His Christmas Wish

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avalancher

Arboristsite Raconteur
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this is going to be a long post, for which I apologize. Unlike most of my stories, I wrote it for me.


His Christmas Wish



This evening as I relaxed in my chair after a satisfying meal, my wife brought me a package that had come in the days mail from my mother. It was nothing unusual for her to send small packages in the mail, and as one of my favorite shows came to a close, I opened the package to find enclosed a second packet along with a short note from my mother. "This came in the mail for you a few days ago, so I thought I would forward it on to you. Looks like it came from a long ways away. Love, Mom."

As I examined the enclosed package, I noted that it had come from France, at least the customs form attached indicated that. Rolling it over in my hand, I noted a small bulge in the packet, and decided that someone had made a mistake of some sorts. After all, I dont really have any friends that I know of in France, and it was unlikely that Dupont had forwarded my complaints about their latest batch of French Fries on to French authorities. But, curiosity got the best of me, and setting aside an inner fear of perhaps opening a nice batch of Antrax from French Terrorists in retaliation for my complaints about their native side dish, I opened the package.

As I shook out the contents of the package into my palm, I was startled to see a Navy collar insignia of a Second Class Petty Officer. Along with the device was a short note.
"Dear Ed. As I sorted through some of my son's belongings I found this insignia, and I thought I would send it to you. I have kept your address all these years in the hope that one day I could return your kindness in some way, but the years have slipped by as they have a tendency to do. But I thought I would let you know that my son finally found his Poppa."

With Love,
Thérèse


As I read the note, my thoughts drifted back over time, and once again I found myself standing on that pier on a cold December night, so many years ago. Here is my story.


It was a cold December night, 1988, and I had drawn the dreaded Pier watch as we lay at anchor off the coast of Marseille France. It was my duty to stand guard on the pier as our liberty boats went back and forth to our ship, anchored quietly a half mile off shore. Sailors returning from a night on the town were often hampered in their efforts to walk down the plank to our waiting boats by an overdose of the local liquer, and sometimes curious townsfolks were tempted to board the boats in an effort to get a closer look at our ship that we called home, and the Navy saw fit to remedy the situation by placing a guard at the entrance of the pier to screen the pedestrian traffic as it passed by.

It was cold that night, cold enough that I was grateful for my peacoat and gloves, and I remember thinking as I stood under that street light that in an hour I would be relieved of my post, and once again would welcome my warm bunk on top of the forced draft blower that quietly hummed in our berthing area. Often I would complain that of all the places to build a bunk, why choose on top of a giant fan? But as I stood there in the quiet street, it did indeed seem that I really could not wait until my relief showed up and I could once again fall asleep among the rattling and humming of that giant fan.

As I stepped into our little guard shack to note on my log that 2300 hours had come and gone without a single altercation from a drunken sailor, my eyes swept up the street to spot a tiny bundle making its way down the dark street. Stepping out of the shack, I noted with some alarm that the bundle appeared to be a young boy, who's tiny legs were hardly a match for the strong winds that swept up the street. But with determination, the young lad made it down the street, and peering under my roof line, he asked me a single question. "Pardon monsieure, you are a sailor?" Startled by his perfect English, I replied, "Why yes I am son, that is my ship anchored out in the harbor." while pointing out our aircraft carrier over my shoulder. Satisfied, the young boy then stepped into my guard shack, tugged on my coat sleeve, and asked "Can you find my Poppa?"

I thought perhaps that the young boy was lost, and in an effort to hear him better over the wind, I sat down on bucket of flares left in our shack, and looking into his young face i asked him if he was lost, to which he replied that he was not lost but that his poppa was. As I sat there in my poor excuse for shelter, I noted the absence of a jacket, and that his little body was wracked with shivers. Indeed, I had a very troubled and concerned young boy on my hands that had ventured out in the cold to look for his poppa without a jacket, and my only thought was to call my Chief on the radio and ask for some assistance.

As I picked up my radio, his eyes grew wide and he asked if I was able to call his poppa on a radio, to which I replied that I had no idea who his poppa was, and had no way of knowing how to call him, but that I had a very kind chief that knew everyone and would probably be able to find him. Opening up my peacoat, I gestured for him to crawl inside with me, and I would do my best to find his poppa.
 
Part Two


As I made my call, I noted the tears beginning to fall on his face, and as he pressed himself into my body for warmth, I heard him say, "My maman (french for mom) says that only a sailor can find my poppa." Curious, I asked him why only a sailor could find his poppa, to which he replied that he had no idea, it was only what his maman told him. As we sat in our meager shelter from the wind awaiting my chief to arrive on the next boat, I gazed upon my young charge nestled in my coat and snuggled up under my chin, and hoping to distract him from his plight I asked him what he wanted for Christmas. The tears began anew, and with a sob he said, "All I want for Christmas is to find my poppa. My maman said that perhaps one day a sailor will come and find him, and you came. Merci monsieure!"

