Out and About (sort of): An Unforgettable Desert Christmas By Howard Freedlander

Christmas in the desert, prior to war. That’s where I was in 1990.

Our nation was preparing for what turned out to be the first of two Persian Gulf wars. The mobilization of American troops in Saudi Arabia was code-named Operation Desert Shield. Operation Desert Storm was to follow, in very quick order, in early 1991.

A lieutenant colonel then in the Maryland Army National Guard, I was accompanying media representatives covering two of our military police units, including one from Salisbury. The Pentagon was encouraging media coverage in order to build support back home for the impending combat.

Christmas day in the desert at a remote base near Dhahran was a very special time for me. I celebrated it with citizen-soldiers from the Salisbury unit, devoid of any decorations and gifts. Simplicity marked the sacred celebration.

I remember some occurrences that still make me smile. When I awoke on that Christmas day and went to find a bathroom, I ran into a soldier dressed like Santa Claus. When I looked at a nearby barracks, I saw a Christmas tree on the roof.

Why were these sightings important? The United States had agreed to display no holiday or religious icons in deference to the Muslim culture in Saudi Arabia. This restriction grated on American soldiers, who then were preparing to fight to save the host country from takeover by Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi dictator.

While our soldiers knew the rules, they chose not to follow them in quiet rebellion on behalf of a holiday so important to their souls and psyches.

I admired then and still do the ingenuity of the American soldier placed involuntarily in a foreign country with customs so opposed to what they knew at home. I was amazed that soldiers smuggled in a Christmas tree and Santa Claus costume I am not suggesting, however, that we didn’t abide by most of the restrictions.

Christmas already was to be vastly different in this rich Mideast country. No decorations. No gifts. Just a feeling of longing to be home with loved ones.

American troops in every branch of the military services have spent sacred holidays, children’s birthdays, family anniversaries and a slew of special events away from family.

It’s the norm when you serve your country.

Now back to the Christmas celebration in the desert. It was special to me, because I sat at a picnic table eating a barely tasteful MRE (Meal Ready to Eat), surrounded by desert flies—and soldiers joking and laughing while trying to celebrate a normally joyous holiday.

I will never forget the good cheer. I will never forget the resilience of the American soldier when separated from everything familiar to him or her.
The simplicity of Christmas in Saudi Arabia was unforgettable.