December 2008

Remember the empty chairs at holiday tables

Executive Director Note:  Many of us now getting a bit long in the tooth first met a young pink-cheeked, red-headed, raw-boned Texas reporter/photographer with UPI named Galloway in mid-1965.  He was fresh from the Ie Drang Valley battle with the Army’s 7th Cavalry Division where he was “blooded” and later, decorated.  He was the first civilian reporter to win the Bronze Star with Combat V.  We lost track over the years as we plowed our pursuits in the corporate world and Joe honed his reportage from many of the world’s hot spots.  We hooked up again when our Association awarded him the 2001 Denig Distinguished Performance Award.  We have since been together many times as Joe is always the first to say “yes” when we need someone to enliven a PME panel at the conference.  He was with us this year in San Antonio, signing autographs on his new book, written in collaboration with Army LtGen. (ret.) Hal Moore, “We Are Soldiers Still,” then enlivening our panel, Marines and the Media.    He always tells it like it is and we always enjoy hearing it.  We’re proud to include his Christmas column on our revitalized website and hope you find it of interest as well.

 

Joeseph L. Galloway

Joseph L. Galloway

By Joseph L. Galloway
McClatchy Newspapers

Even in hard times, this is the holiday season and a time when thoughts turn to home and family and dinner tables covered with food and gaily wrapped presents and bright lights.
Save a moment amid the celebrations to give thought to the hundreds of thousands of men and women in uniform in far-flung parts of this world who won’t be sitting down to dinner with their families.
More than 170,000 men and women of our military will spend their Christmas and New Year’s in Iraq and Afghanistan, where killing and dying never take a day off.
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By Jason Fudge, ago

One of Tom Bartlett’s favorites

Webmaster’s Note: Tom Bartlett and I worked together at Leatherneck magazine from 1990-94. Among the many, many stories he told, this was one of my favorites. Every year I would go into his office and make him read this to me. I can still hear his deep, smoke-roughened voice….

The Night They Gunned Down Santa Claus
by Chet Lynn

There’s  strange things done ‘neath the Vietnamese sun
but the thing that locked my jaws
was the  night ‘neath the moon, the third platoon
gunned down Santa Claus.

It started off right just another night,
you had to spend in the dirt,,
security was out., .360 about
with fifty percent alert.

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By Jason Fudge, ago