1. SPECIAL
POINTS OF
INTEREST:
524th Holiday
Party
Hannibal 5
Holiday
Messages
Saint Joseph’s
Chaplain’s Notes
Christmas Truce
of 1914
At this time of year it is time to pause
and thank the many people,
Family and friends who have
made Task Force Hannibal and
our current mission a
success. May your lives be
filled with peace, love and joy
this holiday season

2. From the Commander
Family and Friends of Task Force Hannibal, we hope you all had a
Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season to date. The Warriors of Task Force Hannibal continue to press forward with great focus and effect.
I could not be more proud of our team. I would also like to express
my gratefulness to all the family members back home who continue to Make A Way by working, taking care of families, supporting others and supporting their Soldiers here while deployed. It is
the families that make this all possible and I want to personally
thank you all for your support and sacrifice.
Christmas ended yesterday for us and Kwanzaa began today, as I
am typing this letter. The holidays have come quickly and you can
feel the excitement starting to build as we move ever closer to our
homecoming. I trust that everyone got the opportunity to Skype,
Facetime, or call home yesterday. I was able to Skype with my
family and having the opportunity to watch pixilated blobs, with my
wife's and kids' voices open gifts and enjoy Christmas morning
was much appreciated. I hope your connection was better! :-) Still,
it was amazing to be home, in a way, during this wonderful time of
year.
Many Soldiers participated in HHC's Holiday Party yesterday. Festivities included Pizza Hut pizza, chips, drinks, games, music and a
gift exchange. We also had some special guests show up as A Det,
125th Finance arrived to Camp Marmal on Christmas Eve. The
great Soldiers of the 125th are getting settled in and are executing
their Relief in Place. It was really good to see some friendly faces
and we look forward to partnering with our fellow Schofield warriors during the balance of our deployment.
Thank you all again. Please continue to look out for each other
and have a safe and happy holiday season.
Hannibal 6

3. Greetings all;
Another Christmas has come and
gone placing us past another benchmark closer to redeployment. Across
our formation senior leaders performed guard duty, headcount, and
other duties normally performed by
junior soldiers and leaders. Our Soldiers were given a few extra hours of
downtime to communicate with Family and loved ones back home. Soldiers were able to watch Family and
friends open gifts and spend time at
the dinner table through various
forms of media. HHC hosted their
holiday party with our Family downrange and took a few hours to play
cards, board games and show appreciation for one another.
This month SSG Jennifer Colon was
presented a medallion, certificate of
achievement and Army Commendation Medal at the Combined Joint
Task Force 101, SGT Audie Murphy
Induction Ceremony. PFC Cristian
Valencia was selected as the battalion Soldier of the Month. He will join
other winners from this quarter and
compete in the battalion quarter
board for the opportunity to represent the battalion at the next brigade
board.
Task Force Hannibal units continue to perform life support
function on Camps Marmal and
John Pratt for thousands of coalition Soldiers, contractors and
department of defense civilians.
Our units in-gate thousands of
gallons of fuel daily, man security positions and provide dining
facility support. These tasks
take place day in and day out,
do not go unnoticed, and are
highly appreciated. Additionally,
we continue to provide seamless sustainment and retrograde
support to Regional Command –
North on a daily basis.
Thank you for the continuous
family support in the rear. I hope
you all had a wonderful Christmas and we can’t wait to see
you in person. The rear detachment command team continues
to provide us and our Family’s
seamless support, thank you for
all you do.
Hannibal 7
“Make
a Way”
Message from the CSM

