My Favorite Christmas
Published on December 25, 2025
Every year some friends and I get together for lunch right before the Christmas holiday. Last year at our get together we were discussing the coming holiday and reminiscing about past Christmases. Everyone agreed the best Christmases were when we were kids and the holiday was magical. Several of the guys mentioned the special gifts they got and how excited they were receiving them. I hadn’t said much when I was asked what my favorite Christmas memory was and got a lot of strange stares when I said 1969 in Viet Nam. So, I had to tell them this story.
We flew every day in Viet Nam, even Saturday and Sunday and most holidays. It was difficult to figure out what day it was since we didn't have radio, TV or newspapers. The only clue we had was on Sunday when a bowl of Malaria pills would appear in the mess hall. There were two only days we didn't fly, during Tet and Christmas. Not flying Christmas day was not much of a gift since it did little more than provide the Marines a lot of free time to mope around and feel sad about being separated from their families and friends. A few days before Christmas a call went out for volunteers to fly on Christmas day. Since I had already spent a Christmas in Viet Nam I knew what to expect and I readily volunteered to fly that day knowing it was better than lying around doing nothing. Besides, I loved to fly. They knew that I could be called upon to fly in an emergency situation no matter the time, day or night. I got one of my good friends to fly copilot, although reluctantly. I wasn't told what the mission would be but suspected I would be flying the Pardre from base to base to conduct Christmas services. Not exactly an exciting assignment, but it was flying.
Shortly after noon on Christmas day my copilot and I headed out to the flight line. Our aircraft was parked on the tarmac and right next to it was a Huey painted in red and white candy stripes. Things were starting to look interesting. Then I noticed a Marine in the door of the Huey in what had to have been the worst Santa Claus costume I had ever seen, but it got the idea across.
We were briefed that our mission was to take hot Christmas meals and cold drinks to the small outposts that dotted the area. The outposts were usually manned by no more than six Marines, and their normal fare was C rations and water for three meals a day every day. They began loading the food which was inside stainless steel insulated containers into our helo. The hot meals included turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie; a feast in those days. There were also cold beers and sodas in a large tub filled with ice. Three things that were very rare in country. We were given a list of the many outposts we were going to visit and took off. Since it was a day of truce no one was up on their radios so it was the job of the Huey to make low passes over the outposts to rouse the residents. It wasn’t long before the Marines were up on their radio and outside waving at Santa, smiles on their faces. l landed and we began off loading the goodies. I will never forget the look of pure joy on the faces of those Marines that day, not just because of the food, but because someone had remembered them on Christmas. We finished visiting several outposts and then went back to the base to refuel and pick up another load. We flew most of that day and in fact got back too late to partake in our own Christmas supper. No one cared. After we parked the helicopter my crew got together inside the aircraft and had our Christmas dinner of C-rations and water while discussing our mission. It was clear that the everyone was elated that we were able to bring a small bit of happiness to our fellow Marines that day.
When we got back to the base we went to the Officers Club to join up with our squadron mates. There was a special USO show from Australia playing in the club that day, but they were so bad no one was really paying attention. They all wanted to know where we had been all day and what we had done. When I told them, they were all envious, wishing they had been the ones to volunteer.
And that is why whenever someone asks me about my most memorable Christmas Day was I always say Viet Nam, 1969.
Merry Christmas,
Anthony J. Garcia, USNA 1964
Lt. Col. USMC (ret.)
Lt. Col. USMC (ret.)