Merry Christmas

To the outstanding men and women who have chosen to serve in the Canadian Armed Forces.



"Merry Christmas My Friend" AKA "The Soldiers Night Before Christmas"
The original poem was written by Corporal James M Schmidt, 1993. It has been altered several times. This is not the original version, but is more suited to those in the Canadian Forces.

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 the mantle,
Just boots filled with sand.

On the wall hung pictures
Of far distant lands.
With medals and badges,
Awards of all kinds,
A sober thought
Came through my mind.
For this house was different,
It was dark and dreary,
I found the home of a soldier,

Once 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

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 grownup's 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."
The solider rolled over
And 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 nights chill.
I didn't want to leave
On that cold, dark, night,
This guardian of Honor
So willing to fight.

The solider 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.

The idea for the above video was stolen from Fred Thompson... HT SDA

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Do Ducks Quack?

I have seen this line used several times as of late in many blogs and it does seem fitting for this post as well.

If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and waddles like a duck then surely it is a duck!

BILL CURRY

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

OTTAWA — Radical natives are listed in the Canadian army's counterinsurgency manual as a potential military opponent, lumping aboriginals in with the Tamil Tigers, Hezbollah and the Islamic Jihad.

The most recent protest by natives led to arrests and charges yesterday for three men connected to the blockade of Quebec's Highway 117 on March 12 and 13.

The highway is the Abitibi region's main link to the south, and the blockade caused major concern for the residents of Val-d'Or and Rouyn-Noranda.

Among those arrested was Guillaume Carle, the controversial leader of the recently formed Confederation of Aboriginal People of Canada. Mr. Carle led the protest of about 50 people, many of whom were carrying rifles.

Moral of the story... If you don't want to be mistaken for a duck, don't act like one...

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