TWAS MIDNIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

HIS UNIT HAD WORKED HARD

THROUGH THICK AND THROUGH THIN

TO FIGHT THIS SADDAM

AND OSAMA AND WIN

 

PRIOR NIGHT HAD BEEN HEATED

BY BATTLES DESPAIR

BUT TONIGHT WAS TO BE DIFFERENT

THE SEABEES JUST COMPLETED

A REINFORCED PATROL

NO ENEMY WAS SPOTTED

SEABEES AGAIN IN CONTROL

 

OF ALL PROPERTY AND SIGHT

AS GENERAL ORDERS RELAY

THE LONE SEABEE ON WATCH

THE CHIEF WAS THE LAST

TO ADDRESS HIS SEABEE,

“HANG IN THERE ‘TIL DAWN

KEEP YOUR EYES AND EARS OPEN

AND YOUR WITS ON THESE GROUNDS

YOU’RE A SEABEE ON GUARD

COMPLETE WITH LIVE ROUNDS

 

I KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS EVE

THE LUCK OF THE DRAW

I NEED SOMEONE HERE GOOD

THE BEST WITHOUT FLAW”

 

ON WENT THOSE GOGGLES

WHERE EVERYTHING TURNS GREEN

THE SEABEE ON WATCH LOOKED BAD

HE REALLY LOOKED MEAN!

 

WITH OTHER SEABEES IN TOTO

OFF THE CHIEF WENT

BACK TO BASE CAMP

ALL TIRED AND SPENT

 

THE LONE SEABEE ON WATCH

TESTED BY BATTLE

OWNED THE DARK NIGHT

NERVES DIDN’T RATTLE

 

SECONDS TURNED TO MINUTES

MINUTES INTO AN HOUR

STILL THE SEABEE STOOD WATCH

HIS HEART DID NOT SOUR

 

THEN AT ZERO ONE

LIKE A SCUD MISSLE

AN IDEA HIT HOME HARD,

“CHRISTMAS WAS OFFICIAL”

 

YET, THOUGH FAR AWAY

WITH LOVED ONES BACK HOME

HIS BUDDIES BACK ASLEEP

HE’D STILL NOT BEMOAN

 

ABOUT WHY HE WAS HERE

ATOP A DESERT MOUND

IN FACT IT BECAME CLEAR

WHY SEABEES WERE AROUND

 

HELPING THOSE WISHING FREEDOM

WHO’VE BEEN OPPRESSED

UNSHACKLING THEIR CHAINS

FROM REGIMES TURNED OBSESSED

 

IT’S NOT THE DESERT

CAUSING FREEDOM’S THIRST

WE’RE JUST NOW LEARNING

IT’S OK TO STRIKE FIRST

 

SO FOR AN HOUR THIS WENT ON

TURNING RYHME INTO REASON

LENDING CREDENCE TO SEABEES 

BUT THEN AROUND ZERO TWO

SOMETHING DID CHANGE

THE SEABEE SAW A LIGHT

WHICH FLICKERED DOWNRANGE

 

ABOVE THE HORIZON

OR WHAT ONE CAN BE IN THE DARK

LIKE PETER PAN’S TINKER BELL

‘TWAS AGLOW WITHOUT BARK

 

THIS LITTLE LIGHT VENTURED CLOSER

STILL TIMID AND REMOTE

SO OUR SEABEE RADIOED IN

TAKING TIME TO DENOTE

 

THERE WAS THIS STRANGE SPARKLE

IN HOOSIER, DOWN YONDER WAY

IT WAS HARD TO DESCRIBE

TWASN’T A SEABEE, NO WAY!

