Christmas in the trenches …

Dec 26

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YOU HAVE GOT TO WATCH THIS !! MAKE THE SEASON LAST! Plus William Rablan’s @
https://williamablan.wordpress.com/

My Favorite Westerns

For GP Cox over at Pacific Paratrooper https://pacificparatrooper.wordpress.com/

We always hope. 

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About GP

Everett Smith served with the Headquarters Company, 187th Regiment, 11th A/B Division during WWII. This site is in tribute to my father, "Smitty." GP is a member of the 11th Airborne Association. Member # 4511 and extremely proud of that fact!

Posted on December 26, 2019, in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. 76 Comments.

  1. kevin cooper | January 3, 2020 at 3:32 PM

    This story never ceases to fill me with awe.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  2. calmkate | January 1, 2020 at 7:54 AM

    a very moving clip … the most moving Christmas I had was overseas singing rounds of carols in our own language!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. pvcann | December 30, 2019 at 5:48 AM

    Always hoping The irony of a shared cigarette and a bullet or bayonet 😦

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. shoreacres | December 29, 2019 at 8:33 PM

    That’s a very well done video. I wrote about the history of Longfellow’s poem here. It was written in response to the Civil War, but it certainly suits every war, before and since. I very nearly re-posted my entry this year, but decided not to. I’m glad that you and your friend did. Perhaps by next Christmas, it won’t be so appropriate–wouldn’t that be wonderful?

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. America On Coffee | December 29, 2019 at 3:18 PM

    Amazing! Certainly this is a reality that should be brought to the fore!

    Liked by 1 person

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  6. jaytee59 | December 29, 2019 at 1:16 PM

    Speechless !

    Liked by 1 person

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  8. TX Wordweaver | December 28, 2019 at 6:53 PM

    Brought me to tears. Reminding us to celebrate our universal humanity. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with all of us. Blessings to you in the new year.

    Liked by 2 people

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  10. Karen Evans | December 28, 2019 at 8:47 AM

    A beautifully poignant tribute of humanity in the midst of war. Thank you, GP, and Happy New Year!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. Kelly Curtis | December 27, 2019 at 9:27 PM

    Very moving, thank you.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  12. Sheryl | December 27, 2019 at 7:33 PM

    Belated Merry Christmas wishes. What a lovely story, and a wonderful reminder of how the troops were able to set aside their differences, and focus on the humanness of their colleagues on the other side of the trenches.

    Liked by 2 people

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  13. awp101 | December 27, 2019 at 2:15 PM

    A belated Merry Christmas and early Happy New Year to you GP!

    Liked by 3 people

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  14. charlypriest | December 27, 2019 at 12:39 PM

    I knew this one, but thankfully you wrote it. I did serve, but not in trenches with the mud and e.t.c. Was a good tribute GP.

    Liked by 3 people

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  15. keithakenny | December 27, 2019 at 9:28 AM

    Some know this as the “Silent Night” episode. Food and presents were exchanged, schnapps for tobacco, songs, holiday wishes. It may be unique in military history. Of course, when word got out, governments of all countries hurried to put a stop to it. So it goes.

    Liked by 3 people

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    • GP Cox | December 27, 2019 at 2:21 PM

      Have you ever known a politician you could trust? I’d venture to say that your answer is, NO. They use, abuse and look out for themselves and yet some people still wonder how we got this way.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  17. doesitevenmatter3 | December 27, 2019 at 12:59 AM

    This brought tears.
    Thanks you for sharing it with us!
    Yes, we must always have hope!
    (((HUGS))) 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  19. Helen Devries | December 26, 2019 at 8:24 PM

    Before the advent of the all embracing media and the ever present spin, people who had grown up with solid values knew what was right, even when coerced by authority into doing wrong. Those men had a tradition of truce in the feasts of the Church..they knew fighting was wrong at the period of the birth of the Prince of Peace…but were forced back into enmity. These days…how much harder for those in the armed forces when society seems to have turned it back on the traditional values. Patriotism, yes…but mutual respect seems to have evaporated in the spotlights of commercial interest.
    My father lost his elder brothers in that war….though a man of high passions he never blamed the German soldiers for their deaths.

    Liked by 2 people

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    • GP Cox | December 27, 2019 at 6:16 AM

      So true, Helen. My father never hated the Japanese, nor blamed them. He knew they were soldiers following orders as he was doing, and the public only knew what the military allowed them to know. Smitty had no problem serving in Japan after the war because there was no animosity there. Pretty much as you were saying!!

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      Reply
  20. OIKOS™-Publishing | December 26, 2019 at 5:28 PM

    Thank you for another great posting, meeting the mood of these days, GP! Best wishes, Michael

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  22. Terri, Reclaiming Hope | December 26, 2019 at 2:25 PM

    Thank you so much for sharing this GP! What a wonderful video, and that Casting Crowns songs is one of my favorites…. Wishing you a blessed and peaceful new year!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  23. Argus | December 26, 2019 at 1:59 PM

    ‘Twould ring the bells of Heaven
    The wildest peal for years,
    If Parson lost his senses
    And people came to theirs,
    And he and they together
    Knelt down with angry prayers
    For tamed and shabby tigers
    And dancing dogs and bears,
    And wretched, blind pit ponies,
    And little hunted hares.”

    —in the meantime I guess it’s business as usual …

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  24. James Osborne | December 26, 2019 at 12:26 PM

    That video was awesome! Thanks for sharing it.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  25. Lavinia Ross | December 26, 2019 at 12:05 PM

    Beautiful post, GP. There is always hope.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  26. jcalberta | December 26, 2019 at 10:58 AM

    Thanks GP.
    Hope there’s a little Peace around right now.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  27. Jacqui Murray | December 26, 2019 at 10:31 AM

    Such an iconic event. Truly, where do we find peace today?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  28. 56PackardMan | December 26, 2019 at 10:17 AM

    Very nicely done video. Thank you for posting this, GP. My maternal grandfather was in the trenches in France in 1917. 19 years old. As a kid, I thought it wonderful that he had fought in that war and would try to get him to tell me stories about his experience. Like so many who actually did the fighting, he would never, ever talk about it. I didn’t understand it then, but I do now …

    Liked by 3 people

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  29. SCLMRose | December 26, 2019 at 9:29 AM

    Christmas Truce is one of the best posts for Christmas. I read about it yesterday at https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-christmas-truce. It must have been scary at first but then they met half way and made history. It made me teary reading about them.

    Liked by 2 people

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  30. DC Gilbert | December 26, 2019 at 9:09 AM

    Fascinating look at simply being human during a the chaos of a world at war.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  31. Liz Gauffreau | December 26, 2019 at 8:29 AM

    A very moving video, which leads to the question that if peace is possible, why can’t it be probable?

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  32. Cindy Bruchman | December 26, 2019 at 7:38 AM

    Well that pulled at my heartstrings and made me tear up. A lovely gift, GP. Thank you.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  33. beetleypete | December 26, 2019 at 7:36 AM

    The Christmas Truce in 1914 is interesting indeed. Reports in newspapers at the time caused great concern in Britain. It was considered necessary to regard the enemy as ‘The Evil Hun’, and fraternisation was frowned upon.
    This European film is an interesting look at that short period of peace.
    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424205/
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  34. swabby429 | December 26, 2019 at 7:33 AM

    We need this attitude today.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

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