4. Soldiers from the 524th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion spent Christmas far
from their families and thousands of miles from the sunshine and beaches of Hawaii.
They celebrated Christmas in their own way Wednesday afternoon with games, pizza
and the company of each other.
That evening Soldiers from the U.S., Germany, Norway and a multitude of other nationalities packed a
dining hall at Camp Marmal for a traditional Christmas meal. Meals were served to the troops by the
commanders and leadership from across Camp
Marmal, a symbol of appreciation and an opportunity
for DFAC workers to get some time off and participate in the day’s
festivities.
The general atmosphere across the base could be felt by all; a spirit
celebration and holiday cheer mixed with missing family, friends, the
lights and tinsel of this holiday season. "I wish I could be home with
my family and friends, but, I mean, I am surrounded by nothing but
awesome people, so it is good," SGT Erika Carranza said.
Soldiers and service members with the NATO-led International Security Assistance
Force (ISAF) gathered throughout the day for a variety of services highlighted by the
rare opportunity to watch the Norwegian Armed Forces Band perform Christmas evening. Task Force Hannibal’s own Chaplain
Mastin was chosen for the honor of performing mid-night mass, attended by every nationality across Camp Marmal. Soldiers celebrated this time of peace by singing carols and lighting candles.
For some of the Soldiers from the 524th CSSB, this is hardly the
first Christmas away from home. But it should be one of the last,
with the 2014 drawdown of US and NATO forces just months away.
Soldiers in the midst of their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th deployments have developed methods of remaining in contact and in touch
with family back home. As Task Force Hannibal begins
preparing for their redeployment, the entire battalion
would like to pause and wish
everyone back in Hawaii a
Happy Holidays!

5. Soldiers, Family and
Friends of HHC, 524TH
CSSB:
Happy New Year!!
Straight from the Top!
Soldiers, Family and Friends of HHC 524th CSSB I hope and pray the Holiday Season upon us
has and will treat you well. It is tough on everyone to go through significant events, such as the
Holidays without the comforts of home. It is my wish we transition through these next few
weeks with a watchful eye looking out for each other. For those experiencing their first Holiday
separated from loved ones, do not hesitate to seek out those individuals who have been through
this before. It may not change the way you feel, however, they may be able to provide insight on
how they have dealt with it, or are dealing with it this time around. Your warriors continue to do
an outstanding job here on Camp Marmal. As I walk around, and talk to the Soldiers every day. I
am starting to see their eyes sparkle once again as we start prepping to bring this deployment to
an end. Although our time is winding down, I still have to enforce discipline, standards, and
physical fitness so we don’t get to complacent. This Month we had two Warriors win the NCO/
SOM board. SGT George from the S-1 section won the NCO of the month, and PFC Valencia
from the S-4 section won the Soldier of the month board. The Soldiers of HHC continue to strive
for excellence and I am sure you are just as proud of them as I am. As you are reading this news
letter we are all aware of little over two and a half months before we will all be reunited again
and we can’t wait as I am sure you all feel the same.
Once again, Happy Holidays, and keep in mind, every day we are one day closer to returning
home.
SFC David E. Briggs, HHC, 524th CSSB First Sergeant
Warrior 6
As December comes to a close, I am
able to reflect with great admiration
and a complete sense of accomplishment the successes, personal and professional development that each Soldier has
achieved over the past 6 months. The professionalism and
expertise of the Soldiers of HHC has been noticed at every level of command here in Afghanistan. The SPO Transportation section has set the example for the rest of the
country in exceeding their directed goals. The 524th CSSB is essentially setting the bar
for the rest of the Army in executing one of the largest logistics missions in the history of
warfare, the retrograde of equipment out of the country. The SPO S+S, Maintenance
and Plans sections all continue to contribute to the success that the entire Coalition is
reaping in Regional Command-North. The Warriors of HHC spend countless hours planning and executing their various assigned missions thanks in large part to the support
they receive from their families back home in Hawaii or wherever you may be. I encourage you to continue to support your loved ones as we move through the holidays and
close out our deployment. Enjoy the holidays, we will ensure that pictures are sent back
of the Soldiers doing the same here.
CPT Smith
Warrior-6

