My father left home in February, 1942. He had just returned to Tallahassee from the Carolina Maneuvers on December 5, 1941, two days before Pearl Harbor. By March he had been transferred to Mobile, Alabama to prepare for overseas movement. We didn't see him for over three years.
He missed three Christmases with his family. He was gone "for the duration" as we said it in those days. No one ever finished the phrase: duration of what?
A lot of fathers, brothers, sons, and even daughters missed a lot of Christmases in those years. We were all in it together.
"I'll be home for Christmas," one popular song put it. After dragging the story line out, the song closed "If only in my dreams."
Today we have soldiers who keep going back into combat. In 1942, it may have been a long time at the front, but usually only once. Today, the tours are shorter, but repeated.
We have had soldiers and marines in Afghanistan for twelve Christmases. Three times as long as World War II.
Don't forget our troops. It's time to bring them home.
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