Thor’s Hall

Merry Christmas

This was so cool when it came out.  There was no way that Nesmith could make the time to reunite with The Monkees for the anniversary tour and hype, etc.  But they were able to pry him away.

Why are you here?  Go enjoy the holiday without the computer.

I hope you are enjoying the day with family and friends.  Get away from the computer and be with your family.

Merry Christmas

Christmas for the Commandos in Afghanistan was always going to be different – but no one could have predicted just how different.

One minute they were singing carols at dusk beneath a mellow sun in the baked bare wasteland of Helmand province while wearing festive Santa hats, the next they were firing mortars after their Christmas Day service came under attack from the Taliban.

So rapid was the reaction of Royal Marines of 40 Commando that within less than a minute of the first “contact” from the Taliban’s machine guns, they had sprinted the 200 metres to their mortar lines and had begun to return fire. And as these remarkable pictures show, such was the urgency there was no time to change their festive head gear into helmets and for 45 minutes they mortared Taliban positions with their ear defenders over their floppy bright red hats – and in one case a Christmas tree hat complete with coloured baubles.  A helmet with reindeer antlers and bells was left on the ground in the rush.

Once the skirmish was over – and with no British casualties – the men and women calmly resumed their carol service in virtual darkness around the simple war memorial at Forward Operating Base Inkerman in northern Helmand.

Life on the tip of the spear.

Every year Christmas brings a myrid of emotions for me, and as a result I try to head down the lighter side of things.  Hence the “lighter” content recently.

For those of you that are home today – get away from the computer and spend sometime with your friends and family.  If they are not close, pick up the phone and make that connection.

For those away from home today – I have been there, and know the feelings that go along with that.  There is very little lonlier than walking a post or being on patrol in the cold and dark trying to stay focused on the threats around you when you would like nothing more than to be warm, and with your friends and family.  For you, stay sharp, stay focused, and stay as safe as is reasonable given the conditions.

Merry Christmas folks.