Subritzky's Night Before Christmas

(Afghanistan War 2001)

'Twas the night before Christmas

and all through the fleet

the engines were thumping

like an eagle's heartbeat.

Our ships were on station

with interlocked arcs

making sure that no terrorists

slipped past in the dark.

The missiles were stowed

below decks with great care

just in case Mullah Omar

or Bin Laden were near.

The Ensigns and JG's

were tucked in their racks

with visions of blondes

and Budweiser six-packs.

And Jay in his watch cap

and I in my shorts

had turned in for the night

after checking Target Reports.

Then just as I dozed

there arose such a clatter

I reached for a flashlight

to check out the matter.

When 'Lo and Behold'

at the foot of the hatch

sat a fat, bearded, old guy

trying to strike on a match.

He was dressed head to boot

in red combat fatigues

with Afghani dust

on his trousers and sleeves.

"Yo Shipmate!" he called

"Can you show me some light,

I'm just back from the Sharp End,

what a hell of a night!"

There's Berets and Marines

in the T - Bora Range

and they're fighting Al Qaeda

and all that remains.

You can speak of those Taliban

killers in past tense,

they all changed their minds,

and they've plum jumped the fence.

The first of those terrorist

strongholds to fall,

was Kabul, and then virtually

all of the North.

The B52's then

pounded their ass

leaving no place to hide,

so they scuttled South fast.

At Kandahar city

they would fight to a man

but as soon as the US

Marines came to hand.

They fled to the hills

and left all of their shit

there's even a video

of Bin Laden's murderous hit.

So it's just T - Bora caves

that are left with these pests

and then you and your Shipmates

can take a long rest.

Then; with a wink in his eye

and a twist of his head

he reached deep in his seabag

and withdrew a small keg.

"It's a fifth of Jack Daniels

and I'll split it with you

the Marines got the C Rats,

the ammo, and food."

So we chugged from that keg

for a minute or two

then the old guy said

"Sailor, I've gotta shoot through."

"I'll be on the 'Teddy'

until this side of dawn

there's a whole lot of Ships

to visit before morn."

Then raising his right hand

to the side of his head

he saluted, said "Get Some!

and pay for our dead!"

And down near the fantail

I heard soft bells and hooves

then his bullet holed sleigh

lifted slowly astern.

But I heard him exclaim

as he rode out of sight.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS BLUE JACKET!

AND TO THE FLEET A GOOD NIGHT!"

©Mike Subritzky

NEW ZEALAND 2001

Proud to have served with:

VXE6 Squadron, US Navy, Antarctica 1973

Dedicated to all those US Navy personal who served in harm's way during the Afghanistan War 2001, and especially the Officers and Sailors aboard:

USS ANTIETAM,

USS COMSTOCK,

USS DUBUQUE,

USS JOHN C. STENNIS,

USS JOHN PAUL JONES, and

USS PRINCETON

out of California who I sent the news to every day for two years.