In Santa Cruz, California on Wednesday night, veterans and their families were treated to the very first Operation Love Our Vets Christmas dinner. According to KSBW, the event's organizers thought of the night as no more than the kind of thank you these men and women deserve in their life after service.
Nearly 300 pounds of piping hot brisket – provided, at least in part, by Freedom Meat Lockers, the Register-Pajaronian reported – were on the menu as veterans and their spouses and children sat down at long tables in Santa Cruz's Veterans Memorial Building.
"We're simply doing what needs to be done. And we have a dual message: To civilians, get up and do something; and to veterans, know you're loved, thank you for your service," Operation Love Our Vets founder Lisa Tkoch told KSBW. "We are just doing what needs to be done. It's a damn shame that it's not done, but we're happy to fill that gap until otherwise."
Great food wasn't the only gift Tkoch's organization extended. Around $16,000 in donations assured that veterans were also presented with warm winter gear, as well as sleeping bags and other small essentials. Not to leave the kids out, Operation Love Our Vets made sure to provide plenty of toys.
All of this generosity didn't go unappreciated.
"The VA has a lot of shortcomings right now," said Army veteran Justin Baker. "They're leaving a lot of holes that need to be filled. The money seems to just disappear and so it's important for the civilians to fight for the veterans like we fight for them."
Wednesday night's dinner gave veterans the chance to reconnect and swap war stories like the good old days. With its success, Operation Love Our Vets is sure to seek a repeat next Christmas.
Sometimes a person's last moments can be among their best. As Staff Sgt. Matthew James Whalen was wheeled on a gurney down the halls of the Plaza Fort Worth Medical Center in Texas, family, friends and, according to a blog on KTVU, a full honor guard, were there to commemorate his passing and the good he was doing.
On Saturday, Dec. 19, Whalen was diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage from which he could not possibly recover. Fox 59 reported that on Monday, his family decided to take the 35-year-old Army veteran off life support and donate his organs to two fellow veterans who desperately needed them.
Whalen's friend Sean Hatton posted a video on Facebook that captured his emotional final moments. Hatton wrote that "In his final act on this Earth, it's only fitting that he gave his life and in return saved two others. And it's almost as if it were meant to be that the two donor recipients happened to be veterans."
"There is no SOP or protocol for this type of ceremony, but with the help of Matt's wife Hannah, all of his family, the nursing staff, and an Honor Guard we were able to show our love and appreciation in the best way we could," Hatton continued. "All of you out there scattered throughout our country this close to Christmas can rest assured tonight. Your prayers and kind words these last couple days have carried the Whalen family and the support was truly felt."
Whalen and his wife Hannah both served in multiple deployments as STRIKE soldiers in the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. The father of three will undoubtedly be missed, especially at this usually jovial time of year, but there's no question that Whalen did something incredibly honorable for his fellow veterans.
Children, adults, veterans – no matter age or occupation, getting the gift you asked for at Christmas is enough to fill anyone with joy. Harriet Simmons, a resident of the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, was among the 11 veterans included on the Military Wishes 2015 list from The Grand Rapids Press. Michigan Live reported that Simmons asked for a five-disc CD changer so she could listen to her favorite music for longer without having to move in her wheelchair.
Tiffany Carr, the home's director of community relations, told MLive that 25 people responded to Simmons' wish. But that wasn't all. More than 80 people telephoned Carr in the weeks after the list was published on Thanksgiving Day. Within a short time, every veteran's request was fulfilled.
One of the West Michigan community members, Rick Mead, saw the list and brought it to his daughter Moleigh Hardy's attention. Hardy called Carr and made sure that the five remaining veterans whose wishes had not yet been answered were taken care of.
"I'm humbled and honored because of these veterans," Mead told MLive.
On Monday, Dec. 21, the veterans received their gifts. They were overjoyed to see tablets, laptops and, for one veteran disabled by a stroke, the technology necessary to help him communicate once again. These gifts were meant to help the former servicemembers keep in touch with their friends and families, some of whom live far away.
