Here is mine:

It is the week of Christmas in 1985 and, for once, the Air Cavalry is not on deployment. This is unusual for us as we are a Rapid Deployment Unit and the Cold War is humming right along. We have really worked hard to get all of our helicopters on fully operational status. The Commander in Chief and the Brigade Commander have decided to reward the Brigade with something very rare for the time and that is a full week off without having to use leave! Before I go into detail any further I want to give you a little background on our unit, A TROOP 1/6th CAV ATTACK HELICOPTER "GUNFIGHTERS", 6th AIR CAVALRY BRIGADE AIR COMBAT and it's wonderful Commanding Officer.

Our C.O. (Commanding Officer) is a great one. He is the only U.S. Marine to be given full Command of a U.S. Army unit and he is a Captain (O-3)! He has been selected by his superiors to lead a program that closely co-ordinates Marine Corps and Army attack helicopter operations. He is evaluating the AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter versus the then new AH-64A Apache attack helicopter for the United States Marine Corps. He is one of the finest pilots and, as you shall soon see, an officer and a gentleman of the highest caliber! Make no mistake though, he is 100% Marine. A real hard charger that openly declared that before he leaves this unit it will be the sharpest, best trained, most motivated and most physically fit unit in the whole U.S. Army! Now where was I?

Oh, Yes, I remember. We are standing muster in the last formation of the week prior to getting dismissed for our extended vacation. I am the "Guide On" (color) bearer for our troop so I am always front and center with the C.O. in front of the troops. As tough as he was on us he was never afraid to hand out praise where it is due and on this day he is beaming at us as he thanks us for the hard work. Then he does something that takes us a bit by surprise. He asks for a show of hands of the troops that will be staying "In Garrison", not going home, for Christmas. Including my own there are about a half dozen hands that go up. The C.O. then announces that all of us will be at his home at 13:00 hours (1:00pm) sharp on Christmas day to have dinner with him and his family! "My troops do not eat in the mess hall on Christmas Day!", he says! Wow, this is neat! There is just one problem.

I have volunteered to pull Squadron Duty Driver for one of our young troopers on Christmas Eve so he can be at home with his family. This is 24 hour stay awake duty. I don't get relieved until 08:00 hours Christmas Morning. I am saving my leave to use as terminal leave in the spring and I really want this trooper to go home. I tell the C.O. this. I tell him that if I try to get to his house at 1300 hours I will be putting myself and everyone else on the highway at risk. He agrees that we cannot have this. Then he asks me what time I will be getting up. I tell him I will probably get up about 1500 hours (3:00pm). He says to me "You'll be in your room at 1530 hours?". I thought he was asking me so I tell him that I might be at chow by then as they will start serving Christmas Dinner at lunch. He says, "Bridges, that was not a request. YOU WILL BE IN YOUR ROOM AT 15:30 HOURS AND WAIT FOR ME THERE!". I say the only thing I can say, "Yes Sir!"! Now I know my C.O. really well as I am his Color Bearer, Aerial Observer, driver and courier. When he gets agitated his left eyebrow starts to twitch as it is now doing. The only other time I recall getting him that excited was when I got arrested by the Military Police and he got called in front of our Post Commander, a Three Star General, to explain why I should not be tossed into the stockade! Boy did he take that one out of my hide but that, as they say, is another story.

It is now Christmas Day and I am alone in my three man room. I have just awakened when my buddy from Headquarters Troop knocks on the door. Dan asks if I am ready to go to chow. I glance at my watch, invite Dan in and tell him I have to wait until the C.O. shows up at 15:30 hours. When he asks why I tell him that I do not know. We are watching the tube when, at 15:30 sharp, someone pounds on my door. I open my door and there stands my C.O. with two big picnic baskets in his hands. He is grinning from ear to ear as I just stand there, speechless, dumbstruck, with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. As my Captain is handing me the food he says, "Merry Christmas, Bridges. I told you my troops do not eat in the mess hall on Christmas Day."! I barely manage to croak out "Thank you, Sir. Won't you please come in, Sir"? He politely declines then says he has to get home because he left his wife there with all of those G.I. Joes. I am overwhelmed with joy, appreciation and the brotherhood of comrades in arms. That was one of the warmest hand shakes ever and then I watched him walk away.

I closed the door and turned around to see my buddy sitting there with his jaw hanging open. He also has tears on his cheeks. Dan looks at me and says that he has never seen such a wonderful thing form a Commanding Officer. He tells me how lucky I am to have a C.O. like that and that he wouldn't hesitate to take a bullet for him. I agree! The meal that my Captain and his wife had prepared was delicious. There was enough food in those baskets to feed several people so Dan and I feasted like kings that day! The love and compassion of that wonderful man will be an inspiration for me all the rest of the days of my life! My Captain is a Retired Lieutenant Colonel now but, to me, he will always be my Captain. I have been honored and privileged to serve with the best!

Now, lets here about your favorite Christmas or Holiday.