As we huddled against the wind, I heard in the distance a faint cry, and the lads head came up with a start. Listening intently, he said, "that sounds like my maman!" Crawling to our feet, I peered out into the street, and once again saw a lone figure darting from one door way to another, peering under trash dumpsters while making their way down the empty streets. As the figure loomed into a street lights glare, I noted that it was indeed a woman. Wrapping the boy in my coat, I told him to stay put while I investigated. As I approached the woman in the dark, she wrapped herself in her meager coat, and in French plied me with questions. Not understanding her, I pointed to my name tag on my uniform and said, "No french, only English." In broken English, she asked me if I had seen her son. I gestured to my shack, and with a rush she pushed past me and ran to my shelter.

As she switched from scoldings to hugs for the boy, she explained that earlier that day her son had seen our ship on the horizon from the car window, and his grandfather had explained that the ship parked in their harbor was an American warship here for the holidays. Over dinner, he had gone to great lengths to dazzle the young boy with desriptions of the American sailors, known for their bravery in war, and the mighty destructive powers of their big guns. As the young boy had been put to bed, he had one question for his momma. Could the Amerian Sailors find his poppa? She had replied that if it was possible to find him, the American Navy would be the ones for the job, but they were terribly busy at the tme.As we talked, the boy repeated his question, would I find his poppa?Turning to his momma, I raised an eyebrow, and hestantly asked where was his poppa?With a tear in her eye, she shook her head and said, "later perhaps we can talk." As my Chief arrived, I briefed him on the evenings events, and with a grin he replied, "Petty Officer Klaus, you have an uncanny ability to find trouble, dont you? If you want, invite them to dinner tomorrow, might do the young boy some good to get his mind off his troubles and see our ship. Boy of that age will probably be thrilled."

As my guests turned to go, I told the mother that she had been invited along with her son to come out to our ship the next day, a great honor indeed. It was rare that when we were anchored offshore to have visitors, and females on board were even more rare. With a smile she accepted and I indicated that I would return to the pier at noon tomorrow to escort her and her son to our home. And with a bashful wave, they headed back out into the night.

The next day I met them on the beach, and we spent the day exploring the ship and laughed at the boys astonishment at how our aircraft were all parked inside the hanger bay. As dinner was served, I escorted my charges through the mess line, and once again was amused at their astonishment at how much food there was for them to select from. As we languished over coffee and dessert, my Chief came by, and with a grin asked the boy if he would like to see where the captain steers the ship from, and as the boy scampered off down the deck, the old man winked at me, nodded to the pretty French woman, and whispered just loud enough for me to hear, "here is your chance boy, dont mess it up!"

Beet red from head to toe, I refilled her coffee, and after some time once again asked her about the boys father. What had happened to him?Why did the boy think that only a sailor could find him? With a tear in her eye, she explained that her husband had been a fisherman and had been lost at sea a year ago, and not knowing how to explain to her young son the concept of death, she explained that he was lost. And then it became clear to me. After all, the only one that could find a sailor in the clutches of Davy Jones Locker was indeed another sailor! With her head bowed down, she told me that her greatest fear is that one day her son would take to the sea in a vain effort to find his father, and hoped that as he grew older that death would have some meaning and he would realize that it would be futile to look for him. But she also realized that her family knew nothing else but fishing, and that one day her son would indeed step up on the deck to become a man like his father.

As my Chief returned to the mess decks, I realized that it was time for our guests to make their way back to the beach,and as they were preparing to step down into the launch, I gave the mother my address with the hope that one day she would contact me and let me know how her son was doing. And in a final gesture, I removed the lapel insignia on my uniform, and keeping with Navy tradition pinned it to his coat with an admonishment to take care of his mother. Fingering his prize, he gave me a hug and jumped down into the launch into his mothers arms. And with a wave, I bid my guests a fond farewell.


As I sat there in my chair before my warm stove, my dog at my feet, I re read her note again. And then I realized that the young boy I once knew many years ago had become a man, and had taken to the sea as men do in search of something. Fame, glory, wealth, adventure, and perhaps in this case a father that a young boy remembers in his dreams. And as her note said, it appears that indeed he had found his father.As I dressed for bed, I found myself staring at my old uniforms, carefully hung in my closet as if awaiting that call back into service that would never come. And as my fingers sorted through them, I found the one that I was looking for. And with the memories of that night playing in my mind, I replaced that insignia back on my uniform from wence it came. A forever reminder that Davy Jones always has a place for one more sailor. As I drifted off to sleep, I realized that for the first time in twenty years, a tear drop stained my pillow.
 
Thank you for sharing that - there's a lot to think about in there, and well written too.
 
