Soldiers celebrating holidays while keeping global vigil

By David Vergun, compiling reports Army-wideDecember 23, 2014

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5 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Priya Butler, director of operations, USO Southwest Asia, hands a set of Beats by Dre headphones to a Soldier who won a raffle during a Christmas celebration in Baghdad, Iraq, Dec. 21, 2014. The 1st Infantry Division, the United States Department of ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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6 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – From left: Staff Sgt. Terence Barron, 85th Support Command; Owen Connor, John Hersey High School senior; Lt. Col. Craig Lanigan, 85th Support Command; Mili Pandya, JHHS senior; retired Army sergeant Jason Smith, wounded warrior; Carolyn Niersbach, JH... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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9 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said to Soldiers everywhere that he and his wife Linda "want to wish you and your family a happy holiday season." The chief added: "As you spend this holiday season with your own family, remember the Soldiers who ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Dec. 23, 2014) -- Soldiers in America and those serving in far-flung places around the world -- many in harm's way -- are celebrating the holidays in various ways.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said to Soldiers everywhere that he and his wife Linda "want to wish you and your family a happy holiday season."

The chief added: "As you spend this holiday season with your own family, remember the Soldiers who cannot be home with their loved ones. To those serving in faraway places, we are thankful for your sacrifices and proud of what you do every day."

The Odierno family is spending the holiday season with their therapy dog, Tootsie, who visits wounded warriors weekly with Linda at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Here are a few snapshots of what other Soldiers are doing this holiday season:

SOUTH CAROLINA

Soldiers and civilians enrolled at the Master Resilience Training School on Fort Jackson are helping to bring holiday cheer to a local family.

Students in the class pitched in to buy presents for a single mother and four children in the Columbia area, said Nikki Johnson, an Master Resilience Training instructor.

"This is something we can do as a class and support a family during Christmas time," said Master Sgt. Suzanne Thomason-Polk.

Thomason-Polk was the student to propose the idea to the class, Johnson said. The idea was a natural extension of one of the skill-building sessions in the Master Resilience Training course.

"The idea was shared during "'Hunt the Good Stuff,'" Johnson said. "That's one of the skills we do in the morning where the students punctuate on something good that's happened and reflect on it. Despite what's going on throughout the world, people still come together to do good things for other people."

She said learning to strengthen your ties to individuals and the community is one of the fundamental elements of the class.

"That's one of the things we talk about: Your connections and relationships with other people, and how [they] can strengthen those relationships and bonds to be more resilient," Johnson said.

ITALY

Roman Catholic Cardinal Edwin O'Brien, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, visited with paratroopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade and their families for a holiday service in Vicenza, Italy, Dec. 14.

O'Brien, a former Army chaplain who served a tour with the brigade in Vietnam, from 1971 to 1972, was invited to speak at the 173rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion's winter ball.

"I feel very much at home at the 173rd," said O'Brien. "Serving in Vietnam was very demanding but fulfilling. ... I hated to leave the military service. But sometimes you have to do what you're told to do. If I were 30 years younger, I would serve all over again. "

The cardinal serves and lives in Rome, preaching the message of courage and strength, and service before self.

"Cardinal O'Brien was inspiring," said 1st Lt. Matthew A. Arevian, the battalion air operations officer for 173rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, who served as the cardinal's escort officer. "He spoke to us a great deal about the importance of the military [vocation] and the weighty responsibility to combat unjust actions."

He also spoke spiritual fitness, along with physical and mental fitness -- designed to increase the resiliency and enhance the performance of Soldiers and their families.

"It is often difficult to dedicate time to [my faith] with the operation tempo in this brigade," said Arevian. "But [O'Brien] was convincing in his conviction to the importance of spiritual health, whatever religion or faith one practices -- as it relates to mission readiness."

The cardinal, who also served as the archbishop for the military services, encouraged the brigade's paratroopers to never apologize for serving their country.

"Don't ever be defensive or apologetic in your role as a member of the military," O'Brien said. "There is a great deal of patience involved in contributing to peace. You all sacrifice your lives and give a great deal of service to your country."

OKINAWA

Santa made a special appearance at Tsukushi-En, a special needs school in Okinawa City, Dec. 17, to spread holiday cheer to dozens of children, but instead of his usual entourage of elves and reindeer, St. Nick was flanked by Soldiers for this special mission.