6. I cannot express the gratitude I have for the exceptional job the Soldiers of Task Force
Hannibal have done over the past seven months. As the XO, I have been fortunate to
watch the team come together and work as a cohesive unit. I am not going to lie…it has
not been easy.
When I assumed duties as the Battalion XO last March, I told every leader on the staff that
I really wasn’t worried whether or not they believed at the time that the battalion was the
best CSSB in the Army, but it was very important to me that they wanted it to be best. After almost 10 months in the job, I believe that they truly
want it to be and they are executing in that direction.
I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with many young, driven
leaders while assigned to the 524 CSSB. As I transitioned from the SPO
to the XO prior to the deployment, we set a new team in the primary staff,
and MAJ Lankford and I committed ourselves to working together to not
only execute the mission, but also to train, coach, mentor and guide the
staff to support the Commander and ensure the Primary Staff and SPO
section met the Commander’s intent. I know we both share in the pride of
the entire staff’s ability to adjust to the challenging environments here in
Afghanistan and achieve tremendous results.
I believe that in order to succeed in the Army, there is one imperative: you
have to care. You have to care about the mission, and you have to deeply
care about the success and well-being of the Soldiers you serve and serve
with. I am grateful for the team we assembled and pride myself with the outstanding
growth we have made as a team.
From the XO’s perspective, I am blessed with
exceptional officers in CPT Jerry Garner,
CPT Tim Wilson, CPT Jimmy Quilon, 1LT(P)
Joann Marquez, CPT Frank Guizar, and the
infamous CPT (Chaplain) Mark Mastin. As a
CSSB staff, they have collectively worked
together (not always peacefully) like a family
to get the job done.
As the S-3, CPT Quilon has led a section
comprised of two outstanding battle captains
in Katie Hogan and David Perez, as well as
superb NCOs, led by SFC Blas Devora. They have managed the daily operations and
ensured the safety and survivability of our Soldiers on a daily basis. CPT Quilon and
SFC Devora have built a team by providing exceptional leadership through demanding
expectations and constant communication. They truly have embraced my constant
harping on “who else needs to know?” and have set the tone for the entire staff when it
comes for maintaining drive and tempo. The performance of the S-3 section gets better
every day due to the leadership of SSG Abrazado, SFC Smith and SFC Trammel, as
they enforce standards, keep the command team informed and ensure the operations
remain fully functional.
The S-1 section, though the most junior group of primary staff NCOs and Soldiers I have worked with in almost
16 years, have been my unsung heroes for this deployment. CPT Garner has established himself as a caring,
devoted leader who I trust to do the right thing every time. His leadership has rubbed off on his section, as
SGT George and he lead a team that always excels. The section has literally accomplished every given task,
prior to any suspense and is always seeking ways to get better. Whether PFC Rosas is conducting mail room
operations, SGT Carranza is updating personnel records or SGT George is finalizing the status reports, the S1 team always goes the extra mile to ensure every Soldier in the formation is taken care of. CPT Garner is
also responsible for this newsletter, which I think all would agree is a mark of his true professionalism and
commitment to the Soldiers and our families.

7. The S-2 section is the section which has grown the most professionally during the deployment. They have formed a
team of bonafide intelligence analysts, some of which are working outside of their military occupational specialty. Led by
CPT Tim Wilson and SSG Jennifer Colon, they transitioned from a section that had a minimal role in garrison, to one of
the most important sections, not only in the battalion, but in the brigade. Whether it is SPC Vega conducting interviews
with local drivers, SPC Lawson (who is a Laundry and Bath Specialist) providing detailed intelligence briefs and managing interpreters, SPC Almero briefing at the Commander’s Update, or SSG Colon providing Electronic Warfare Assistance, they are operating on all cylinders and having a direct impact on mission success, while keeping our Soldiers safe
and the commander informed.
The S-4 section has also performed remarkably under the aggressive leadership of 1LT(P) Joann Marquez and SFC
Taneisha Pennant. This tandem has driven the internal reduction of equipment and containers, which has had a tremendous impact on the battalion’s mission success. They have tremendous talent in SGT Blair and PFC Valencia, who have
grown technically and tactically throughout this deployment. Though the section
is small, the S-4’s impact has been huge.
Currently, SFC Pennant is the S-4 and
continues to excel; 1LT(P) Marquez recently re-deployed, as she was handpicked by the Battalion Commander to
execute the daunting task of receiving the
unit as the Rear Detachment Commander.
The S-6 has truly set a new standard for
fied a multitude of issues, starting the first
vered from their commitment to improving
single day. Led by CPT Frank Guizar and
become experts on tactical
can only accomplish in comple Soldiers for personal reasteadfast support to the battalexecuted by SGT Santiago
SASMO support from CW2
ship is absolutely contagious),
the most fore thinking S-6 secThe Religious Support Team is
being comprised of only two
Wellman continue to provide
single unit in RC-N. The care
him as one of the most influenmand. The RST travels via air
northern Afghanistan to councaring ear and providing coun-
CSSB S-6s in RC-N. They have identiday we arrived, and they have never wathe communications infrastructure every
SFC Tyrrone Greene, the team has truly
communications, an achievement they
bat. While they have re-deployed multisons, the S-6 section continues to provide
ion. Whether it is help desk operations
and SPCs Shantia and Nakia Williams, or
Darren Duncan (whose positive leaderthe S-6 section remains on target to leave a legacy as
tion in at least five years in RC-N.
the most travelled section in the entire battalion, despite
personnel. Chaplain Mark Mastin and SPC Joshua
religious support, not only to the battalion, but to every
and devotion of Chaplain Mastin has truly established
tial battalion-level officers in the entire regional comor ground to some of the most dangerous areas in
sel and care for Soldiers and civilians, always offering a
sel to those in need.
While this is primarily about the primary and special staff, I would be remiss if I did not recognize the incredible job being
performed by MAJ John Lankford, MSG Armstrong and the Support Operations section. The SPO has truly been the
center of gravity for mission success of Task Force Hannibal, enabling the successful drawdown of operations in the
North. MAJ Lankford’s drive has resulted in a fast moving, responsive section that is sought after from external agencies for logistics support. In fact, they have developed procedures that have been adopted by other regional commands
as the “right way” to do it.
I want to acknowledge the command teams of both the battalion and the company. The care and passion that LTC
Droppleman and CSM Torres bring to the fight every day has set an example for all of us to follow. There is no doubt in
my mind that I could not work for, or with, better leaders or better people. The HHC team of CPT Brian Smith and 1SG
David Briggs takes the same passion and ensures that the Soldiers are treated with dignity and respect, while enforcing
standards and accountability. Being a Commander and 1SG in a deployed environment is never easy, and decisions
are not always popular, but Warrior 6 and 7 have earned my trust and confidence, and I know they always have the lives
and welfare of all the Warriors of the HHC as their number one priority.
Finally, I cannot thank our families and friends enough for the incredible support throughout this deployment. We have
received boxes and letters from schools, support organizations, children and families that truly mean the world to each of
us. While we all choose to serve, I am humbled by the love and support you have shown the Task Force Hannibal team.
I wish you all a Happy Holiday season and a safe New Year. We look forward to the doors opening at Wheeler Army
Airfield in a few months and reuniting with all of you.
Make a Way!
MAJ Donahue
‘Hannibal 5’