 

BUT THE SPARKLE ITSELF

WAS LEAVING A TRAIL

LIKE A RUDDERLESS BOAT

BOBBING WITHOUT SAIL

 

SO THE SEABEE TOOK CHANCE

IN ORDER BETTER TO SEE

TO SEE WHAT THIS SPARKLE

THIS SPARKLE MIGHT BE

 

OFF WENT THE GOGGLES

AT FIRST THINGS TURNED ALL BLACK

BUT SOON SIGHT RETURNED

YUP, CAME RIGHT BACK

 

AND THERE BEYOND MEASURE

WITHOUT NOISE WITHOUT SOUND

DEEP IN THE HEART

THE SEABEE’S CHRISTMAS WAS FOUND

 

RIGHT UNDER OUR RADAR

AND OUR SATTALITE’S VISION

WAS A VEHICLE OF HOPE

REPLETE WITH PROVISION

 

NO CHALLENEGE WAS OFFERED

NO PASSWORD WAS NEEDED

ONLY JOY WAS PROFFERED

A NEW CHRISTMAS WAS SEEDED

 

IT LOOKED LIKE A TRAIN

CUDDLED WITH KEPT FUR

WITH THESE ANTLER LEGGED THINGS

THAT’D MAKE NAVY SEALS PUR

 

YES, THERE WAS RUDOLPH

TRUE TO STORY’S DELIGHT

AGAIN HE HAD TO HELP

THESE REINDEER UNTIL BRIGHT

 

OUT FROM THE BACK

A CABOSE DRESSED AS SLEIGH

ROSE THIS JOLLY BIG FELLA

MY GOD WHAT’D HE WEIGH?

 

ALL DRESSED IN NIGHT CAMMIES

ALL CHALKED AND WELL KEPT

HE WAS ALL FULL OF GLEE

THOUGH HE’D NOT YET SLEPT

 

“HO, HO THERE FELLOW SEABEE,

WHY DON’T LOOK SURPRISED

I’VE BEEN OUT DOING RECON

MY REAL OUTFIT THEY’D DESPISE

 

YOU’RE MY LAST STOP

AND I’VE SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST

BECAUSE YOU’VE REMEBERED THE TRUTH

YOU’VE REMEMBERED MY PAST

 

“ABOUT WHAT I’M ABOUT

JUST MORE THAN BEING NAMED NICK

FOR SOME I’M A SAINT

FOR OTHER’S I’M A – RICHARD”

 

“I NEVER ASKED FOR THIS HONOR

FOR SUCH A STORY TO UNFOLD

WHY IF IT WAS ME WITH JUST DONNER

I’D BE WITH MY WIFE BEING BOLD!”

 

“YOU’RE OUT ON YOUR WATCH

PULLING TIME CHRISTMAS EVE

BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW

I’VE GOT SOMETHING UP MY SLEAVE”

 

“A SEABEE DOES HIS DUTY

REGARDLESS OF PLACE OR CLIME

EVEN MARINES BECOME SEABEES

WHEN GOD GRANTS ENOUGH TIME”

 

“BUT ALL CANDOR ASIDE

I KNOW THAT TIME IS PRESSING

YOU’VE BEEN TASKED BY THE LORD

WITH THIS IMPORTANT BLESSING”

 

“MOST ANGELS HAVE WINGS

GOD GAVE ME REINDEER

I FLY ACROSS EARTH

PROFFERING CHRIST’S CHEER”

 

“THAT DEEP WITHIN US ALL

IS A WELL WHICH RUNS DEEP

SOMETIMES IT GETS CRACKED

SOMETIMES IT DOES SEEP”

 

“SOMETIMES IT CRIES OUT

AND WE HURT AND WE WEEP

SOMETIMES WE SEEK VENGENCE

FOR AN ILL FLOWN OUR WAY

SOMETIMES WE SEEK JUSTICE

TO MAKE THOSE ONES PAY

SOMETIMES WE TAKE AIM

AT THOSE WE NEED MOST

FORGETTING THE LOVE

BESTOWED BY OUR HOST”

 

“NEVER FORGET DEAR SEABEE

THAT WHAT YOU DO HERE

ENSURES OUR WAY OF LIFE

THAT WE HOLD TO BE DEAR”

