- To: "'kegan2@hotmail.com'" <kegan2@hotmail.com>
- Subject: FW: Christmas 2001 (must read!)
- From: "Tustin, Toni (Pittsburgh)" <TTustin@russellmellon.com>
- Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 08:48:19 -0500
- Cc: "'collron@stargate.net'" <collron@stargate.net>, "'sstehlik@greycourt.com'" <sstehlik@greycourt.com>, "~Hildenbrand, Jennifer (Mellon)" <hildenbrand.j@mellon.com>, "'stby@adelphia.net'" <stby@adelphia.net>, "'ulrich.km@mellon.com'" <ulrich.km@mellon.com>, "'bernvitz@aol.com'" <bernvitz@aol.com>, "'sluder@bellatlantic.net'" <sluder@bellatlantic.net>, "'twobees@stargate.net'" <twobees@stargate.net>, "~Olszewski, Judy A (Mellon)" <olszewski.ja@mellon.com>, "'jgreca@diebold.com'" <jgreca@diebold.com>
-----Original Message-----
From: Weismann, Donna (Pittsburgh)
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2001 8:35 AM
To: Tustin, Toni (Pittsburgh); ~Champine, Diana A (Mellon); ~Brown,
Gladys C (Mellon)
Subject: FW: Christmas 2001 (must read!)
Subject: Christmas 2001 (must read!)
>
>
>
> Dear Family and Friends,
>
> Night Before Christmas 2001
>
> 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
>
> IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.
>
> I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
>
> AND TO SEE JUST WHO IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.
>
> I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
>
> NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE.
>
> NO STOCKING BY MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
>
> AND ON THE WALL PICTURES OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.
>
> WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
>
> A SOBERING THOUGHT CAME TO MY MIND.
>
> FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, SO DARK AND SO DREARY,
>
> THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, NOW I COULD SEE CLEARLY.
>
> THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE,
>
> CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.
>
> THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
>
> NOT HOW I PICTURED A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.
>
> WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
>
> CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
>
> I REALIZED THE FAMILIES THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
> OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.
>
> SOON ROUND THE WORLD, THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
>
> AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.
>
> THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
>
> BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.
>
> I COULDN'T HELP WONDER HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
>
> ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.
>
> THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
>
> I DROPPED TO MY KNEES AND STARTED TO CRY.
>
> THE SOLDIER AWAKENED AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
>
> "SANTA DON'T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;
>
> I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
>
> MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."
>
> THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER AND SOON DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
>
> I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO WEEP.
>
> I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL,
>
> AND WE BOTH SHIVERED FROM THE COLD EVENING'S CHILL.
>
> I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE ON THAT COLD, DARK NIGHT,
>
> THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR SO WILLING TO FIGHT.
>
> THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
>
> WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA, IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."
>
> ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
> "MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."
>
> This poem was written by a Marine stationed in Okinawa Japan. The
following
> is his request. I think it is reasonable Please....... Would you do me the
> kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be
> coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S. servicemen and women for
our
> being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this small way to
> pay
> a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes,
living
> and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us. Please, do your small part to
> plant this small seed.
>
>
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