Santa's Unusual Entry

For John, BLUF:  Humorous feel good story about Christmas.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Qui Nhon Christmas

From the Vietnam Veterans of America, November/December Issue, by Ms Anne Watts, who was a British nurse serving in the Children’s Centre in Qui Nhon, during the Vietnam War.

Here is the lede plus two:

Christmas was hot, humid, and dusty with incoming mortars and sweating soldiers.  But we were not going to allow such details to interfere with celebrations.

As a way of thanking U.S. military personnel for their magnificent help, the Vietnamese staff invited them to spend Christmas day with us at the Centre.  Christmas is about children, after all, and we certainly had plenty of them.

The soldiers were very enthusiastic and set about planning the day with gusto. Many had young children back home, and this might lessen their homesickness.  It was terribly important to them to make this Christmas happen, and preparations became their obsession.  The Centre became a hive of activity.  Some Army nurses taught the children how to make brightly colored paper chains, and the soldiers shared with them Christmas cards from back home.

Christmas is a celebration wherever and whenever it is.

Regards  —  Cliff