Wow. All choked up here. You're a talented storyteller.

What carrier were you stationed on and when?
 
You have a fantastic way of putting words on paper sir.. Thank you for sharing that story..
 
Great story!!!

Reminds me of the stories my wifes grandpa would tell me from WWII! He was very private about them and didn't say a lot to many people. Not even some of his kids or grandkids. But for some reason he told me a lot!
 
great story
thank you for sharing and thank you for your service

my grandfather was in the Navy in WWII
I have always had the upmost respect for those who serve and I dearly miss his stories
 
I don't know........a dang flat lander AND a swabbie!!

Thanks for the story!

And thanks for your service!

Semper Fi
 
This morning before reading this we did a job near my house. An older gentleman came out of the house and stood on the steps. I looked over and asked him how he was. He gave me the thumbs down. I walked over and asked him what was wrong. He said his wife passed away two months ago. I made some small talk as the other guys finished up. The older gentleman then asked if I could cut the top off the tree for him. I explained that I could not but I would trim more if that would please him. I did and he was. As everyone else piled into the truck I took a moment to talk to him again. Told him about my wife who teaches senior fitness classes. Maybe he would benefit. It's more about socializing less about fitness. I then told him to have a merry Christmas. He looked at me with a tear in his eye and said there will be no Christmas this year. Then we had some more small talk before we left. Driving away I felt like I should do something for him. I was thinking about maybe putting a Tim hortons gift card in a Christmas card and writing him a note about who I am and an invite for coffee. I often think about doing stuff like this for someone that needs it. After reading your story. I'm going to drop him a note tonight.
 
Great story Avalancher. Brought tears to my eye.

Also, thank you for your service to our great country!

So you rode carriers. Good for you!

My Dad was an aviation machinist mate during WWII. His squadron was on the USS Sangamon for "Operation Torch". (Invasion of North Africa) Then the squadron went to the USS Princeton which fought in the South Pacific. They were involved in the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot" and much other action. The Princeton was sunk in the battle off Samar in October 1944.

My son is currently a MM2 on the USS Carl Vinson CVN 70. They just sailed this week on deployment.

I however, never served in the military. My son and his 87 year old Grandpa talk for hours about the Navy and Carriers. It is a great connection that they share.

Bob
 
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Great story Avalancher. Brought tears to my eye.

Also, thank you for your service to our great country!

So you rode carriers. Good for you!

My Dad was an aviation machinist mate during WWII. His squadron was on the USS Sangamon for "Operation Torch". (Invasion of North Africa) Then the squadron went to the USS Princeton which fought in the South Pacific. They were involved in the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot" and much other action. The Princeton was sunk in the battle off Samar in October 1944.

My son is currently a MM2 on the USS Carl Vinson CVN 70. They just sailed this week on deployment.

I however, never served in the military. My son and his 87 year old Grandpa talk for hours about the Navy and Carriers. It is a great connection that they share.

Bob

First, tell 'em both Thanks from a jarhead!

My dad landed at Fadala Bay in November 1942, with general Patton.
He was with the US Army's 3rd Infintry division, all the way to Berlin at the wars end.

I know he had air support from some of those ships!!
 
A few years back I was working at a retirement apartment complex doing some rework on crappy installed HVAC units. During lunch I would sit and talk with the residents about this and that, and one day the guys started swapping war stories. Mostly WW2 and Korea, ALOT of "boy, I was never that drunk since" stories. One guy from a few tables away piped up and
says "war was hell, and coming home was worse". I assumed Vietnam vet by his age, younger than the rest and missing a leg at the knee. I went over and sat by him and asked what his story was, if he didn't mind my asking. He talked of losing his leg to a mine, coming home to a hostile reception by protesters, all the while the tears were welling in his eyes. You could see the pain on his face and when he finished I sat up straight in my chair, looked into his eyes and said," Sir, on behalf of a grateful nation, I thank you for your service and your sacrifice" as I motioned to his leg. He looked shocked.....then hugged me. He had never been thanked for service....

Thanks for your story, and your service Avalancher........on behalf of a grateful nation.....


Dave
 
Son of a ##### what a sad story. That poor mother. Avalancher, would you PLEASE at least somewhere put a copyright notice on this stuff? This was the most economical and tight piece you've posted yet. Sooner or later you're going to want to publish a piece like this, not piss it away on an internet forum. Not that we don't appreciate it. You may improve as a writer, but how many more packages from France are you going to get?
 
From one service member to another, thank you for your service, incredible story. I almost lost it when you talked about pinning your insignia back on your uniform after all those years. You ought'a be proud of yourself. This is a great reminder that no matter how seemingly small, our actions every day can have profound effects on those around us.

A veteran - whether active duty, retired, or national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to and including my life."
 

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