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From the Gazeebo...  

A Christmas Truce

A Papal plea, "that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang."

Belgium , December 24, 1914.

Throughout the day British soldiers crouched in their cold trenches, pulling coats over their heads to protect against the showers of earth thrown up by exploding artillery. The head-rattling blasts are constant, now and then scoring a direct hit on some unfortunate trench dweller. The trench is the "front line" for the British soldiers in Belgium . The Germans likewise hunch down in their trenches, facing the Brits. Trench warfare is brutal; many soldiers succumb to disease and exposure.

As night falls, the shelling finally stops. Lookouts on each side watch for enemy activity, peering cautiously across the narrow strip of ground between them and their foes, the area called “no-man's land.” To poke the head too far above the trench or to set foot on no-man's land is to be shot instantly by the other side. The earth across which they peer is dark and dead vegetation, dusted lightly with new snow. One German soldier writing home described that strip of desolation as “strewn with shattered trees, the ground ploughed up by shellfire, a wilderness of earth, tree-roots and tattered uniforms.”

It was against that ugly backdrop 95 years ago that the Germans in their frozen trenches and the British in theirs prepare for what they hope will be a quiet Christmas Eve and early Christmas morn. Small fires are lit and freezing soldiers crowd around hot lamps and break out “rations” of alcoholic encouragement. Some of the luckier ones have bits of crumbled and dry cake that had been sent from home to wash down with thin wine and raw spirits, and of course to share with their comrades.

The British soldiers are beginning, for just a short time, to forget the war and to concentrate instead on thoughts of Christmas Eve at home and all of the warm memories that such thoughts bring.

The German soldiers have got their hands on Christmas Trees and candles, shipped to the trenches by train for the occasion from the Fatherland. There in the frozen mud it made for an incongruous sight as the soldiers decorate small evergreen trees with lit candles and begin their own observance of Christmas.

Just as the British soldiers begin to settle in and relax, secure in the knowledge that their lookouts are watching for German treachery, there comes drifting across the still, cold night air the sound of a tenor voice, a German soldier singing a familiar Christmas carol:

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!

At first the British solders were transfixed, listening to the Christmas song. Then, gradually, they began to respond, singing softly and then with passion, English Christmas Carols, responding to music with music.

Peering above the rim of the trench, the English see that the Germans have put their lit Christmas Trees out, decorating the trenchline with the light of Christmas, cutting through this most desolate darkness.

Soon a cry goes up from the German trench. “Hey, Englander! Frohe Weinacten!” To which an English solder responded with “Merry Christmas Germans!” Slowly, one by one, the British and German troops began to leave their trenches, creeping at first cautiously, then, when no shots rang out, more boldly, as the two groups met face to face and shook hands on that Holy night.

The men then began to exchange gifts – whisky, jam, cigars, chocolate and other small comforts. The soldiers drank together, then sang together, and some even exchanged addresses and promises to visit one another after the war.

The following day the artillery was silent, in observance of Christmas Day. This allowed the soldiers to continue their Christmas truce. They helped one another to clean up the bodies of the fallen, and gave proper burials to the dead of both sides on the day that Christ was born. Soccer matches broke out almost spontaneously between sides, card games were organized and the groups of men continued to “fraternize” through Christmas night. In some sectors the truce lasted until New Years.

In a 10 page letter, one unknown British soldier wrote,

“ Just before dinner I had the pleasure of shaking hands with several Germans: a party of them came 1/2 way over to us so several of us went out to them. I exchanged one of my balaclavas for a hat. I've also got a button off one of their tunics. We also exchanged smokes etc. and had a decent chat. They say they won't fire tomorrow if we don't so I suppose we shall get a bit of a holiday—perhaps. After exchanging autographs and them wishing us a Happy New Year we departed and came back and had our dinner.

We can hardly believe that we've been firing at them for the last week or two—it all seems so strange. At present its freezing hard and everything is covered with ice…”

The Christmas Truce of WWI was completely unofficial and even counter to the orders of the respective commanders. Pope Benedict XV had begged for an official truce between the warring governments, "that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang." The Germans were willing but any such truce was angrily denounced by the British, who ignored further peace overtures made by Benedict.

If there is a “moral to the story” of the Christmas Truce of 1914, I suppose it would be that we humans have more things in common that unite us than we do differences that separate us, even in time of war. But, in wars such as those our American heroes fight today, they are fighting against ideology so fundamentally in opposition to the way of life we know, it is unlikely that there will be any “Christmas Truces” for our men and women in uniform this Christmas, no sharing of song and gifts across no-man's land. The best that we can hope for our troops who face another Christmas away from home and hearth is that they will have the peace to enjoy whatever small comforts may be available to them on Christmas Eve, and throughout the season. Many of those small comforts are things that you and I take for granted. When you have spent most every night sleeping in a foxhole in the sand, a simple cot can be as a dream come true for a lonely Marine. A box of wet towels can be a joy to a soldier in the field. Small creature comforts are all the more comforting when they arrive on a night like Christmas even, a night that symbolizes peace and love regardless of whether or not you are a Christian. (See the next article for ways you can help our soldiers with creature comforts.) But even small creature comforts cannot compare to the greatest gift of all that you and I have within our power to bestow on our troops. More than anything else, our American Warriors need to know that their country loves them and supports them and their mission - that they have not been forsaken by those for whom they sacrifice to protect.

