God rest ye merry, gentlemen.’  Ruxted hopes that at Christmas 2006 Canadian sailors, soldiers and aviators will ‘rest’ merry – if only for moments - but, above all, alert, ready and safe. 

A very Merry Christmas to our comrades in arms and their families from the Ruxted Group.

Original topic here,
http://ruxted.ca/index.php?/archives/36-God-Rest-Ye-Merry,-Gentlemen.html


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## Edward Campbell (22 Dec 2006)

Let me add my own *Merry Christmas* to all, at sea, on land, or in the air - patrolling, fighting, supporting or rescuing.


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## manhole (23 Dec 2006)

they are always in our thoughts and prayers........but especially at this very special time of the year.......away from family on behalf of our country........A very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year to all

Ubique


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## Edward Campbell (23 Dec 2006)

Here is a look at how some Canadians will be spending the Christms holiday season, by Christie Blatchford, from today’s (23 Dec 06) _Globe and Mail_.

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061222.wxcoblatch23/BNStory/specialComment/home 


> Canadian boys in the middle of nowhere
> 
> *CHRISTIE BLATCHFORD*
> From Saturday's Globe and Mail
> ...



Many members of Army.ca have spent many Christmases away from home and family, many others will.  Sometimes it was, is and will be be boring, sometimes fearfully dangerous, it was, is and will be usually, but not always shared with members of one’s _regimental family_ or ship’s company.  Canadian sailors, soldiers and air force personnel do that so that others, the overwhelming majority of Canadians, don't need to.


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## vonGarvin (23 Dec 2006)

What a very good article.  I think this one article alone speaks volumes of the multi-faceted mission.  Tanks and LAVs operating almost just as the Combat Team Commander's Course does up and down the Lawfield on one hand, soft knocks and shuras on the other.  May God keep these fellas safe and see them return to their families, and may those living in Afghanistan see better days and the "soft" Taliban return to a normal life.  The "hard" Taliban?  No ill-wishes from me at this time; however, the merry season is almost over and forgive me for saying so, but I hope that they are not long of this earth.


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## Edward Campbell (24 Dec 2006)

Here is a bit more, from today’s (24 Dec 06) _Ottawa Citizen_ about Christmas in Kandahar.  It is reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act:

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=2bb30754-2927-41b1-9791-b2c2bf158959&k=8892&p=1 


> Not home for the holidays
> *Christmas greetings lift troops' spirits during lonely battle against Taliban*
> 
> Brian Hutchinson, National Post
> ...




Thanks to Tristynn Duheme from St. Anicet PQ for thinking of a lonely soldier.


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## tomahawk6 (24 Dec 2006)

Soldiers love getting mail,even if its someone they dont know. The mail boosts morale and demonstrates that the folks at home are thinking of them. Great story.







MAS'UM GHAR, Afghanistan - Slouched inside a sandbagged bunker, at the top of an alpine military placement, Pte. James Arnal slurps down instant noodles from a Styrofoam cup. He does not seem infused with Yuletide joy.

Who could blame him? In this lonely spot, inside a country so distant and foreign from his own, and in the midst of an interminable war, Arnal feels adrift. Were it not for a few decorations and greeting cards that hang from a piece of string in his bunker, one would hardly know that it's Christmas time at all.

"I've never been away from home at Christmas before," says the 23-year-old Winnipeg native, nibbling at the last of his noodles.

Manning an observation post in dusty Kandahar province is not the first place he'd chose to spend the season, but so it is.

"I'll be calling in the reindeer," he said.

Otherwise, he plans to spend Monday the same way he spends every day here: Gazing out at the arid landscape, looking for Taliban fighters.

Chances are slim that he'll see any.

Arnal is stationed at Mas'um Ghar, a key Canadian forward operating base about 35 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city. The Taliban were chased from the immediate vicinity four months ago.

Arnal helped remove them. On August 19, he and his mates from Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry met the Taliban head on, in a gruesome battle that unfolded not 50 metres from where he now stands.

"They came right over the top of this mountain," he says. "We killed 72 of them. We didn't have one casualty. It wasn't even close."

