I was stationed at Fort Drum from 2006 to 2009. I was single at the time, though I had family nearby in Rochester, where I grew up. But in between deployments, my church was instrumental in keeping me from loneliness, and even got me to come out of my shell a bit by recruiting me to help out with their children’s program. One memory that I dwelt on while listening to this story was when one family invited me over for the day. I had arrived at church before the Jefferson County Sherriff closed the roads to unnecessary travel because of snow (which caused our church to cancel services due to weather). So rather than return to Fort Drum and boredom, I fellowshipped with the family that day. But I also wanted to mention that I may have participated in your parents' ministry and have been over to your house several times, though a different family was running the house at the time. I did appreciate that ministry as I think that I was the only unmarried soldier at my church. As for Christmas, my most memorable Army Christmas was in Afghanistan. Being in the 10th Mountain Division Band, I was in a small musical group that played Christmas music around our base (including the dining facility on Christmas). I also sang with a chapel group between Christmas church services two selections from Handel's Messiah and later at the Commanding General's Christmas party.
LANGE
I'll never forget a Christmas as a single lady at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey in 1990 just before the Persian Gulf War started. I was working in the ER on Christmas , and we were all feeling sorry for ourselves. Then we had a baby come in with a change of diaper contents. As the story unfolded, the parents had been trying to adopt for 10 years without success. Then 5 days before Christmas, the man's supervisor's wife's Turkish maid knew of a 16 year old girl with a baby born out of wedlock that she didn't want to keep. So 2 days before Christmas, the adoptive parents-to-be met the girl and her baby at Ali's Kebab stand not far from the base and came home with their long-awaited baby, wrapped in filthy plastic. Now she was washed up and dressed, and the transition from breast milk to formula had changed her stools. And the parents were so excited they could barely stand it. That's the best Christmas gift I've ever seen, and it sure changed our mood that day!
I was stationed at Fort Drum from 2006 to 2009. I was single at the time, though I had family nearby in Rochester, where I grew up. But in between deployments, my church was instrumental in keeping me from loneliness, and even got me to come out of my shell a bit by recruiting me to help out with their children’s program. One memory that I dwelt on while listening to this story was when one family invited me over for the day. I had arrived at church before the Jefferson County Sherriff closed the roads to unnecessary travel because of snow (which caused our church to cancel services due to weather). So rather than return to Fort Drum and boredom, I fellowshipped with the family that day. But I also wanted to mention that I may have participated in your parents' ministry and have been over to your house several times, though a different family was running the house at the time. I did appreciate that ministry as I think that I was the only unmarried soldier at my church. As for Christmas, my most memorable Army Christmas was in Afghanistan. Being in the 10th Mountain Division Band, I was in a small musical group that played Christmas music around our base (including the dining facility on Christmas). I also sang with a chapel group between Christmas church services two selections from Handel's Messiah and later at the Commanding General's Christmas party.
I'll never forget a Christmas as a single lady at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey in 1990 just before the Persian Gulf War started. I was working in the ER on Christmas , and we were all feeling sorry for ourselves. Then we had a baby come in with a change of diaper contents. As the story unfolded, the parents had been trying to adopt for 10 years without success. Then 5 days before Christmas, the man's supervisor's wife's Turkish maid knew of a 16 year old girl with a baby born out of wedlock that she didn't want to keep. So 2 days before Christmas, the adoptive parents-to-be met the girl and her baby at Ali's Kebab stand not far from the base and came home with their long-awaited baby, wrapped in filthy plastic. Now she was washed up and dressed, and the transition from breast milk to formula had changed her stools. And the parents were so excited they could barely stand it. That's the best Christmas gift I've ever seen, and it sure changed our mood that day!