"I'm very grateful," said James Jennings, an Air Force veteran who received a laptop. "(It will) make it easier to keep in contact."
Elsewhere in the country, a veteran saw a slightly bigger present. According to My Suburban Life, one lucky veteran was gifted a two-bedroom condo that was just recently renovated by the Illinois Housing Development Authority.
Alma Vega, manager of the furniture store which helped to furnish the condo, said that "We wanted to help as much as we could, and it's a feeling you can't explain when you help someone you don't even know."
The holiday season has finally arrived. Many families participate in the tradition of sending out Christmas cards featuring a photo and a warm message, and the British Royal Family is no different. Though the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge choose to send out a photograph of themselves with their young children, Prince Harry opted for a more patriotic theme.
The prince selected a photo of himself in front of a Spitfire plane, clasping hands with a 95-year-old veteran from the United Kingdom who served in World War II.
"Merry Christmas from Prince Harry," Kensington Palace wrote on its Twitter account. "Here's his Christmas card photo showing one of his favorite moments from 2015."
Prince Harry, who served in the British Armed Forces for ten years and retired as a Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, is no stranger to drawing attention to the troops. He and Tom Neil, the veteran featured in the photo, met during the 75th commemorative flypast of the Battle of Britain, as reported by Us Weekly.
Harry is known as being one of the most veteran-focused royals in his lineage, and his Christmas card further cements his commitment to the servicemembers of his country.
It's the holiday season, and all over Ohio people are getting in on the giving spirit. The Newark Advocate reported that in Granville, kids have been working since Veterans Day on a big care package project that's taken on the weight of an important mission seemingly beyond the young years of the students of Debbie Vitchner's class.
"It was supposed to just a Veterans Day lesson plan, but after seeing how much the kids enjoyed it, we decided to make it into a month long activity," Vitchner told the Advocate. "This definitely could not have happened without the help of the community."
For more than a month, Vitchner's students have reached out to Granville businesses asking for donations to the care packages. They received everything from toilet paper to soap and hair brushes. Many contributors also included a personalized holiday card.
The students turned out an impressive 124 care packages, 100 of which are on their way to veterans living in Franklin County, with the rest reserved for those in Licking County. One of the students, Tanner Riley, was proud of what he and his classmates accomplished.
"It meant a lot to help the veterans out," he told the Advocate. "We did a lot of bags in a really short period of time."
Vitchner's class wasn't the only group of Ohio residents dedicating their time help veterans in their life after service. In Eaton, the local chapter of the Blue Star Mothers of America were busy making care packages all day on Saturday, Dec. 5. According to Pal-Item, every woman in attendance had a child currently serving in the military.
The mothers collected small Christmas gifts, snacks and practical items.
"We have set a goal for ourselves of 200 boxes and 50 homeless veterans bags," chapter president Linda Samuels told Pal-Item. "This is just our small way of showing them how much we appreciate them and all they do."
More than one veteran motor head has found that what they miss most in their life after service are the military-grade vehicles they got to work on and ride in daily. The Veterans Garage in the small village of Posen, Illinois seeks to put them back in touch with the engines they loved so much.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the garage is dedicated to two missions. The first is to complete professional restoration projects on classic military vehicles. The second, far more dear mission is to show veterans the kind of brotherly support and companionship that can often go missing in civilian life.
"The physical place is really the smallest part of it," Joe Werner, co-founder and proud owner of a half-dozen or so military vehicles, told the Tribune. "First and foremost, we like to connect with veterans and let them know that they can look at the vehicles we have. They can come to the garage and see what's going on there. If they want to come to an event that we go to, they can ride with us, or in some cases they can come and actually drive a vehicle."