Like many of you reading this, I too remember how it feels to be a young new soldier far from home and alone for the first time on Christmas Eve, serving my country in ways and for reasons that fade from our minds when the foremost memories are of the warmth and familial love of the holiday. This is one of the reasons why I consider it to be so important that images, videos and stories of our Welcome Home escorts and other activities are made and spread around. It's why we fly our flags and rev our engines and shout our cheers of “Welcome Home! Thank you for your service!”

In this age of digital video and instant global communications, the news and images of your Warriors' Watch activities fly around the world as fast as you produce them. Then the fine young men and women who are still over there, still in harm's way, still alone and away from home, see how they, the troops, are treated. They see how we love them, and how we cheer them and hail them as heroes, and that we rejoice in joining with their families in welcoming them home. Seeing this, knowing this, our troops take heart, and they are comforted by the knowledge that their service is known and appreciated by those who they serve. That is why it is so important, what we do.

Our troops, our heroes, our fine young generation of American men and women at war, may not have a “Christmas Truce” with our enemies to look forward to on Christmas of 2009, but they DO have us – you, me, all of the WWR, other troop support groups, and the American People, uniting behind them in support and prayers for quick and whole reunions with loved ones.

Merry Christmas to you, and to those you love and hold dear, from the Warriors' Watch Riders. God Bless our Troops and hold them in His loving hands on this Christmas Day and always.

- Wayne Lutz

Giving Material Comforts

Despite all of our modern technology and the advent of mass instant communication, many small creature comfort needs still go unmet amongst our beloved troops. A Marine might sleep in a foxhole scooped out of the sand for months at a time. Soldiers sent up into the barren mountainous regions of Afghanistan do not have access to the small things that make life bearable and give them comfort.

There are many organizations that you can give to who support these needs among our troops. And at this time of year especially, there are many organized drives to collect goods to ship to our troops.

There are obstacles to overcome when you want to help by sending things to our soldiers. One of the most basic is, who do I send these things to? Many of you have a family member or friend who needs things, but if not, how do you make a general contribution to troops in need? And the shipping; in many cases the cost of shipping of large amounts of goods for our troops far outweighs the cost of the items themselves. And, if I give goods, or especially money, to a group that ships goods to our troops, how do I know that this groups is legitimate? Believe it or not, there are those who would stoop so low as to fraudulently collect money “for our troops.”

One of my favorite charitable organizations for the troops is the Adam Conboy Fund's “Operation Bedding.” There are of course others, but this is one with which I have personally worked for three years now and that does amazing work. In the past 3 years, Operation Bedding has shipped over 10 thousand packages to our troops in war zones.

Operation Bedding is the child of Mary Conboy, Gold Star Mom. Mary was talking to her Marine son Adam on the phone on a Sunday, and Adam was telling her that they needed some bedding items. He said that anything she sent should be sent in the quantity of 40, so that all of his comrades would have them. “Time to get Operation Bedding underway, Mom!” As it turned out, those were to be Adam's last words to his mom. Lance Corporal Adam Conboy was killed that Friday. But Mary channeled her grief into action and got Operation Bedding underway, with the results that I have just described to you.

Mary tells me that at this time, they have a warehouse full of goods for shipping, but where they fall short is in the shipping. As of this writing they are more in need of donations of money for shipping costs than of goods. If you can help, or even more, if you work for a mid-sized or large company that can help, go to Operation Bedding at www. adamconboy memorial fund .org. Please go there and look around, even if only to read “Adam's Story.”

 

Homeless Veterans

Most of you are like me in this: I believe that the large numbers of homeless veterans on the streets of our cities is a national disgrace. It is a fact of American life that angers me. Of all people, those who sacrificed and risked their very lives for their country do not deserve the fate of ending their short and brutal lives on a sewer grate, eating leavings out of dumpsters. Drug abuse and other mental problems are rampant among veterans, and in this age most of them happen to be of the Vietnam Era.

We are working on projects with the hope of vastly reducing the number of mentally disturbed and drug-addicted veterans in the future, by dealing with their post traumatic stress issues NOW, when they return from war. Post traumatic stress is normal in combat veterans, but our determined goal is to help as many as possible to deal with that stress BEFORE it becomes a disorder. That is the purpose of the Big Brothers-In-Arms project, among other efforts.

