Reading more on this recently (My Grandfather was in one of those Christmas Truces) I note that universally, it was the Germans who asked for the Christmas Truce, it was the Germans who offered the first gifts.
So much for demonizing a people, for following their leaders, whoa re following the wishes of those who want other peoples resources to resell, at a lower purchase price. Peace on Earth to all, of course that will mean not following those that want you to bring misery to your fellow humans, for a few dollars more. My Grandfather was also one of the Ministers that attended the Bonus Army in Washington DC, he left when Congress passed giving them their pay, before OUR PRESIDENT turned the ARMY Loose on OUR Veterans, when the Senate supported the Corporations over our Vets (as they have in every war including the Revolutionary War with Britain). Follow the money, or Follow Peace. Scott > THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE > > By Aaron Shepard <mailto:a...@aaronshep.com> a...@aaronshep.com > > Copyright (c) 2001, 2003 by Aaron Shepard. May be freely copied and > shared for any noncommercial purpose, but please do not omit any text, > including this notice. > > ABOUT THE STORY: The Christmas Truce of 1914 is one of the most > remarkable incidents of World War I and perhaps of all military > history. Starting in some places on Christmas Eve and in others on > Christmas Day, the truce covered as much as two- thirds of the > British-German front, with thousands of soldiers taking part. Perhaps > most remarkably, it grew out of no single initiative but sprang up in > each place spontaneously and independently. > > Nearly everything described here is drawn from first-hand accounts in > letters and diaries of the time. Britishisms include using "Nowell" > instead of "Noel," and "football" instead of "soccer." Visit my home > page at http://www.aaronshep.com to learn more about the story, get a > copy in Web format, find a reader's theater script version, read more > stories, or contact the author. > -- Aaron > _________________________________________________ > Christmas Day, 1914 > > My dear sister Janet, > > It is 2:00 in the morning and most of our men are asleep in their > dugouts -- yet I could not sleep myself before writing to you of the > wonderful events of Christmas Eve. In truth, what happened seems > almost like a fairy tale, and if I hadn't been through it myself, I > would scarce believe it. Just imagine: While you and the family sang > carols before the fire there in London, I did the same with enemy > soldiers here on the battlefields of France! > > As I wrote before, there has been little serious fighting of late. The > first battles of the war left so many dead that both sides have held > back until replacements could come from home. So we have mostly stayed > in our trenches and waited. > > But what a terrible waiting it has been! Knowing that any moment an > artillery shell might land and explode beside us in the trench, > killing or maiming several men. And in daylight not daring to lift our > heads above ground, for fear of a sniper's bullet. > > And the rain -- it has fallen almost daily. Of course, it collects > right in our trenches, where we must bail it out with pots and pans. > And with the rain has come mud -- a good foot or more deep. It > splatters and cakes everything, and constantly sucks at our boots. One > new recruit got his feet stuck in it, and then his hands too when he > tried to get out -- just like in that American story of the tar baby! > Through all this, we couldn't help feeling curious about the German > soldiers across the way. After all, they faced the same dangers we > did, and slogged about in the same muck. What's more, their first > trench was only 50 yards from ours. Between us lay No Man's Land, > bordered on both sides by barbed wire -- yet they were close enough we > sometimes heard their voices. > > Of course, we hated them when they killed our friends. But other > times, we joked about them and almost felt we had something in common. > And now it seems they felt the same. > > Just yesterday morning -- Christmas Eve Day -- we had our first good > freeze. Cold as we were, we welcomed it, because at least the mud > froze solid. Everything was tinged white with frost, while a bright > sun shone over all. Perfect Christmas weather. > > During the day, there was little shelling or rifle fire from either > side. And as darkness fell on our Christmas Eve, the shooting stopped > entirely. Our first complete silence in months! We hoped it might > promise a peaceful holiday, but we didn't count on it. We'd been told > the Germans might attack and try to catch us off guard. > > I went to the dugout to rest, and lying on my cot, I must have drifted > asleep. All at once my friend John was shaking me awake, saying, "Come > and see! See what the Germans are doing!" I grabbed my rifle, stumbled > out into the trench, and stuck my head cautiously above the sandbags. > I never hope to see a stranger and more lovely sight. Clusters of tiny > lights were shining all along the German line, left and right as far > as the eye could see. > > "What is it?" I asked in bewilderment, and John answered, "Christmas > trees!" > > And so it was. The Germans had placed Christmas trees in front of > their trenches, lit by candle or lantern like beacons of good will. > > And then we heard their voices raised in song. > > "Stille nacht, heilige nacht...." > > This carol may not yet be familiar to us in Britain, but John knew it > and translated: "Silent night, holy night." I've never heard one > lovelier -- or more meaningful, in that quiet, clear night, its dark > softened by a first-quarter moon. > > When the song finished, the men in our trenches applauded. Yes, > British soldiers applauding Germans! Then one of our own men started > singing, and we all joined in. > > "The first Nowell, the angel did say...." > > In truth, we sounded not nearly as good as the Germans, with their > fine harmonies. But they responded with enthusiastic applause of their > own and then began another. > > "O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum...." > > Then we replied. > > "O come all ye faithful...." > > But this time they joined in, singing the same words in Latin. > "Adeste fideles...." > > British and German harmonizing across No Man's Land! I would have > thought nothing could be more amazing -- but what came next was more > so. > > "English, come over!" we heard one of them shout. "You no shoot, we no > shoot." > > There in the trenches, we looked at each other in bewilderment. Then > one of us shouted jokingly, "You come over here." > > To our astonishment, we saw two figures rise from the trench, climb > over their barbed wire, and advance unprotected across No Man's Land. > One of them called, "Send officer to talk." > > I saw one of our men lift his rifle to the ready, and no doubt others > did the same -- but our captain called out, "Hold your fire." Then he > climbed out and went to meet the Germans halfway. We heard them > talking, and a few minutes later, the captain came back with a German > cigar in his mouth! > > "We've agreed there will be no shooting before midnight tomorrow," he > announced. "But sentries are to remain on duty, and the rest of you, > stay alert." > > Across the way, we could make out groups of two or three men starting > out of trenches and coming toward us. Then some of us were climbing > out too, and in minutes more, there we were in No Man's Land, over a > hundred soldiers and officers of each side, shaking hands with men > we'd been trying to kill just hours earlier! > > Before long a bonfire was built, and around it we mingled -- British > khaki and German grey. I must say, the Germans were the better > dressed, with fresh uniforms for the holiday. > > Only a couple of our men knew German, but more of the Germans knew > English. I asked one of them why that was. > > "Because many have worked in England!" he said. "Before all this, I > was a waiter at the Hotel Cecil. Perhaps I waited on your table!" > > "Perhaps you did!" I said, laughing. > > He told me he had a girlfriend in London and that the war had > interrupted their plans for marriage. I told him, "Don't worry. We'll > have you beat by Easter, then you can come back and marry the girl." > He laughed at that. Then he asked if I'd send her a postcard he'd give > me later, and I promised I would. > > Another German had been a porter at Victoria Station. He showed me a > picture of his family back in Munich. His eldest sister was so lovely, > I said I should like to meet her someday. He beamed and said he would > like that very much and gave me his family's address. > > Even those who could not converse could still exchange gifts -- our > cigarettes for their cigars, our tea for their coffee, our corned beef > for their sausage. Badges and buttons from uniforms changed owners, > and one of our lads walked off with the infamous spiked helmet! I > myself traded a jackknife for a leather equipment belt -- a fine > souvenir to show when I get home. > > Newspapers too changed hands, and the Germans howled with laughter at > ours. They assured us that France was finished and Russia nearly > beaten too. We told them that was nonsense, and one of them said, > "Well, you believe your newspapers and we'll believe ours." > > Clearly they are lied to -- yet after meeting these men, I wonder how > truthful our own newspapers have been. These are not the "savage > barbarians" we've read so much about. They are men with homes and > families, hopes and fears, principles and, yes, love of country. In > other words, men like ourselves. Why are we led to believe otherwise? > As it grew late, a few more songs were traded around the fire, and > then all joined in for -- I am not lying to you -- "Auld Lang Syne." > Then we parted with promises to meet again tomorrow, and even some > talk of a football match. > > I was just starting back to the trenches when an older German clutched > my arm. "My God," he said, "why cannot we have peace and all go home?" > I told him gently, "That you must ask your emperor." > > He looked at me then, searchingly. "Perhaps, my friend. But also we > must ask our hearts." > > And so, dear sister, tell me, has there ever been such a Christmas Eve > in all history? And what does it all mean, this impossible befriending > of enemies? > > For the fighting here, of course, it means regrettably little. Decent > fellows those soldiers may be, but they follow orders and we do the > same. Besides, we are here to stop their army and send it home, and > never could we shirk that duty. > > Still, one cannot help imagine what would happen if the spirit shown > here were caught by the nations of the world. Of course, disputes must > always arise. But what if our leaders were to offer well wishes in > place of warnings? Songs in place of slurs? Presents in place of > reprisals? Would not all war end at once? > > All nations say they want peace. Yet on this Christmas morning, I > wonder if we want it quite enough. > > Your loving