Christmas in a War Zone« Thread Started on Dec 25, 2005, 2:01am » --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Christmas in a War Zoneread source: http://www.democrats.org/blog.htmlThis Christmas I (and I hope many Americans) will be thinking of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan who are facing not only the ongoing war but also the emotional strain of being away from their families at such a time.I was in Phuoc Vinh, Vietnam with the 101st Airborne for Christmas of 1967.We were young paratroopers, most of whom were single (unlike today’s military where many are married and have kids) and my unit, along with 10,000 other paratroopers, had flown over in C-140 cargo planes during a 30-day period. Most who served in Vietnam flew over and then got assigned to a unit which was rotating people in and out, but we were like a family that had gone on a trip together.I had scrounged up a scruffy tree, some paper decorations were added and a couple of guys sang Christmas songs. In one way we were lucky – at least my unit was on base that day to “enjoy” Christmas, while many other guys were out in the field.I don’t recall if we got attacked that particular day, "incoming" being such a common occurrence, meaning rockets and mortars were coming in. There are no day-offs in war zones – it is constant work. You may be on guard or on patrol all day followed by a night on the perimeter with