Bob Hope famously observed, “My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?”[1]

Phil asked for and received a long pass for the Christmas season. He felt that would help mend his broken heart. He remembered the chaplain’s advice after talking about how Mary Katherine broke up with him: “Don’t let it shatter your heart. The choice is really up to you.”

Phil repeatedly wondered if he could have done anything differently with her, but he could think of nothing.

And then he began to think about all the positives that had happened between them. He had learned to ride again and love again. He had started to process his emotions about the war, the horrors he had seen and experienced.

That’s when Phil realized that the time they were together had been good. Very  good. And he began to feel thankful, truly thankful for what Mary Katherine and her family had done for him.

His moods improved even more once he spent a few days with Ross, who was out of the hospital in Nashville, and then was back home in Memphis. He stayed with his parents and spent time with old friends and buddies—especially Bill O’Bannon and Luke McLaurine.

Christmas was always his favorite season of the year, and he was ready to enjoy an old-fashioned family Christmas. After two severely cold and bitter winters on the European front, being home for Christmas was an answered prayer.

Phil’s mother told him she had arranged what she hoped would be an extra special Christmas surprise for him—dinner at the Peabody Hotel on Friday, December 21, with a special friend from the past.

She refused to tell him who it was—no hints whatsoever, adding to the mystery by saying, “Oh, and be sure to wear your full-dress uniform.”

This request left him wondering if he would be seeing one of his buddies from the war. He hoped the special guest was Ross Calvert. But why the dress uniform? Did that mean Colonel McGarr and even General O’Daniel would be coming for a visit?

He would have to wait a week to find out.[1]

~~~~~

[1] Larimore, At First Light, 293-294.

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