Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 363

Today in World War II History—November 27, 1939 & 1944

Secretary of State Cordell Hull, September 1944 (US Department of State)

75 Years Ago—Nov. 27, 1939: Nobel Committee announces cancellation of 1939 Peace Prize. Japanese capture Nanning, China, an important railhead. An earthquake of magnitude 8 kills over 20,000 in Erzhcam, Turkey.

70 Years Ago—Nov. 27, 1944: Aircraft from British carrier Implacable sinks German freighter Rigel carrying 2248 Soviet POWs; 415 survive. Cordell Hull resigns as US Secretary of State.

Today in World War II History—November 26, 1939 & 1944

B-24 Liberators of the US 491st Bombardment Group.

75 Years Ago—Nov. 26, 1939: Soviets shell Mainila, Russia and claim the Finns did it, to justify their upcoming invasion of Finland.

70 Years Ago—Nov. 26, 1944: US 491st Bombardment Group loses 16 of 28 B-24 Liberators over Misburg, Germany in only 15 minutes.

Cheer for the Children – Tips to Give a Military Kid a Merry Christmas

Christmas can be a difficult time for the children of deployed members of the military. The holiday focus on family, tradition, and home highlights the fact that a beloved family member isn’t home, traditions may be disrupted, and the child may be in a new and unfamiliar town, far from friends and extended family.

As Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman, and I wrote Where Treetops Glisten, we were struck by how hard Christmas can be for deployed service members and their families back home. On November 11, Tricia Goyer shared “Send Cheer to a Soldier.” On November 18, Cara Putman shared “Spread Love This Holiday Season to Military Spouses.” Since my novella features six-year-old Linnie Kessler, who lost her father in the early days of World War II and desperately wants a new daddy, I wanted to focus on ways we can help military kids at Christmastime.

First…our publisher, WaterBrook Multnomah, has a BOGO offer that ends tomorrow, November 26, 2014! Buy a copy of Where Treetops Glisten and receive a FREE book for your favorite soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine!

Buy a copy of Where Treetops Glisten by Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman, and Sarah Sundin from your favorite retailer, and pick another WaterBrook Multnomah book FREE from the approved list of available titles: Where Treetops Glisten, The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons, Radical by David Platt, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson, and Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer. We will match one for one, up to five books per order and address, while supplies last. You must purchase your copy of Where Treetops Glisten from a retailer between November 11, 2014 and November 26, 2014 (11:59pm PT) and FILL OUT THE FORM by November 26, 2014 (11:59pm PT) in order to receive your free book(s). The free book(s) will be shipped separately from your purchased order and will arrive by December 19, 2014. Open to U.S. residents only with a valid U.S. street address. You must be 18 years or older to participate.

Cheer for the Children

When I started writing this article, I asked my Facebook friends for ideas, and I was touched and overwhelmed by the stories they shared. Some had grown up with a parent in the military, and some were current or former military spouses. All had a recurring theme—Christmas is hard when Dad or Mom is deployed, and providing support, strong connections to the deployed parent, and a solid sense of family tradition can help the child feel loved and secure. There are two sets of tips—for parents of military children, and for civilians who want to bless military kids in the community.

Tips for Parents of Military Children

Record a Story: Jocelyn Green, author of Faith Deployed and Faith Deployed…Again , suggested making audio or video recordings of the deployed parent reading Christmas stories for the child to listen to over and over. Jocelyn also has a ministry to military wives on her website.
Record Carols: Michelle Ule, who served as a Navy wife for 21 years, suggested Dad record himself singing Christmas carols. These would be fun to use for an improvised family sing-along. Michelle wrote a touching blog article about her experiences as a military wife – “The Challenge of a Father in Uniform.”
Gifts & Cards: Michelle Ule’s husband left behind wrapped gifts to be opened at Christmas, and he mailed Christmas cards. Jocelyn Green also stressed the beauty of written letters and postcards, even in the day of emails and Facebook.
Art Project: After Christmas, have the children make an art project or scrapbook page about their celebration to send to the deployed parent—a great idea from Jocelyn Green.
Skype the Festivities: What a blessing Skype, Facetime, and other technological wonders have been! Military wife Becca Pekrul was in Germany while her husband was in Iraq, and her children loved opening gifts while Skyping with their grandparents back in the States.
Trace Hands: Jericha Kingston, a 20-year Navy wife, wrote: “He’d try to ship gifts to the boys, but one year, the best my husband could do was trace his hand on two pieces of paper and write, ‘I love you, Merry Christmas’ on each of them. I still remember the boys placing their little hands atop of their dad’s ‘paper hand.’ I’m getting misty just thinking about it.”
Consistent Traditions: Kassidy Childers wrote, “One thing military families know is change and a lot of it, so anything that is familiar makes the situation easier to handle.” She suggested consistent traditions like certain movies and Christmas pajamas. Vickie Jones, who served in the military herself, always sent home a “Night Before Christmas” box with the book, jammies, and a mug for hot chocolate. When military child Kay Moorhouse was ten, her mother told her they wouldn’t have a Christmas tree since all the decorations were in storage. Kay was devastated, found a tiny pine tree, twisted it off at the trunk, and brought it home. A strong reminder of a child’s need for stability and tradition.
Celebrate Again: Brenda Foster, a current military wife with young children, wrote: “We’ve learned to celebrate holidays when we’re together with family, not always when the calendar tells us.” So…celebrate on December 25, then again when Daddy comes home!
Collect Memories: Brenda also wrote, “We make traditions wherever we go and collect ornaments from everywhere we visit and wherever their daddy travels to.” These unique souvenirs help create a special sense of family.

