A Christmas Greeting From Iraq
Table of contents for From The Front
- From The Front — SERIES INTRODUCTION
- Iraqi Deployment, Round 2 (From October 3)
- A Letter — October 5
- The Iraqi Children, Contentment With Little
- I’m Looking Over A Nine Foot Cobra
- The Heart Of A Poet
- What Shall I Be When I Get Back?
- Flossing Them Pearly Whites……?
- Good Ole American Hedonism
- Suffer The Little Children
- How About Them Texans? An Ending Sure To Give Fans A Halloween Fright
- Creature Feature In Iraq
- We Are The Fallen — A Dedication
- Concern at the front — Update
- Brotherhood
- Concern at the front — Update
- Work As You Are Given: Errrrrrr
- Concern at the front — Update
- Redneck Heaven In Iraq
- Where I Belong
- Standing Post (poem)
- Truly Meals Of Thanksgiving
- Alas For The Brownies!
- Give Thanks
- Some Days Just Stink
- A Christmas Greeting From Iraq
- Sharp Wits? No, Chainsaws And Stones
- Pearls On Life’s Necklace
- Man’s Best Friend, Even In Iraq
- Snails And Pails And Little Dogs’ Tails? No, Chris’s Tail & Tales
- @#$%^&* M’s Revenge!
- Bits of Poetry And Sundries
- I’m Dreaming Of An Explosively White Fallujah
Received 12/18/07
December 10, 11:45 A.M., Houston
8:45 P.M., Fallujah, Iraq
Dear Extended Family,
I hope that you are doing wonderfully. I want to wish you all a stellar Christmas as well as New Year. I miss you all terribly, but again, I’m right where I belong. I am becoming fast friends with my Iraqi interpreter, Joey, and from him I’m learning more about the meaning of the words love and humility.
When I met Joey a week ago I was without a bed, pillow, or mattress. When Joey found this out he gave me his pillow, mattress, and bed. I tried to tell him that I didn’t need them, that they were his, but he gladly gave them to me because we came and freed his family. My friend, Joey, who is a Shiite Muslim, will not be celebrating the winter solstice with his family as he normally would because he’s choosing to spend it with us. His leave begins December 20 and runs through January 31st. However, rather than leave on December 20th, he will not leave until January 1st. He wants to spend this time with us, his Marine buddies. On January 1st he will leave to marry his fiancee in Baghdad. They need much prayer because her family is Sunni Muslim and hates his.
Joey doesn’t have an older brother any more because of Saddam Hussein. Joey has taught me forgiveness because he forgave the man who shot and killed his brother. Joey is eligible to live in the United States right now , but instead, he helps the Marines in Iraq. Joey has scars all over his back and chest where he was beaten and burnt by soldiers of Saddam’s regime. The reason why I’m telling you this is not to take away from the Christmas spirit, but to make you love every single day of the Christmas holiday as well as every single day of the rest of your life. For I was a stranger when I met Joey, he gave me all that he had. The only thing that he asks in return is to let him treat me as an older brother would. He treats me as the younger brother and takes care of me.
Through Joey I am now famous with the Iraqi children of our village. The only things that these kids give me are smiles and laughter. They call me the “short, funny Marine”. It is a joy to see these children! You would never know that they were in any kind of pain, for they never stop smiling, and they never stop hugging me.
So this Christmas, please do not feel sorry for me at all, for I receive hundreds of hugs a day and Iraqi food that is fit for a king’s table. I love you all and cannot wait to be back with my family at St. John Of The Cross.
Merry Christmas and love,
Chris
P.S. My gift from God this Christmas is forgiveness of others.