I have been thinking of what I should share this year. Some memories came to mind about my first
Christmas in Vietnam in 1968. Of course
I missed being home and all those things associated with being there. But also that year, in late October, one of
my favorite uncles died in Portland, Oregon, and reason I remember especially missing
him that Christmas. He was a captain
and dentist in the Army during World War II.
Sometime in the late 1960’s he was diagnosed with cancer (I think it was
lung cancer because he was a smoker) and he succumbed to it in October 1968. Russ was an outdoor man, a bird hunter and
fisherman with a big pickup and a boat; he was just fun to be with. Well, I missed him that Christmas (and I
still do). He and his wife are buried at
Willamette National Cemetery in Portland.
As we celebrate with our families and friends, please
remember to pray for and think about our many service men and women who are
away from their families and friends this year, doing the job we did so many
years ago.
Have a wonderful holiday this year!
(PS: This photo, of which I took the original over Vietnam sometime in late 1969, was modified by my son Tim especially for the holidays.)
