We are nearing the end of 2023 and entering the holiday season.  Are you still stuffed from your Thanksgiving dinner?  The leftovers continue to add girth to “my front buddy.” My kids have a terrible nickname for him (it rhymes with bat), but I affectionately call him “Bud” cause he’s always with me.

Our country, with over two million service members, including Reserves and National Guard members, makes up the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, and each has its own specific mission and service culture, too.  But the percentage of Americans serving in the military is getting smaller and smaller.

The decreasing number is undoubtedly a national security issue.  Still, during the holidays, it adds to the isolation, especially if the service member is deployed or serving in areas far from home.  There is an opening scene from the movie “White Christmas” when Bing Crosby begins to sing this portion of the lyrics, “…to hear sleigh bells in the snow”, and you can see the soldiers wistfully conjure up memories about home, family, and the upcoming holiday.

It’s unfathomable what the WWII Nisei soldier must have felt, the sense of isolation during the holidays, in competition with the horrors of war, and the passion to prove one’s loyalty to their fellow Americans in theater and back home.

These combat-tested soldiers were part of my landscape when I grew up.  The five uncles who served during WWII are all gone, but there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of them and the other WWII Nisei soldiers I knew.  Remembering them becomes considerably more meaningful during the holidays.  I’m sure it is the same for you—so much gratitude for what they did, but also for those serving in the Armed Forces today.

Please enjoy your holiday time with close friends and family.  And remember our service members and members of the diplomatic corps serving overseas and in places far away from loved ones and family.