9. Task Force Hannibal sends out a heartfelt thank you to the faculty,
parents and especially students of the Saint Joseph’s School of
Bronxville, New York. It is always amazing to
see the out-pouring of support that communities provide our great Soldiers, but this project was truly exceptional. Spearheaded by a
long-time friend of the TF Hannibal XO, Mrs.
Julie Nowak, the Saint Joseph’s community
mobilized like Soldiers and supported a
cause that gave them as much pride and enjoyment as it did our soldiers when we all received a package in the mail. Below is an
excerpt from an e-mail sent from Mrs. Nowak
to the XO, which describes the process, as
well as clearly displayed the spirited pride
that everyone involved had in the project:
I am thrilled the packages made it....and so
quickly! There should be 85 total boxes, 68
to individual soldiers and then the rest to you. You need to be the
grocery store! I have been keeping it all a surprise and I am so excited to finally tell you how we did it! The planning process all started
in August with the approval of the school and the Mothers Club
Board of which I am a member of. In September I formed my team of
5 mothers and one faculty member to help with the project and the
planning began! In October, our whole school of 237 studentsgrades K-8, started collecting the items to go in the boxes. Families
were very generous. To raise money for the shipping, our 5th graders, had two bake sales during school hours that raised $400. Then
we had a "Dress Down Day"(kids wear uniforms on a daily basis) and the kids donated money for shipping again and that
one day they made $626! Later in the month of October, we
put it in the church bulletin for 3 Sundays and received $300
and items for the boxes from our parishioners. In November,
K-4 graders made the bookmarks in their classrooms and
grades 6-8 wrote the letters to each of you. On returning from
Thanksgiving, the 7th & 8th graders spent two mornings packing the boxes. Once the boxes were packed we brought them
down to our gym for a school wide picture with our Pastor-Fr.
Peter, Our principal-Mrs. McGoldrick and Mrs. Marriccoteacher who was on our committee. I thanked the kids for all
they did and Fr. Peter (former Naval Academy Chaplain!)
thanked the kids and blessed the boxes.

