|
A
Soldier’s Silent Night
Twas the night before
Christmas, he lived all alone,
In a one bedroom house made of plaster and
stone.
I had come down the chimney with presents to give,
And just to see
who in this home did live.
I looked all about, a
strange sight I did see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No
stocking by the mantel, just boots filled with sand,
On the wall hung
pictures, of far distant lands.
With medals and badges, awards of all kinds,
A sober thought came through my mind.
For this house was
different, it was dark and dreary.
I found the home of a soldier, once I
could see clearly.
The soldier lay sleeping, silent, alone,
Curled up on
the floor in this one bedroom home.
The face was so gentle,
the room in such disorder,
Not how I pictured a United States soldier.
Was this the hero of whom I’d just read?
Curled up on a poncho, the
floor for a bed?
I realized the families that I saw this night,
Owed
their lives to these soldiers who were willing to fight.
Soon round the world,
the children would play,
And grownups would celebrate a bright Christmas
day.
They all enjoyed freedom each month of the year,
Because of the
soldiers, like the one lying here.
I couldn’t help wonder how many lay
alone,
On a cold Christmas eve in a land far from home.
The very thought brought
a tear to my eye,
I dropped to me knees and started to cry;
The soldier
awakened and I heard a rough voice,
“Santa don’t cry, this life is my
choice;
I fight for freedom, I don’t ask for more,
My life is my god, my
country, my corps.”
The soldier rolled over
and drifted to sleep,
I couldn’t control it, I continued to weep.
I kept
watch for hours, so silent and still,
And we both shivered from the cold
night’s chill.
I didn’t want to leave on that cold, dark, night,
This
guardian of honor so willing to fight.
Then the soldier rolled
over, with a voice soft and pure,
Whispered, “Carry on Santa, it’s Christmas
day, all is secure.”
One look at my watch, and I knew he was right.
“Merry Christmas my friend, and to all a good night.”
The Story Behind
The Recording of
"A Soldier's
Silent Night"
Father Ted
Berndt
was a priest at
Bread of Life
Charismatic Episcopal Church i
n Dousman, Wisconsin, a
proud Marine and a
WWII Purple Heart
recipient and my Dad.
We recorded "A Soldier's
Silent Night" two years
ago in one take, since
Dad was a former radio
guy in the '40's.
Our project received a national A.I.R.
(Achievement in Radio)
award from the March of Dimes
and was played on radio
stations across the United States.
This year, radio
listeners are hearing our project in
Ohio, Chicago, West Palm
Beach, Florida,
Detroit, Dallas and the
Fox Valley in
Wisconsin; as well as in
Milwaukee!
May "A Soldier's Silent
Night" transcend any
opinion about this war
or any war, and go deeper
to foster an
appreciation for the sacrifice
and courage of our
military and their families.
My father passed away on
March 19th, 2004,
after battling
pancreatic cancer. All he ever
wanted to do was to
touch lives...to make a difference.
We are blest to share
"A Soldier's Silent Night"
again, with you this
Christmas.
How The Words
Came To Be Written
The poem's author, James
M. Schmidt,
was a Lance Corporal
stationed in Washington, D.C.,
when he wrote the poem
back in 1986.
In Corporal Schmidt's
own words (December, 2002):
"The true story is that
while a Lance Corporal
serving as Battalion
Counter Sniper
at the Marine Barracks
8th & I, Washington, D.C.,
under Commandant P.X.
Kelly and
Battalion Commander D.J.
Myers (in 1986),
I wrote this poem to hang on the door of the
gym in the BEQ.
When Colonel Myers came upon it,
he read it and
immediately had copies sent to
each department at the
Barracks and promptly
dismissed the entire
Battalion early for
Christmas leave.
The poem was placed that day
in the Marine Corps
Gazette, distributed worldwide
and later submitted to
Leatherneck Magazine."
Schmidt's original
version, entitled "Merry Christmas,
My Friend," was
published in Leatherneck
(Magazine of the
Marines) in December, 1991.
As Leatherneck wrote of
the poem's author in 2003:
A Soldier's
Silent Night
Father Ted
Berndt
This page is a free site. and the music on this
page was recorded
by the owner. This music is for personal use only. Under no
circumstances is this music to be used for commercial purposes
in any
form whatsoever. Please support the artists by purchasing
their
music.
NOTICE
If you or someone else deserves credit
for anything
on this site, or if anything here should not be
presented
for any reason, please let me know immediately
and I will promptly take care
of it.Mercy Once Again
by Recent Rainfall
|
