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Play It Again

Christmas time is upon us again and the Christmas chorals are going strong. There is one song I still have trouble listening to, Silent Night. I the later days of December 1967, I was stationed in Viet-Nam, 2/9. I had been in sickbay for a back injury. I got carried away and filled over 100 sand bags in to short a time.

Anyway, it was a chilly night and a rather dark one. The time was about deep dark 30. Someone in another hooch had started playing a guitar. He was pretty good and soon started playing a selection of Christmas songs. When he started Silent Night I could voices from the darkness singing. It wasn’t a large group, just one or two from a hooch here and there. The place was pretty empty for most of the unit was on Hill 881.

After the song finished there came a voice from off in the distance, “Play it again”. This time it was slower and the voices seemed to crack at times. Myself, I had something in my eye and could not say the words. The silence after the song was over was unreal. Again, from off in the distance came a voice, ” God Bless Us All. May We Live Through The Night”. The song has never been the same since. I guess the meaning it had that night will never be repeated and I still have a hard time listening to it, even today. But like the voice said, ” God Bless Us All. May We Live Through The Night”

John Halpin
2/9

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Comments

Linda Liardon - June 11, 2020

God bless you!!! Thank you for your service. My grandson is a Marine and I am so proud of him. I thank God he is stateside & not in harms way, but he is ready to go should he be deployed. I love, admire, and respect our bravery military. My Dad was AF and a fighter pilot, WWII & Korean War, his Dad died from injuries, WWI, and his Dad’s Dad died from injuries, Civil War, Confederate Army, so I bleed red, white and blue! The family farm is still in the family, 6 generations! I am so thankful to all the brave men who have fought for our freedom through all the generations and made that possible, and am thankful for the military of future generations who will protect my grandchildren, their children, and all generations to come. God bless you, God bless them, God bless Texas, and GOD BLESS AMERICA!! (And God bless Donald Trump!! May he provide for our military and Veterans what they so DESERVE!!)

MadDog 1969 - June 11, 2020

Definitely had to been there (or a similar hootch on a similar hill somewhere in VietNam). When you are a 18 year old kid and this time you have ever been not been at home for Christmas, you do get something your eye, you cannot say the words, and that song (or one like it) will never be same. Peace my Brothers and Sisters.

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