10. PAGE
10
Two cars were packed up and that afternoon off we
went to post office! While at the post office my kids and
my girlfriends kids were unloading the cars, a man followed the kids into post office. He came up to me and
asked if I was in charge of this project. He knew exactly
what the boxes were for, he spent two deployments in
Iraq. With tears in his eyes, he thanked us and wanted
us to know what this will do for troop morale! He made
our day. We spent two hours at the post office with
many people asking where the packages were going. It made a lot of
people smile. I even had a UPS guy come in, saw what we were doing and stayed for 45 minutes to help process the boxes!!!! A lot of
Christmas spirit was felt in that post office for you all! I can't tell you
enough how wonderful this project was on our end. This is what it is
all about. We hope and pray that it brings you all some comfort to
know we appreciate and honor all that you do…So, that is the story of
St. Joseph School's Troop Project.
On behalf of all the Soldiers of Task Force Hannibal, we thank everyone involved in this project. The students are a true symbol of the
greatness of America’s future. We are proud to
call you all members of the Task Force Hannibal
team! Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and
again…thank you!

11. SGT Audie Murphy was the highest decorated Soldier in American history. He earned a
battlefield commission for his courage and leadership ability as well as citations and decorations including every medal for valor that America gives while serving in the 15 th Infantry
Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. The prestigious Sergeant Audie Murphy Club (SAMC)
was started in 1986, and spread Army wide in 1994. The SAMC board is open to all NonCommissioned Officers throughout the Army and is an extremely difficult board to complete
and pass.
On 2 November 2013, SSG Jennifer Colon, sponsored by SFC Terrance Sorrells, competed in the SGT Audie Murphy Board at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Because of her
outstanding performance during the board, she was chosen, along with 16 other Soldiers
across Regional Command East and North, to be inducted into the SGT Audie Murphy Club
on 23 December, 2013. SPC Shirleta Lawson, one of SSG Colon’s Soldiers in the 524 th
CSSB S2 shop, was able to introduce SSG Colon at the SAMC induction ceremony and tell
everyone why SSG Colon is such a worthy inductee. SPC Lawson stated, “SSG Colon is
my SGT Audie Murphy because of her commitment, confidence and character. Her daily
actions as my NCOIC are what keep me motivated during this deployment. There is no issue my NCO cannot handle. SSG Colon
feeds her soldiers with knowledge as well
as pushes them towards success, only to
see the best in them. She is loyal, caring,
disciplined, and always professional. She
leads from the front, just like SGT Audie
Murphy.”
Congratulations to
SSG Colon on her outstanding achievement!

12. What is LOVE?
Love! What is it? It is a decision and not an emotion even though an emotion
may be attached to it. It is looking at what is best for the needs of the other
person and not you. Christmas is the culmination of this type of selfless unconditional love. Such love should allow us to reflect upon the people that we
love and who love us, as well as how we need to reconcile or repair that relationship if it is strained.
This deployment has tested our love, especially with those of you whom are
married or have a friend that you love. Love is hard work. For real Love is patient, it is kind. It is not jealous, and is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not
rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not
brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the
truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all
things. Love never fails.
A wise woman once said: “It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve
hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own
home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must
start.”
Indeed, the family is where we are taught to either hate or love. Likewise, we
are our children’s moral compass from which they will view and judge the
world. If we start with true love in our families, then we will send into the
world young adults who can carry the torch of love and true relationships to
others. Inevitably, the world will be a better
place to live in.
Take time this Christmas to say you love your
spouse, family members and friends. Reconcile where needed before we redeploy.
May all of you have a Blessed Christmas and a
New Year full of hope and joy!
CH (CPT) Mark Mastin