The Veterans Garage official website describes it as a place to swap stories, contribute to a restoration project, watch a movie or just hang out and enjoy the friendly atmosphere. Veterans are free to come and go, moving between the comfortable sitting area, the displays full of military artifacts and, of course, the fully operational motor pool.
At the moment, the Veterans Garage is still a small, relaxing place for veterans and gear heads alike to meet and shoot the breeze. Werner is happy to have a place veterans can call their own.
"It's what I'm really, really proud of," he said to the Tribune. "By being respectful of what (the veterans') interests are and listening, I'm learning to let this thing become bigger than it is."
The 2016 Summer Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro are already filling athletes the world over with anticipation. In the United States, a small, elite group of soldiers were honored to be some of the first athletes to be chosen as members of Team USA in September. Now, with the new year right around the corner, another team of top-tier, active-duty soldiers are joining their ranks.
According to the Military Times, Spc. Nathan Schrimsher, a pentathlete with the Army's World Class Athlete Program, earned the honor of being the first American to qualify for his country's team after finishing third in July's Pan American Games. World-class shooters from WCAP, as well as from the Army Marksmanship Unit in Fort Benning, Georgia, were also named as members. One of the double-trap shooters, Sgt. First Class Glenn Eller, will travel to the Olympics for the fifth time in 2016.
Earlier this month, Ammoland – a shooting sports news site – reported that the Army's international shooting teams were practicing for the Olympic qualification trials after four soldiers with the International Pistol and Rifle Teams qualified at the 2015 Winter Airgun-Olympic Trials held in Colorado Springs. Staff Sgt. George Norton of Albuquerque; Sgt. First Class James Henderson of Pasadena, California; Staff Sgt. Greg Markowski, originally from Sycow, Poland; and Spc. Daniel Lowe of Federal Way, Washington will all move on to June's final selection match.
There are still plenty of qualifying events still to come. Pistol shooting is set to begin soon, and wrestling will hold its rounds in Iowa in April. A number of WCAP Greco-Roman grapplers will be in attendance, including 2012 Olympians Sgt. Spenser Mango, Sgt. Justin Lester and Spc. Ellis Coleman.
As veterans struggling to find a long-term residence in their life after service know, not every battle is decided with bullets. Sometimes, people caring enough to help is what makes the difference. That was the case in Montgomery County, Maryland, where for the last year officials have worked tirelessly to effectively end veteran homelessness. According to The Washington Post, the campaign cost about a half-million dollars, but saw remarkable success, particularly in the last few months.
"Montgomery County now has a coordinated and efficient system [for veterans] to move quickly from homelessness to permanent housing," said County Council member George Leventhal, according to the Post. "Providing a stable home for our veterans is simply the right thing to do for those who have sacrificed so much for our country."
The Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless was deservedly proud of their achievement. Susie Sinclair-Smith, executive director, told the Post that she hoped that doing away with veteran homelessness would show skeptics that ending all homelessness was not an impossible proposition, but a solvable problem with real solutions.
"We've been housing our veterans in lightning speed," said Sinclair-Smith. "When there's a political will, and the time frame, and we know who the people are who we need to house, it can be done."
Fifty-eight homeless veterans and their families will receive permanent residences by the end of 2015, WTOP reported. Perhaps more importantly, every single homeless veteran identified by Montgomery County over the last year has now found housing.
Ishmael Meredith, an Army veteran and father of two, couldn't believe the generosity shown him and his family. "You may think we're the heroes, but you all are the real heroes sometimes," he said.
In 1897, after numerous newspapers declared him dead, a very much alive Mark Twain famously told the New York Journal that "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." That is a sentiment too many veterans can share. For the last year, accounts of veterans erroneously declared deceased by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have been a solemn reminder that, once thought dead, these former servicemembers lose their veterans benefits.
Thankfully, the incidence of false declarations should soon cease. According to The Associated Press, the VA is altering its procedures to avoid such costly embarrassments in the future. Representative David Jolly told the AP that the VA stopped extending benefits to 115 veterans between July 2014 and April 2015 based on preemptive deceased status.
