A Truce of Sorts

 

It was Christmas Eve, 1914, and against all odds, peace broke all over the front lines in WWI.

It was not planned. No formal agreement had been reached. It was, as far as I can find out, two opposing side that needed a chance to collect and bury the dead. Then a miracle happened: Peace on Earth.

There are many stories about that truce. Some say that it began with one side singing Christmas carols and the other joining in. Others claim it was to collect the dead, and still others claim one brave soul stuck his head up and said “If you don’tshoot, we won’t either.” Very likely it is all of the above.

The front lines stretched for miles. Each unit reached an agreement with its opposing unit on its own. But the fact remains, during the war to end all wars, peace broke out, if only for a moment.

One German unit had a barber. He gave haircuts to men on both sides. Others traded trench art and souvenirs. Some units had communal meals with the enemy/friends. There is no proof the soccer match of legend took place. There is also no proof that it didn’t.

All of the participants in that moment of peace have since died. Some died in battle. Others lived through that war and the next, and died of old age, as all things must. It’s hard to think of the old men that we knew as WWI veterans as young men, but they were. They had the same hopes and fears that the modern soldiers have. I think most of all they wanted to have a time of peace and calm. A time to remember that there was a world that existed out side the front lines, the no man’s land and the trenches. They wanted to be boys again, if only for a moment.

The truce of 1914 was the only time this happened. By the next year orders were given that no one would “Fraternise” with the enemy. The war has taken it’s toll on humanity. Hopes that the war would end quickly had faded and all sides knew it would get worse before peace could be found. No one ever dreamed how bad it would really get.

So here we are one hundred years later. It is once again Christmas, and also once again we have troops deployed all over the world. It is unfortunate that we cannot hope for peace to break out.

I think I may have been born a couple of generations too late. I am foolish enough to have the hope for peace on Earth and goodwill to men. I think, maybe, that some of you out there in TAH lands are also.

I would like to take this moment to mention a few warriors who have been to hell and back this year by name . Feel free to add to the list in the comments.

Our own Mustang1stlt

My Son, Zachary Wilson AD3 USN

My friend, David Bells Spc4 USA Purple Heart Recipient.
Merry Christmas

Snoopy Vs, The Baron always makes me think of that truce.

Category: Politics