13. Peace on earth and goodwill to men, no time of year and no place on earth does this phrase mean more
than to a Soldier fighting away from home and family at Christmas time. Stories of Soldiers sharing of
goodwill toward men trying to kill them can be found in letters and stories from every modern war. There
seems to be an inner desire in all men to have at least one day a year where peace truly reigns supreme.
During the American Civil War, Northern and Southern Soldiers traded tobacco, coffee, and newspapers,
fished peacefully on opposite sides of a stream, and even gathered blackberries together but it was during the Christmas of 1914 that the magic of Christmas sparked, what could be, the most remarkable display of goodwill between men in the history of war.
Starting in some places on Christmas Eve and in others on Christmas Day, it is believed that the truce
covered almost two-thirds of the British-German front, with thousands of Soldiers taking part. Below is
written almost word for word, pieced together by Aaron Shep and published in Australia’s School Magazine, April 2001 from a combination of letters gathered from:
Private Frederick Heath, the truce began late that same night when “all down our line of trenches there
came to our ears a greeting unique in war: ‘English soldier, English soldier, a merry Christmas, a merry
Christmas!’”
Rifleman Oswald Tilley told his parents in a letter home—”literally hundreds of each side were out in no
man’s land shaking hands.”
Captain Clifton Stockwell, wrote in his diary of “one Saxon, who spoke excellent English” and who “used
to climb in some eyrie in the brewery and spend his time asking ‘How is London getting on?’, ‘How was
Gertie Millar and the Gaiety?’, and so on. Lots of our men had blind shots at him in the dark, at which he
laughed, [but] one night I came out and called, ‘Who the hell are you?’ At once came back the answer,
‘Ah—the officer—I expect I know you—I used to be head waiter at the Great Central Hotel.”
Lieutenant Johannes Niemann, Us Germans really roared when a gust of wind revealed that the Scots
wore no drawers under their kilts—and hooted and whistled every time they caught an impudent glimpse
of one posterior belonging to one of “yesterday’s enemies.”
Christmas Day 1914
My dear sister Janet,
It is 2:00 in the morning and most of our men are asleep in their dugouts—yet I could not sleep myself
before writing to you of the wonderful events of Christmas Eve. In truth, what happened seems almost
like a fairy tale, and if I hadn’t been through it myself, I would scarce believe it. Just imagine: While you
and the family sang carols before the fire there in London, I did the same with enemy soldiers here on the
battlefields of France!
As I wrote before, there has been little serious fighting of late. The first battles of the war left so many
dead that both sides have held back until replacements could come from home. So we have mostly
stayed in our trenches and waited. But what a terrible waiting it has been! Knowing that any moment an
artillery shell might land and explode beside us in the trench, killing or maiming several men. And in daylight not daring to lift our heads above ground, for fear of a sniper’s bullet. And the rain—it has fallen almost daily. Of course, it collects right in our trenches, where we must bail it out with pots and pans. And
with the rain has come mud—a good foot or more deep. It splatters and cakes everything, and constantly
sucks at our boots. One new recruit got his feet stuck in it, and then his hands too when he tried to get
out—just like in that American story of the tar baby!

14. Through all this, we couldn’t help feeling curious about the German soldiers across the way. After all, they faced the
same dangers we did, and slogged about in the same muck. What’s more, their first trench was only 50 yards from ours.
Between us lay No Man’s Land, bordered on both sides by barbed wire—yet they were close enough we sometimes
heard their voices.
Of course, we hated them when they killed our friends. But other times, we joked about them and almost felt we had
something in common. And now it seems they felt the same.
Just yesterday morning—Christmas Eve Day—we had our first good freeze. Cold as we were, we welcomed it, because
at least the mud froze solid. Everything was tinged white with frost, while a bright sun shone over all. Perfect Christmas
weather.
During the day, there was little shelling or rifle fire from either side. And as darkness fell on our Christmas Eve, the
shooting stopped entirely. Our first complete silence in months! We hoped it might promise a peaceful holiday, but we
didn’t count on it. We’d been told the Germans might attack and try to catch us off guard.
I went to the dugout to rest, and lying on my cot, I must have drifted asleep. All at once my friend John was shaking me
awake, saying, “Come and see! See what the Germans are doing!” I grabbed my rifle, stumbled out into the trench, and
stuck my head cautiously above the sandbags.
I never hope to see a stranger and more lovely sight. Clusters of tiny lights were shining all along the German line, left
and right as far as the eye could see.
“What is it?” I asked in bewilderment, and John answered, “Christmas trees!”
And so it was. The Germans had placed Christmas trees in front of their trenches, lit by candle or lantern like beacons of
good will.
And then we heard their voices raised in song.
Stille nacht, heilige nacht . . . .
This carol may not yet be familiar to us in Britain, but John knew it and translated: “Silent night, holy night.” I’ve never
heard one lovelier—or more meaningful, in that quiet, clear night, its dark softened by a first-quarter moon.
When the song finished, the men in our trenches applauded. Yes, British soldiers applauding Germans! Then one of our
own men started singing, and we all joined in.
The first Nowell, the angel did say . . . .
In truth, we sounded not nearly as good as the Germans, with their fine harmonies. But they responded with enthusiastic
applause of their own and then began another.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum . . . .
Then we replied.
O come all ye faithful . . . .
But this time they joined in, singing the same words in Latin.
Adeste fideles . . . .
British and German harmonizing across No Man’s Land! I would have thought nothing could be more amazing—but what
came next was more so.
“English, come over!” we heard one of them shout. “You no shoot, we no shoot.”
There in the trenches, we looked at each other in bewilderment. Then one of us shouted jokingly, “You come over here.”
To our astonishment, we saw two figures rise from the trench, climb over their barbed wire, and advance unprotected
across No Man’s Land. One of them called, “Send officer to talk.”
I saw one of our men lift his rifle to the ready, and no doubt others did the same—but our captain called out, “Hold your
fire.” Then he climbed out and went to meet the Germans halfway. We heard them talking, and a few minutes later, the
captain came back with a German cigar in his mouth!
“We’ve agreed there will be no shooting before midnight tomorrow,” he announced. “But sentries are to remain on duty,
and the rest of you, stay alert.”
Across the way, we could make out groups of two or three men starting out of trenches and coming toward us. Then
some of us were climbing out too, and in minutes more, there we were in No Man’s Land, over a hundred soldiers and
officers of each side, shaking hands with men we’d been trying to kill just hours earlier!
Before long a bonfire was built, and around it we mingled—British khaki and German grey. I must say, the Germans
were the better dressed, with fresh uniforms for the holiday.
Only a couple of our men knew German, but more of the Germans knew English. I asked one of them why that was.