The U.S. Army Garrison-Okinawa Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program received donations to purchase toys for 31 children, all of whom were very excited.

"Out of all my volunteer events that I have done while serving in the U.S. Army, I would have to say that this was the best volunteer experience ever," said Staff Sgt. Kristian A. Rubio, who serves as a dental specialist at Torii Station, Japan. "Being able to see the children's eyes light up and smiles glow was an incredible feeling. The children were the ones that filled my heart with Christmas Spirit."

The BOSS program at U.S. Army Garrison-Okinawa serves to enhance the quality of life and morale of single Soldiers, who make up nearly 35 percent of the Army, according to Human Resources Command. A core component of the BOSS program is making a difference by volunteering in community projects and events like this.

TEXAS

Soldiers from First Army Division West, recently gave a helping hand to Gatesville Elementary School students.

They were busy, Dec. 22, packaging and loading non-perishable food donations for delivery to the Gatesville Food Bank, just in time for the holidays. Community members and Gatesville Intermediate School students also loaded and unloaded trucks with food items. Everything was donated by military families and people from the local community.

All agreed that it was time well-spent, and they were happy to have helped out.

"Children are the future leaders of our communities and I believe that if we teach them early to give more than they receive and set the example for others to follow," said Sgt. 1st Class Benny Campbell of Corpus Christy, Texas. "We can change society for the better, one community at a time."

"Never doubt a small group of thoughtful, committed people. The Gatesville community came together for a greater cause with their food drive," said Sgt. 1st Class Franklyn Zenon of the Bronx, New York. "It was truly a gratifying experience being part of their team for this great cause."

Elsewhere in Texas, near Lampasas, tucked away through a long dirt road surrounded with horses, sits a 25-acre retreat and wellness center, where Soldiers of 1st Cavalry Division spent their day, Dec. 12.

"Today is a women's wellness retreat, which will incorporate equine therapy," said Maj. Anthony L. Taylor, a 1st Cav. Div. chaplain. "As a part of comprehensive Soldier fitness, this is part of the commander's program and gives them an opportunity to gain some skills that they may not otherwise have."

"Equine therapy uses horses to demonstrate various points during the exercise," said Joanna Tyson, director of operations at the center.

During the first exercise, the participants were separated into groups and challenged to pick out a horse from where it stood, name it, and lead it to a designated gathering point. It soon became evident that this was easier said than done.

"Participants learned that pushing, pulling or yelling at the horse usually doesn't work," said Tyson.

But having patience and building trust with the horse, they were able to get the horse to follow.

"Horses are like a mirror," Tyson expalined. "They reflect back to you what you do, because horses are very present, honest and will just be themselves."

Not only was this a chance for female Soldiers to learn valuable life skills, but it was also a way for them to relax.

"We are trying to give the ladies a chance to relax and be themselves outside of work without the uniform and rank and just decompress," said Cindy Taresh, an equine specialist.

Sgt. First Class Christine Abram, a sexual assault response coordinator, attended the event as senior mentor for the participants. She said the event boosted morale and that she enjoyed witnessing females coming together and developing bonds with one another that extend back into their daily lives.

"I saw people who weren't talking to each other at the beginning talking to one another at the end," said Abram. "A lot of us are in male-dominated fields or units. These females may not always open up to some of the males in the unit, so now they have someone else they can call on that they may not have even known prior to that day."

NEW YORK

It's not considered a fun activity for the holidays, but 124 Soldiers of the New York Army National Guard are busy performing an important duty -- military funeral services. By their estimate, they will have provided 9,600 of them this year, including the remaining days of this year.

That's a decrease from 9,997 last year, and 10,175 the year before.

The lower numbers appear to be due to the decline in the number of World War II and Korean War-era veterans still living, as well as a cutback in funeral missions that resulted from a temporary budget reduction in October 2013, said Staff Sgt. Erwin Dominguez, the non-commissioned officer-in-charge of the honor guard program. He noted that other nearby Army units are filling the gaps when needed.

"It's a privilege to represent the Army and honor those who have served before us," said Spc. Anthony Bryant, an honor guard member. "We take great pride in being able to give our veterans their final salute."

Among the funerals this year were two for Soldiers who died during the Korean War and whose remains were brought home to New York, in 2014. The remains of Sgt. Michael James Barra, who died in a North Korean prison camp in 1951, were buried in Ithaca, on Nov. 22; while the remains of Master Sgt. Lawrence Jock, who went missing in 1953, and was declared dead in 1954, were interred in Malone on August 1.