brother, > > Tom > > *** > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Sid Shniad > > Sent: Friday, December 23, 2011 4:26 PM > > > <http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/derrick/2011/12/ghost-christmas-truces-past >> > http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/derrick/2011/12/ghost-christmas-truces-past > > *The Ghost of Christmas (truces) Past* > > This week, perhaps in a subconscious nod to the solstice, I started > reading > Adam Gopnik's *Winter *(Anansi, 2011), the print version of his Massey > Lectures<http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/episodes/massey-lectures/2011/11/07/the-201 > 1-cbc-massey-lectures-winter/> > > Delivered earlier this year. > > In the section examining the history of Christmas, there is a wonderful > passage on the "Christmas Truce" of 1914: > > *"On the first Christmas of 1914, on impulse and in a totally > self-organized > way, the German and British troops along the Western Front chose to > celebrate Christmas by ceasing to fight, trading family photographs, > playing > games, and sharing what good cheer they could find. It was a kind of quiet > mutiny rising out of what had become a common Christmas culture throughout > Europe -- a popular movement on the part of the men, and greatly > discouraged > by the officers. It was completely out of order, it was completely > illegitimate -- and it was nearly universal on the Western Front...* > > *In every subsequent year of the war the general of both sides made > certain > that there would never be a renewal of the Christmas truce. They knew all > too well what the truce meant. However silly or even sordid the commercial > rites of the ever-more-secular Christmas had been in the soldiers' early > lives, it still represented values -- of community, family, renewal -- > that > were directly opposed to the murderous practice of mass warfare and to the > mad nationalism that had driven Western civilization to suicide." (p. > > 122-123)* > > Speaking of nationalism and warfare... The Harper government has > consistently sought to inject their vision of Canadian militarism into > major > sporting and cultural events. They have also poured money into telling > Canada's military history. Far from neutral commemorations, this > government > chooses to emphasize aspects and interpretations of history that serve > their > present-day ideological purposes. > > For example, in 2007, Harper took the opportunity of the 90th anniversary > of > the battle of Vimy > Ridge<http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2007/04/08/vimy-harper.html> > > to "draw a direct line between Canadian soldiers dying in Afghanistan and > the sacrifices of Canadians" in World War I. > > The process of tailoring history to suit the needs of the present is often > more subtle, and one way it works is by omission. So, in Harper's Canada, > there has been precious little official recognition of the Christmas > Truce. > > This is a shame, especially since last year the discovery of a Canadian > soldier's letter seemed to reveal that the holiday fraternizing between > troops from opposing trenches was, in fact, renewed after 1914. > > On December 30, 1916, 23-year-old Pte. Ronald MacKinnon wrote a letter > home > to his sister: > > http://www.canadianletters.ca/letters.php?letterid=7015 > <http://www.canadianletters.ca/letters.php?letterid=7015&warid=3&docid=1&col > lectionid=294> &warid=3&docid=1&collectionid=294 > > *"I had quite a good Xmas considering I was in the front line. Xmas eve > was > pretty stiff, sentry-go up to the hips in mud of course. . . . We had a > truce on Xmas Day and our German friends were quite friendly. They came > over > to see us and we traded bully beef for cigars."* > > One leading European academic called this letter a "fantastic find" that > proved the Christmas Truce phenomenon did not end in 1914 (despite the > best > efforts of both sides' officers). > > http://thevancouversun.tumblr.com/post/2394072161/the-christmas-truce-canadi > an-soldiers-letter-from> > > Those Christmases were rare days in the years-long slaughter that was > World > War I. Less than four months after that Christmas Truce of 1916, young > Ronald MacKinnon lay dead at Vimy Ridge. It seems to me that, if indeed we > really want to honour the millions killed in WWI and other senseless wars, > his last Christmas is worth remembering and celebrating. > > This year, some U.S. peace activists are petitioning Obama to declare a > Christmas ceasefire in Afghanistan (you can sign > here<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1439/p/dia/action/public/?action_K > EY=9071>). > > Unfortunately, our world is not *A Christmas Carol*, and the Harpers and > Obamas of the world will not be moved to have a change of heart, even > after > a reminder visit from the Ghost of Christmas Truces Past. In the real > world, > we can't count on the benevolence or generosity of the Scrooges; we can > only > work to remove them from power and replace their system with something > better. > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:laamn-unsubscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:laamn-subscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:laamn-dig...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:laamn-ow...@egroups.com?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:la...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/laamn@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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