That's now a distant memory. Arnal has since survived Operation Medusa, and a tragic friendly fire incident that occurred just a short distance from his current position. One Canadian was killed when an American A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft accidentally strafed his company; more than 30 Canadians were injured, many of them seriously.

Now it is Christmas, in Kandahar. Pte. Arnal misses his family, his girlfriend, and his buddies back home. He sends them messages when he can, and places a phone call now and then. It's not the same.

But something happened recently that lifted his spirits. He received a letter, from a Canadian teenager grateful for his efforts.

Actually, the letter wasn't addressed to him. "It was 'To Any Canadian Soldier,' Pte. Arnal recalls. "I opened it and read the letter. It was really nice. It was from someone in Quebec named Tristynn Duheme."

Duheme, it turns out, is a 15-year-old Grade 10 student who lives in St. Anicet, about 80 kilometres west of Montreal. She wrote the letter as part of a class project. Arnal took the time to reply and express his thanks for the thoughtful gesture.

On Saturday, he received another mailing from Duheme. This one included a cheery Christmas card, and a care package containing an assortment of goodies: potato chips, candy, chocolate, and best of all, several boxes of Kraft Dinner, a Canadian staple.

Reached at her home Saturday, Duheme says she sent the young private the care package and card because she "felt bad for him, stuck over there with nothing, when I have everything. I'm very happy to hear that he received them."

For his part, Arnal says the gesture made him "pretty ecstatic. It made my day."

And it should make his difficult Christmas a bit easier to swallow.

Also in Mas'um Ghar on Saturday, Canadian battle group commander Lt.-Col. Omer Lavoie told reporters that the latest campaign to roust the Taliban from Kandahar province has proceeded almost flawlessly, adding insurgents have offered little resistance to what he calls "very robust combat power."

Lavoie said the only way things might have gone better in the week-old campaign is if "Taliban commanders had come out waving a white flag and all converted to our side."

He said the Taliban likely learned a lesson from Operation Medusa, the violent predecessor to the current campaign.

"In typical insurgent (fashion), for static targets they're willing to take pokes at you and retreat quickly," he said. "ButE they can't take on a conventional force head to head. They tried in Medusa and were beaten pretty badly."

Lavoie noted that the large Canadian combat force positioned in and around the village of Howz-e Madad has been reduced by two-thirds.

The remaining Canadian troops will conduct maneuvers in the area and provide assistance to the Afghan National Army. The others will be postured "somewhere else."

He did not indicate where, or when; however, Lt.-Col. did suggest that Operation Baaz Tsuka will continue, even though material assistance has been delivered to local villagers, which was to have been the campaign's primary goal.

"There are certainly other pockets of the enemy in that area," he added. "(We) are prepared if necessary to clear those areas out."

Minutes after Lavoie made his remarks, the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan issued a news release stating that coalition forces in neighbouring Helmand province killed a senior member of the Taliban's inner circle.

Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani was traveling in a vehicle when it was destroyed by a coalition air strike. He died instantly.

"Osmani was in the top ring of the Taliban leadership and he was also a close associate of Osama bin Laden and Gulbuddin Hekmatyr," the ISAF release stated.

"His death is a major achievement in the fight against extremists and their terrorist networks."

The incident occurred December 19th but was only confirmed by ISAF Saturday.

National Post

bhutchinson@nationalpost.com
© CanWest News Service 2006


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## patrick666 (24 Dec 2006)

Great story. Thanks for sharing, I'm going to share it as well.

I've been away for Christmas and it's not fun at all. The fact that she recognized that and sent out a care package to somebody to brighten their holidays is truly what the holiday spirit is about - helping others.


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## tomahawk6 (24 Dec 2006)

The real nice angle for me was that this was a class project at her school so this means many other soldiers also have been remembered.


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## Kendrick (24 Dec 2006)

The nice angle for me is that its from a girl/class here in Quebec, which I have been seeing as one of the most uniform-allergic provinces, and anti-army.  Gives me hope.

I will also be sharing this story.


