Christmas In Combat Boots

This Christmas, please send up a special prayer for our servicemen and women who are sacrificing time with their families to serve us here at home. They deserve all of our respect and love, no matter what our political views may be or who is in office.

Not long after 9/11 and right before Christmas, our dad left for Iraq and was gone for months and months. Needless to say, he missed Christmas and it was the hardest experience of our family’s life at that point. Dad was not in the military but he willingly went and put himself in harm's way, even though it wasn’t in his “job description.” He was gone a short time compared to what many military families experience ALL THE TIME, but it was a real eye opener for the mums, me and Adrian. When people would ask where our dad was and we told them Iraq, MANY never even said "thank-you,""I hope he’s safe,""you must miss him"….nothing.

We girls (the mums, Adrian and I), went to a Christmas Eve party even though we weren't really feeling the holiday spirit. Everyone present at the party knew our dad was in Iraq and spent every night sleeping UNDER his bed for protection during the constant mortar attacks. No one asked how he was. No one asked if he was OK, alive, indifferent or even said I wish your dad could be here with us tonight. That sucked. It hurt and made us feel like dad’s sacrifice meant nothing to the people that were safe at home with their families.

But it was also a really good learning experience for us because it drove home the point of how military families across the world must feel on the holidays. So if you see someone in uniform, please go shake their hand. Give them a hug and tell them “thank-you” for serving our country. Pray for them and their families and know that the traumas and experiences they go through during the Holidays will forever remain with them. Servicemen and women are trained for war but that doesn't mean they aren't human and they feel emotion and sacrifice just like anyone else.

And to those families who had a loved one serve and never return home to you, you all made the ultimate sacrifice. We love you and are thinking of you this Christmas season and we hate what you're going through....thank you. 

Merry Christmas and THANK YOU to all our Military men and women from Buckaroo Barbie!!!

xo xo Liz and Adrian 

Photo Credit: buzzedition