15. “Because many have worked in England!” he said. “Before all this, I was a waiter at the Hotel Cecil. Perhaps I waited on
your table!”
“Perhaps you did!” I said, laughing.
He told me he had a girlfriend in London and that the war had interrupted their plans for marriage. I told him, “Don’t
worry. We’ll have you beat by Easter, then you can come back and marry the girl.”
He laughed at that. Then he asked if I’d send her a postcard he’d give me later, and I promised I would.
Another German had been a porter at Victoria Station. He showed me a picture of his family back in Munich. His eldest
sister was so lovely, I said I should like to meet her someday. He beamed and said he would like that very much and
gave me his family’s address.
Even those who could not converse could still exchange gifts—our cigarettes for their cigars, our tea for their coffee, our
corned beef for their sausage. Badges and buttons from uniforms changed owners, and one of our lads walked off with
the infamous spiked helmet! I myself traded a jackknife for a leather equipment belt—a fine souvenir to show when I get
home.
Newspapers too changed hands, and the Germans howled with laughter at ours. They assured us that France was finished and Russia nearly beaten too. We told them that was nonsense, and one of them said, “Well, you believe your
newspapers and we’ll believe ours.”
Clearly they are lied to—yet after meeting these men, I wonder how truthful our own newspapers have been. These are
not the “savage barbarians” we’ve read so much about. They are men with homes and families, hopes and fears, principles and, yes, love of country. In other words, men like ourselves. Why are we led to believe otherwise?
As it grew late, a few more songs were traded around the fire, and then all joined in for—I am not lying to you—“Auld
Lang Syne.” Then we parted with promises to meet again tomorrow, and even some talk of a football match.
I was just starting back to the trenches when an older German clutched my arm. “My God,” he said, “why cannot we
have peace and all go home?”
I told him gently, “That you must ask your emperor.”
He looked at me then, searchingly. “Perhaps, my friend. But also we must ask our hearts.”
And so, dear sister, tell me, has there ever been such a Christmas Eve in all history? And what does it all mean, this impossible befriending of enemies? For the fighting here, of course, it means regrettably little. Decent fellows those soldiers may be, but they follow orders and we do the same. Besides, we are here to stop their army and send it home, and
never could we shirk that duty.
Your Loving brother
Tom
Currently plans are in the works for a centennial commemoration of the truce. The British government is cooperating with
the National Children’s Football Alliance on efforts to hold a commemorative international football match in Flanders as
part of an extended series of events marking the 100th anniversary of key moments in World War I.
To all the Soldiers, Families and friends of the 524th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, I wish you a Merry Christmas and leave you with a WWII Christmas Card from LG Patton to his beloved Soldiers;