In Florida, News 13 reported, more than six living veterans were thought dead in just the past year. One such veteran, Mike Rieker, saw the VA cut off his military benefits after a veteran with the same name died in Arizona. When calling the VA got Rieker nowhere, he sought out Representative Jolly's assistance. In short order, he had Rieker's benefits restored.
"I think they're (the VA) like everybody else with budget cuts, they're under staffed," Rieker told the news station. "I think it's great that they're taking a look at this and making a change. It could be devastating for some people to lose those benefits. There's people who rely on them for their sole source of income."
On Dec. 10, the VA reached out to Jolly, telling him that from now on, agency procedure will require that a letter be sent to the veteran's address requesting that the family provide confirmation of the veteran's death. If no reply is made – whether from the family or the veteran incorrectly declared dead – then payments and benefits will cease.
With Christmas only a few days away, images of servicemembers deployed overseas wearing Santa hats and preparing tremendous holiday feasts are once again growing popular. Families with sons, daughters, husbands and fathers away from home will miss them dearly, but they'll take comfort in being able to talk to them and see their distant celebrations.
But they may be curious – how did the soldiers of history celebrate the year's merriest holiday?
The Civil War
It may be difficult to imagine what Christmas may have looked like in the later-half of the 19th century, but really, it wasn't celebrated so very differently than how it is today. The holiday standbys – like giving gifts, decorating trees and singing Christmas carols – were already popular. "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens' famous work, had been published in 1843. According to Civil War Trust, the first truly new tradition to appear in the Civil War was the modern idea of a round, red-jacketed Santa Claus.
Soldiers away from home made sure that their camps didn't forget the festive spirit. Some put trees up in their tents, using pork and biscuits for ornaments rather than fruits and cakes. On Christmas Eve, one soldier of the 17th Maine wrote that "It is rumored that there are sundry boxes and mysterious parcels over at Stoneman's Station directed to us. We retire to sleep with feelings akin to those of children expecting Santa Claus."
Not everything was jolly. Southern families faced severe supply restrictions, and some parents told their children that the Union blockade might keep Santa out altogether. Others wished for the comforts of home while facing the harsh winter cold. Still, the holiday was an escape for many men on both sides. A day of merry rest in war was, and still is, always appreciated.
World War I
There were few conflicts more vicious or terrifying than World War I, but on Christmas Day in 1914, the roar of exploding shells and the clatter of machine guns faded mercifully from the battlefields of the Western Front just in time for the holiday. The truce originated in a suggestion from Pope Benedict XV a few weeks prior. Benedict reached out to the warring nations seeking a Christmas cease-fire. No one nation would commit, so the opposing soldiers took it upon themselves to do so.
On Christmas Eve, under the clean light of the moon and amidst the smoke and the frost, the sound of singing rang through the air. According to Time, British and German troops kicked off the unofficial truce with songs bellowed back and forth from their trenches. Graham Williams of the Fifth London Rifle Brigade remembered the night in detail.
"First the Germans would sing one of their carols and then we would sing one of ours," said Williams, "until when we started up "O Come, All Ye Faithful' the Germans immediately joined in singing the same hymn to the Latin words Adeste Fideles. And I thought, well, this is really a most extraordinary thing – two nations both singing the same carol in the middle of a war."
Extraordinary indeed. It became even more so the next morning, when at first light unarmed German soldiers crossed into no-man's land calling out "Merry Christmas" in English. At first deception was feared, but the British clambered out of their trenches and met their enemy with handshakes. Presents – the soldier standbys of cigarettes and sweets – were exchanged.
The Christmas Truce, as it came to be called, happened only five months after the war broke out in Europe. It was an unbelievable moment of chivalry and shared humanity – one never again to be repeated. Still, for a brief few days, men at war proved that not even bullet and cannon can destroy the spirit of Christmas.