 

“AND AS A TOKEN OF TRUTH

FROM MY SLEAVE I RETRIEVE

A ROUND OF RESILIANCE

THAT YOUR METTLE RECEIVE”

 

“NEVER GIVE UP HOPE

NEVER GIVE UP THE FIGHT

NEVER LOSE SCOPE

WHAT YOU’RE DOING IS RIGHT”

 

AND THEN OFF HE WENT

ALONG WITH DONNER AND BLITZEN

COMET AND CUPID AND WELL -

HIS ELVES THAT WERE SPRITZEN

 

THE SEABEE ON WATCH  STOOD FROZEN

RIGHT THERE ON HARD GROUND

NOT SURE WHAT HAD HAPPENED

WERE ANY OTHER SEABEES AROUND?

 

THE SEABEE ON WATCH  LOOKED

GAZING TO THE STARY SKY

ASKING TO HIMSELF,

“COME ON NOW, LORD, WHY”?

 

YET, THE ANSWER HAD COME FORTH

AND IT HAD TURNED ZERO THREE

THE CHIEF WAS HEARD COMING

SURELY HE DID SEE?

 

BUT, IT REALLY DIDN’T MATTER

FOR CHRISTMAS HAD CAME

IN A WAY NEVER IMAGINED

LIFE COULD NEVER BE THE SAME

 

STILL THREE HOURS TO GO

THE SEABEE’S WATCH HALFWAY THROUGH

ALL OLD THOUGHTS BECAME EMPTY

FRESHNESS WAS NOW ANEW

 

ALL THAT HAD BEEN EARNED

FROM EARLY YOUTH UNTIL NOW

HAD GONE BY THE WAYSIDE

WITH SUCH POWER AND HOW

 

FOREVER STANDING DUTY

TAKING CHARGE OF ASSIGNED GROUND

THE SEABEES WILL BUILD AND FIGHT

OUR RESOLVE FIRMLY BOUND

 

“NO MATTER WHERE TERROR MAY HIDE

IN THE DEPTHS WHERE YOU LURK

WE WILL CONFRONT YOU WITH TRUTH

AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU HURT

 

WE WILL NEVER BACK DOWN

WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU BLEED

WE WILL SURELY MAKE CERTAIN

THAT YOU WILL NEVER SUCCEED”

 

FOR THE SEABEE ON WATCH LEARNED

WHAT HAS TO AVOIDED

IS LETTING FEAR BE OUR FOE

A WEAKNESS TO BE EXPLOITED

 

FEAR WE WILL MASTER

FROM IT GREAT STRENGTH WILL ARISE

IT IS OUR KEY WEAPON

TO CAUSE TERROR’S DEMISE

 

IT’S BEEN A YEAR NOW

FROM THIS VERY DAY

WHEN OUR SEABEE STOOD WATCH

AND HE CONTINUES TO PRAY

 

THAT THIS WAR ONE DAY END

THIS WAR THAT’S ON TERROR

FOR BY NOW WE HAVE LEARNED

IT IS WAGED NOT IN ERROR

 

AND SO MY MILITARY FRIENDS

THIS IS A CONTINUING STORY

ABOUT A SEABEE STANDING WATCH

AND HIS CHIRSTMAS GLORY

 

IN NO CERTAIN TERMS

CAN WE PREDICT THE FUTURE

WHAT IT MAY BRING

WHERE WE MAY BE A SUTURE

 

WHERE SEABEES WILL BE CALLED

TO EXERCISE THEIR TRADE

TO DEFEND RIGHT FROM WRONG

WITH SUCH SHARPENED BLADE

 

TO ALL WHO SERVE OUR NATION

NO MATTER WHERE YE MAY BE

WE SEABEES “HOE-HOE” WISH YOU,

“A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO THEE”

 LPC 2002-2003