Christmas in July: Tell MOAA Your December Deployment Stories

Christmas in July: Tell MOAA Your December Deployment Stories
Santa Claus arrives via helicopter in southern Baghdad on Dec. 24, 2007. (Photo by Ali Al-Saadi/AFP/Getty Images)

George Washington’s historic Dec. 25 crossing of the Delaware River in 1776 showed the courage and conviction of the Continental forces as America’s war for independence marched forward. It also proved something that’s remained true over the last two-plus centuries: The U.S. military doesn’t take holidays off.

Maybe your most memorable yuletide in uniform doesn’t quite match taking on the Redcoats in New Jersey, but MOAA wants to hear your story of late-December service. How did you bring tidings of comfort and joy to a combat zone? Did you try to turn a desert or jungle into a festival of lights, if only for a few hours? What did your commander, battle buddy, or USO-provided celebrity do to make the season bright?

Email Staff Writer Amanda Dolasinski (amandad@moaa.org) by Aug. 15 with your story; we’ll feature some of the best around the holidays at MOAA.org and in the pages of Military Officer magazine. For best results, please follow these guidelines:

  • Participation is limited to MOAA members contacting us with their personal holiday stories.
  • Please include your preferred contact information, so we can reach out to confirm details.
  • For best consideration, please include any relevant photos, if available.

Know a MOAA member who has shared a holiday tale in the past, but isn’t much for email? Let us know and we can make the connection. Know a fellow officer (current, former, or retired) with a celebratory tale who isn’t a MOAA member? Well … ’tis the season.

Don’t delay, and don’t trust that calendar: It might be summer, but we need your holiday stories by Aug. 15.

Related Content