But many of the veterans of the Vietnam era who are now living on the streets are beyond such help - for them it is too late. The best that we can do for many of them is to see that they are fed, protected from harsh weather conditions, protected from crime, and in some cases rehabilitated at least to a point where they can live out the remainder of their lives with some human dignity. That is not too much to hope for, considering what they have lost.

One of the champions in this effort has been my friend Chris Hill, National Director of the Gathering of Eagles. Chris is deeply involved in helping to feed and cloth and get access for homeless veterans, especially here in Philadelphia . If the Christmas Spirit moves you, contact Chris through the GOE website (or, you can contact him through me) and find out how YOU can help.

Our obligation to our nation's warriors does not end when the welcome-home party is over. Far from it. Instead, it is then that our work must begin. It is then that we must truly support our warriors HERE AT HOME. If, 40 years from now, the veterans of that time, the veterans of today's wars, suffer the same fate in the same numbers as today's Vietman Veterans do, then shame on us. We will have failed our warriors. Remember: they served for us. Now we must serve them.

A NEW WWR PARTNER!

The Warriors' Watch Riders websites, the main website, the forums, and this newsletter, are widely viewed. The WWR does NOT accept government funding, nor do we accept private donations - the WWR has no money of it's own. When we want or need something, or when a particular chapter or region of the WWR wants or needs something, then we "pass the hat" among ourselves. We don't take money from the public, and when someone askes us if they can make a donation, we politely decline and point them to one of our nonprofit partners that is in need and that does accept donations.

The two WWR websites attract so many readers that we could sell advertising on those websites if we wanted to, but we do not, for several reasons. Again, we don't have money of our own. But even more, accepting paid advertising could possibly put us in a position where we would be forced to compromise our principles, something which, if you know me at all, you know that I will never do, regardless of who doesn't like it.

So, the WWR does not sell advertising. We also do not do "link exchanges." I get many, many requests from other websites for link exchanges. "You put my link on your site, I will put your link on our site." Well, sorry, no. It isn't that easy.

In order for a business or organization to have a link on our site, or a small "advertisement" on our forums, they must be what I consider a "partner." In fact, our list of links on the main WWR Website says "Our Partners." When I say "partner," I mean it.

What a "partner" is, is not merely someone who puts our link on his website. It is someone who SUPPORTS the mission of the WWR, which in turn means supporting our troops. For other motorcycle clubs, that means they ride with us. For a business, that means they support us with, at least, mutual ridership. (For example, the employees or an officer of the company actually rides with us and supports our work in other ways).

Today, we have a new partner listed on our web forums and website. That partner is "Fast Lane Biker Magazine." FLB is a biker magazine, one that you will find and can pick up for free in most places that cater to the biking community. Fast Land Biker has been following our work and wants to help. They are inspired by the troop support work that the Warriors' Watch Riders do.

Now, in 2010, I will begin writing a monthly column for Fast Lane Biker Magazine. This column will focus on the way in which the Warriors' Watch Riders and our partners support our troops. My first column will appear in the February issue of FLB Mag. The monthly column will focus on upcoming missions and tell the stories of past missions, with our troops taking front and center attention.

If you have stories (preferably with photos) of Welcome Home (and other) Warriors' Watch missions that were "special" in some way (I know, they're all special to us), then by all means tell me about it and I'll see about working it into a column.

2010 is going to be an exciting year for the WWR, but more on that next week. For now, as I am a Christian, please, regardless of your own religious views, accept my personal best wishes for a glorious, peaceful, meaningful Christmas Day with your friends and family. Make your personal Christmas Day all the more meaningful by holding the pictures of our troops, especailly those now in harm's way, front and center in your thoughts and prayers. Spread the word - hold up the names of your loved ones who are serving, or who have served, to your neighbors and allow them to share in your pride and love.

Finally, as I close this Christmas Edition of the Weekly Ride newsletter, I know that all of you join me in praying for the families of those who have paid the ultimate price for their country, especially those whose loved ones were killed in this past year, since last Christmas. With the escalation of the war in Afghanistan , there are many families for whom this Christmas will be a very, very sad time, reminding them of when their own family hero was still here to share their joy. Think about them, pray for them, keep them in your thoughts not only now, but into the new year to come.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, WARRIORS' WATCH RIDERS!

Until next time: MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS THIS, STILL THE GREATEST NATION ON EARTH, AND ALL OF THOSE WHO DO, HAVE, OR WILL DEFEND HER, AT HOME AND ABROAD.

- Wayne Lutz

*This newsletter is named "The Weekly Ride" or "The Ride", for short, in memory of and to honor Sgt. Jennifer Hartman, U.S. Army. Sgt. Hartman was killed in Iraq by America's enemies. She died in defense of our freedom at the age of 20. This quote from Jennifer was read at her graveside:

"It's not about what happened in the past. It's not about what might happen in the future. It's about the ride, for Christ's sake."

Click here for a Tribute to Sgt. Jennifer Hartman: "The Ride"