A U.S. Marine Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone In a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone I had come down the chimney with presents to give And to see whom in this house did live As I looked all around, a strange sight I did see No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree No stockings by the fire, just boots full of sand On the wall hung a picture of a far away land With medals and badges, awards of all kinds A sobering thought soon came to my mind For this house was different, unlike any I'd seen This was the home of a U.S. Marine I heard stories about them so I had to see more I walked down the hallway and pushed open the door And there he lay sleeping- Silent. Alone. Curled up on the floor of his one bedroom home He seemed so gentle, his face so serene Not how I pictured a U.S. Marine Was this the hero of whom I'd just read? Curled up on his poncho, a floor for his bed? His head was clean shaven, his face weathered tan I soon understood this was more than a man. For I realized the families that I saw tonight Owed their lives to these men who were willing to fight Soon around the nation the children would play And grown-ups would celebrate a bright Christmas day They enjoyed freedom each day and all year Because of Marines like the one lying here I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone On a cold Christmas Eve in a land far from home Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye I dropped to my knees and I started to cry He must have awoken for I heard a rough voice "Santa don't cry. This life is my choice. I fight for freedom, I don't ask more. My life is my God, my country, my Corps." With that he rolled over, drifted off into sleep I couldn't control it, I continued to weep. I watched him for hours. So silent and still noticed he shivered from the cold nights chill So, I took off my jacket, the one made of red To cover this Marine from his toes to his head Then I put on his T-shirt of scarlet and gold With the eagle, globe, and anchor emblazoned so bold Although it barely fit me. I began to swell with pride For one shining moment I was Marine Corps deep inside I didn't want to leave him, so quite in the night This guardian of honor so willing to fight But half asleep he rolled over and in a voice clean and pure Said, "Carry on Santa, it's Christmas Day, all is secure!" One look at my watch and I knew he was right Merry Christmas my friend, Semper Fi, and good night ~Author Unknown