Tips for Civilians

Gifts: Many of my friends mentioned money being tight in military families. Annie Atkinson suggested asking the deployed parent what the child would like for Christmas and giving it to them. Richard Boyd, Patti Smith, and Jocelyn Green suggested gift cards to help buy gifts and groceries, and also fun things like movie tickets.
Night Out Event: Jocelyn Green encourages churches to organize nights out with child care or a fun event for the children and giving the home front parent free time to shop, decorate, or relax.
For the Boys: If Dad is deployed, the boys miss out on daddy things. Michelle Ule appreciated it when men took her son out for “man-time,” including things like building doghouses. Likewise, if Mom is deployed, some “girl-time” would be a wonderful gift for the daughters.
Shopping Time: Michelle Ule also suggested that civilians take military kids out shopping to buy gifts for the home front parent. This doubles as a gift of free time for that parent!
Dinner Invites: Richard Boyd suggested adopting a military family. Invite them over to dinner, share some gifts, and make new friends.
A Touch of Home: Sometimes the kids themselves are deployed overseas. Jessica Reno suggested sending them uniquely American things, like candy you can only buy in the States, those things from home they miss most.
Pictures: When Kathy Boyd Fellure was in England with her Air Force husband, her favorite gift was a box of childhood photos from her grandparents. Kathy said, “My husband, children, and I spent hours laughing and looking at my six sisters, my parents and grandparents. I was so homesick. It was the perfect gift of my lifetime.”
Just Have Fun: Former military child Megan Wilson shared her favorite Christmas memory: “The neighborhood teenagers would help decorate the house and dance around the house to Christmas music.” Simply being there for military families can be the best gift of all.

What can you do to brighten Christmas for a military child this year?

Today in World War II History—November 25, 1944

Lt. Gen. Mark Clark

70 Years Ago—Nov. 25, 1944: German V-2 rocket hits Woolworth department store in London, killing 168. Nazis demolish crematoria and gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Gen. Mark Clark named to command 15th Army Group (Allied Armies in Italy); Gen. Lucian Truscott to replace him over US Fifth Army.

Today in World War II History—November 24, 1939 & 1944

Allied 6th Army Group front, 26 November 1944. (US Army Center of Military History)

75 Years Ago—Nov. 24, 1939: Gestapo execute 120 Czech students accused of participating in anti-Nazi conspiracy.

70 Years Ago—Nov. 24, 1944: US B-29 Superfortresses bomb Tokyo for the first time. Japanese capture Nanning, completing a land corridor between occupied China and Indo-China. In controversial decision, Gen. Eisenhower orders 6th Army Group not to cross Rhine but to drive north and assist Patton’s Third Army.

Today in World War II History—November 23, 1939 & 1944

75 Years Ago—Nov. 23, 1939: Britain begins rationing bacon and butter. US celebrates Thanksgiving after Roosevelt moved holiday from last to second-to-last Thursday to extend the Christmas shopping season. Macy’s parade first features Superman balloon.

70 Years Ago—Nov. 23, 1944: French First Army takes Strasbourg, France. United States celebrates Thanksgiving. Read more about Thanksgiving in World War II, including the controversy over changing the dates.

Today in World War II History—November 22, 1944

Men of US 5th Infantry Division in Metz, France 18 November 1944 (US Army Center of Military History)

70 Years Ago—Nov. 22, 1944: US Third Army takes crucial town of Metz, France. Movie premiere of Meet Me in St. Louis, starring Judy Garland, in St. Louis, MO; the movie features the song “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

Today in World War II History—November 21, 1939 & 1944

Japanese battleship Kongo, 1937

75 Years Ago—Nov. 21, 1939: In Firth of Forth, cruiser HMS Belfast seriously damaged by mine (now a museum ship in London).

70 Years Ago—Nov. 21, 1944: Near Formosa, submarine USS Sealion II sinks the Kongo, the only Japanese battleship sunk by a sub. US Seventh and French First Armies enter Alsatian plain in France.

Today in World War II History—November 20, 1939 & 1944

75 Years Ago—Nov. 20, 1939: First mines are dropped in the Thames River by German aircraft.

70 Years Ago—Nov. 20, 1944: US Sixth War Loan Drive starts. US Eighth Army secures Mapia Islands in East Indies, to be used for radar stations.

Today in World War II History—November 19, 1939 & 1944

French tanks in Huningue, France (US Army Center of Military History)

75 Years Ago—Nov. 19, 1939: Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist Chinese forces begin winter offensive. Baseball player Joe DiMaggio marries Dorothy Arnold in San Francisco.

70 Years Ago—Nov. 19, 1944: French troops reach the Rhine at Rosenau—first Allied troops to reach the Rhine, but on too narrow a front. Albanian partisans liberate capitol of Tirana as Germans evacuate.