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## Matt_Fisher (24 Dec 2006)

As I sit inside the comfort of my own home this Christmas eve, enjoying the company of my family, sipping on a glass of 15 year old single malt Scotch Whisky, I cannot help but give pause to think of those who are standing on the line...  Those who have made the choice to be away from their families... Those who have chosen to forego the comforts of home and hearth... Those who who are willing to sacrifice everything they have, including their own lives to ensure that my family and I can live in a free society.

Merry Christmas to our Canadian Forces and the allied forces that stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them.


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## vonGarvin (24 Dec 2006)

Matt_Fisher said:
			
		

> As I sit inside the comfort of my own home this Christmas eve, enjoying the company of my family, sipping on a glass of 15 year old single malt Scotch Whisky, I cannot help but give pause to think of those who are standing on the line...  Those who have made the choice to be away from their families... Those who have chosen to forego the comforts of home and hearth... Those who who are willing to sacrifice everything they have, including their own lives to ensure that my family and I can live in a free society.
> 
> Merry Christmas to our Canadian Forces and the allied forces that stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them.


+1!!!

Merry Christmas to all.  Especially who stand watch, ready to keep me safe as I sleep tonight.  Thank you.


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## KevinB (24 Dec 2006)

Merry Christmas, and God Bless our troops in Harms Way.


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## kratz (24 Dec 2006)

Back at the wall, I'm thinking of our sailors, soldiers and air crew who are not home for the holidays. Stay safe to enjoy your return to friends and family. Merry Christmas.


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## Thompson_JM (24 Dec 2006)

Merry Christmas, and Godspeed on your safe return home.

Tonight and Tomorrow I will raise a Glass for all of you who are spending christmas with your "other" family this year


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## NL_engineer (25 Dec 2006)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our guys and girls over seas    .


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## captainj (25 Dec 2006)

Folks 

I couldn't agree more with all the posts. However I would be remiss if I didn't mention our wounded some of whom are in hospital over Christmas. I just spent a few hours with one of them today. I know along with those deployed we all think about the wounded and wish them a speedy recovery.


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## Pea (25 Dec 2006)

+1 to what all those previous have said.

Merry Christmas to those out there in harms way, so we can be at home with our families this evening and tomorrow. You're all definitely in my thoughts.

Miss ya D, see you in February when you make your triumphant return. Stay Safe.


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## Rice0031 (25 Dec 2006)

Pea said:
			
		

> +1 to what all those previous have said.
> 
> Merry Christmas to those out there in harms way, so we can be at home with our families this evening and tomorrow. You're all definitely in my thoughts.



+1 !!


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## Edward Campbell (25 Dec 2006)

Here is a bit more from yesterday’s (24 Dec 06) _Ottawa Citizen_, reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act:

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=e58d67df-5242-4e97-95d4-fc8a2fc2e983&k=95766 


> Entertainers, Ottawa news anchor surprise troops
> 
> Aedan Helmer, Ottawa Citizen
> Published: Sunday, December 24, 2006
> ...



BZ to the Ottawa Senators.


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I cannot resist an _inside the greenbelt political shot:__

During and just after last year’s general election campaign the mainstream media complained long and loud that Stephen Harper and the Tories were ignoring them in favour of the local media which, according the pundits in the Parliamentary Press Gallery and the national media (CBC, CTV, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, etc) are less vigorous in their questioning, etc – read: country bumpkins.  I wonder if the DND Public Affairs people are following a similar track.



_


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## Edward Campbell (26 Dec 2006)

Here is how Charles Company kept Christmas according to our friend Christie Blatchford in today’s (26 Dec 06) _Globe and Mail_.

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act, with my edit to correct a typo:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061226.wblatch25/BNStory/International/home 


> Dark humour on a grim holiday
> 
> *CHRISTIE BLATCHFORD*
> Globe and Mail Update
> ...


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## Edward Campbell (28 Dec 2006)

One more Christmas story, this one from comedian Rick Mercer reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act from  today’s (28 Dec 06) _Globe and Mail_:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061228.wxcomercer28/BNStory/Front/home#  


> Christmas in flak jackets
> *From a showbiz perspective, General Hillier is a tough act to follow, says RICK MERCER*
> 
> RICK MERCER
> ...


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