Christmas Past
A little girl anxiously awaits her daddy’s phone call. Their story may be 52 years old, but it is sure to strike a chord with military families who are separated this holiday season.

My husband, an Army colonel known to all as Smitty, spent many years in the European theater during World War II. Shortly after he returned home, we were married. Little did we realize the Korean War was on the horizon.

When he received orders for Korea a few years later, our impending separation would be even more difficult because by that time we had a toddler. The weeks before my husband left for Korea, he spent every precious moment creating memories with our daughter, Tracey.

By the time Christmas rolled around, I was learning to cope without my husband, as unpleasant as that was. Staying true to tradition, I attempted to put up our Christmas tree. Although lopsided, it would do just fine. I was learning.

Back in those days, as many might remember, there were nowhere near as many options for long-distance communication as there are today. When special holidays were near, arrangements had to be made well ahead of time for phone calls to be placed. My husband made such arrangements to place a holiday phone call to us. He was so excited about the prospect of hearing his little girl’s voice on the phone, as I had told him in letters how she talked nonstop. Tracey was equally excited to talk to her daddy.

The big moment arrived. Tracey and I had practiced the phone call on the toy telephone. I was sure she was ready. I know I was! The phone rang with instructions from the overseas operator. There stood our precious daughter all dressed up and wearing her favorite shoes — black patent leather Mary Janes. She was convinced that Daddy would be able to see her. She held the phone to her ear and with the other hand clutched her favorite doll, a Raggedy Ann named Aggie. I waited to hear what she had to say to her daddy, who was so far away. But the only response to his voice was frequent nods, smiles, and her wide eyes getting bigger and bigger. When it was finally my turn on the phone, we had only a few seconds, and I spent them convincing my husband that our daughter actually could speak. Of course after the call, Tracey told anyone who would listen about her conversation with Daddy.

Wartime separations are never easy, but I am pleased that young military families today at least have the advantage of modern technology to stay better connected. My heart goes out to all of them this holiday season.

—  Violet Montgomery Smith is the widow of Col. Francis J. Smith Jr., USA. She is a member of MOAA’s Auxiliary Member Advisory Committee. In the summer of 1954, following that Christmas phone call, the family was reunited in Okinawa, Japan, where they settled for the next few years.