Christmas Greetings FROM Iraq
- Posted by Beth on November 21st, 2005 filed in General, Support the Troops
My favorite Marine, MGySgt Larry Kuzniak (from my favorite unit in Iraq) emailed me a Christmas card and invited me to share it with all of you! Yay! (click to enlarge)
Thank you, Larry! I am humbled and honored!
If you’d like to send them a package or letters/cards for Christmas, let me know and I’ll get you the information (if I “know” you, of course). DOD Christmas/Hanukkah mailing deadlines HERE! Some care package ideas here. Wal-Mart will ship to APO/FPO addresses, too–since they carry just about anything you’d send, this might be a good option for you.
Holly - A Soldiers Angel says:
That’s so cool! Thanks for sharing the card. One funny idea I had for sending to a few of the soldiers I write to was this: A jar half filled with water, buttons, fake small carrot, little sticks, tiny scarf and hat floating in it. On the outside I had the message, “Frosty didn’t make it but Santa will!” The rest of the box included my x-mas items for them…small gifts and whatever.
~Holly
MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy » Blog Archive » Homecoming for the Master Gunny says:
[...] This picture is of reader Larry, who just got back from his tour in Al Asad, Iraq, and his beloved little princess, reuniting at last. Welcome home and THANK YOU, Master Gunny! Larry is a MGySgt in the Marine Corps; one of the elite corps of Senior NCO’s that are the backbone and the glue that holds everything together. Senior NCO’s don’t get the glory, and usually don’t get as many praises sung on their behalf, and it’s a shame. It’s a good thing they don’t let less “seasoned” people get to that level, because you can’t do that job expecting a pat on the back–it’s the Senior NCO that makes sure the other folks get their pats on the back. It’s the Senior NCO that becomes “Dad” (or “Mom”) to the younger troops, their shoulder, their shrink, their advocate, their cheerleader, their teacher, their mentor, their leader. It’s the Senior NCO who puts the brass’ plans into action and gets it done. It’s the Senior NCO who, behind closed doors, helps the young officers make the right decisions that are good the officer, for the enlisted troops, AND accomplishes the mission. The Senior NCO is THE “reality check” for the commanders, who could not do their jobs without them; the commander’s right-hand man. He maintains discipline in the unit, and usually by “walking the walk,” setting the example and the standards. Nobody wants to let down his or her Gunny, Chief, or Sergeant Major. He (again, or she) goes to the combat zone and lives and works on the same patch of the Earth that the young troops do, but he makes it his job to make sure those young’uns are doing OK before worrying about himself. He or she knows his spouse back home has been through these deployments before, and the family back home misses him just as much as the 20 year-old newlywed’s spouse does, but they are the civilian equivalent of the Senior NCOs, tending to the young families while still having to manage on their own themselves. God bless the Senior NCOs. You all may not get your pictures in the papers, and you may not expect to be hailed as heroes, instead you leave that to the younger troops to enjoy, but those of us who have served know it is the Senior NCO that is behind every single success in the United States military–in wartime or peacetime. I know that your families–your little princesses–couldn’t be happier to have you back home, safe and sound. And so are we. Sorta-related extras: –Profiles: The CSM (Army) –Interview with a retired USMC Sergeant Major on Combat Leadership – Veterans and Families - Coming Home Tags: military homecoming, NCO, Senior NCO, Marines, USMC, combat, leadership [...]