40 Powerful Photographs Of Soldiers Celebrating Christmas Miles Away From Home
Soldiers find a way to celebrate Christmas wherever they are in the world — whether it’s by having Santa leap from a helicopter, eating dinner off a jeep’s hood, or putting reindeer antlers on a tin helmet. Even in the midst of combat zones, carols will be sung, turkey will be carved, and presents will be unwrapped. It might not how you envision the festive season, but the remarkable ways the military always manages to mark the holidays are truly breathtaking.
1. It’s tiny, but it shouts, “Christmas!”
It’s Christmas Day 1967 on Hill 875 near the Dak To base in Vietnam. That sure is a long way from America, but these two G.I.s are determined to observe at least one tradition from back home — the traditional Christmas tree. It might be tiny, but it’s instantly recognizable as one of the holiday season’s most iconic symbols.
2. Airborne holly
This British Royal Air Force fighter pilot gets a seasonal makeover from a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. Just how comfortable a garland of spiky holly around the neck is might be open to question. But at least it’s firmly in the Christmas spirit. Let’s hope he made it back safely to the airfield during World War II.
3. Shopping for sparkles
This Australian soldier may have been miles from home in the streets of South Vietnam, but that clearly didn't stop him from getting into the festive spirit. And just like the stores back home, this street vendor's stall looks as though it was fit to bursting with glitzy decorations. So even in the midst of the brutal Vietnam War, this soldier may have been able to seek solace in suitably sparkly barracks.
4. Christmas in France
These are men of the British Expeditionary Force, the soldiers who were sent to support the French in 1939 in opposing Hitler’s invading army. This Christmas shot shows them enjoying a festive party. It’s fortunate they don’t know what the future holds. The British were overwhelmed by the German Blitzkrieg just a few months later, followed by the legendary Dunkirk evacuation.
