I wanted to share a photo with you all that was sent to one of our Ride Captains. Although I have permission to use it here, I do not know the name of the person who took it. Please respect their copyright.
We attended services for both Daniel Olsen, whose headstone is in the foreground, and Johnathan Benson, in the background. The photo was taken at Fort Snelling National Cemetery not long before the Wreaths Across America mission. The photo speaks for itself.
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A Soldier's Silent Night
The link below is to a poem written by James M. Schmidt in 1986, when he was a Lance Corporal stationed in Washington, D.C. Schmidt's original version, entitled "Merry Christmas, My Friend," was published in Leatherneck (Magazine of the Marines) in December, 1991.
Over the years the text of "Merry Christmas, My Friend," has been altered to change Marine-specific wording into Army references, including the title, since U.S. Marines do not refer to themselves as soldiers.
The narrator, Father Ted Berndt, was a priest at Bread of Life Charismatic Episcopal Church in Dousman, Wisconsin. Father Ted passed away on March 19th, 2004, after battling pancreatic cancer. He was a proud Marine and a WWII Purple Heart recipient.
To all those who serve or have served, in every branch of the military...and to all of you in the Patriot Guard...best wishes during the holidays, and thank you.
A SOLDIER'S SILENT NIGHT