NEW JERSEY

Dozens of Army Reserve Soldiers paid tribute Dec. 16, to the Soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, during World War II.

The commemoration event of the battle's 70th anniversary was hosted by Stephen Harlan, command historian for the Army Reserve's 99th Regional Support Command, at the Maj. John P. Pryor Army Reserve Center at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

"I want to thank you for taking the time to honor the memory of the Soldiers who came before us, serving on this thin line in the winter, facing snow, ice, continual mortar fire and continual artillery fire," Harlan said, referring to the Allied defensive line in Europe that repelled the Axis offensive in December 1944, effectively destroying German offensive power along the Western Front.

Three Army Reserve units stationed here -- the 75th Training Command's Atlantic Division, the 78th Training Division and the 99th Regional Support Command -- are legacy units that trace their lineage to infantry divisions of the same nomenclature. All three of these divisions played a large part in that battle.

"This was one of the first instances that each of these divisions during World War II encountered enemy combat," explained Harlan.

IRAQ

For troops serving in Iraq, the holidays can be a time of loneliness. So an army of volunteers helped to bring them some holiday cheer this year.

The 1st Infantry Division, the United States Department of State, the United Service Organizations, the New York Yankees and many other organizations, gathered more than 7,000 presents to show their support for troops serving in Iraq.

"The donations come from people who want to let our military members know they support them," said Priya Butler, director of operations, USO Southwest Asia. "We're very fortunate to have a large number of Americans who love to contribute to these events and they do it every year."

One of the many gifts service members received were bags filled with items gathered, sorted and compiled by the players and families of the New York Yankees.

"The team stuffed care packages for us in Yankee Stadium around Veterans Day," Butler said. "This year they put together 6,000 packages and shipped them over to us. It is a great tradition we have with the Yankees and we're very thankful for their support."

ILLINOIS

Now-Retired Sgt. Jason Smith deployed to southern Afghanistan in March 25, 2012. On July 25, an improvised explosive device detonated, causing severe injuries to Smith's arms and hands and amputation of both his legs.

After hearing his story, the staff and students from John Hersey High School, in Arlington Heights, decided that they wanted to do something to give back to Smith.

So, the students started "Team Jason" in conjunction with STEPS2HOPE, an organization that rehabs and builds homes for wounded veterans. A school effort began raising money to build a home for Smith and his family in Georgia, where they reside.

They did the fundraising by not just asking for donations, but trying to incorporate it in a fun manner, such as a gingerbread house-building competition, during basketball games, and throughout the school's student clubs.

In about a month's time, the students raised $18,000.

"To me it is incredible that we were able to all come together as a school to raise that much money," said Mili Pandya, a senior.

Following the fundraiser, the students and staff invited Smith to their school on Dec. 19, to honor him and present him with a ceremonial check representing the $18,000, to build his home. An estimated 2,000 students, staff and community members participating in Smith's effort attended the ceremony.

Army Reserve Soldiers from the 85th Support Command, based in Arlington Heights, were also on hand to participate in the ceremony.

"I came out today just to support a fellow Soldier in what he's been through," said Staff Sgt. Terence Barron, who has served on two deployments. "It's always good to be around someone like that. It's the first time, for me, honoring someone like this."

Owning a home was not a large factor for Smith, until his recent marriage to his wife and recent birth of a daughter. Smith said that regardless of what now may take place in his life, he will be OK because he knows he'll at least have a place to call home for his family. His home is anticipated to be complete by early May 2015.

"It's an honor," said Smith. "Words can't explain how blessed I am for people that want to help my family, and to help me in our future endeavors in getting a home. It's just amazing."

(Contributing to this article were: Rick Rzepka, U.S. Army Garrison, Okinawa; Maj. Tomas Moore, First Army Division - West; Eric Durr, New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs; Sgt. Juana Nesbit, 13th Public Affairs Detachment; Shawn Morris, 99th Regional Support Command; Sgt. 1st Class Pinnington, 1st Infantry Division; Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Taylor, 85th Support Command; Wallace McBride, Fort Jackson Leader; and, Staff Sgt. Opal Vaughn, 173rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion. For more ARNEWS stories, visit www.army.mil/ARNEWS, or Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArmyNewsService, or Twitter @ArmyNewsService)

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