“I’m praying for a quiet Christmas day,” Petty Officer Torres sighed before the meeting began. Boson Johnson nodded in approval, “It’s not usually bad on Christmas day, it’s Christmas Eve and the 26th that things can get a little crazy.” Torres nodded in approval as the both waited for the meeting to start.
This was the year-end Coast Guard Station Galveston meeting, on December 16th, 2024. The members of my church and I were there to bring some simple gifts to the service members and wish them a Merry Christmas. You could see many of them were itching for the meeting to begin so that they could begin their Holiday celebrations. But for some in that room, their Christmas season would be spent standing watch in the barracks and station office in case an emergency arose. For Johnson this was nothing new, “I’ve stood the watch on Christmas day the past five years, I’m used to it by now.” I inquired if he ever had anything happen on those days. He nodded, “We’ve had everything from boat collisions, sinking ships, and drunken boaters to deal with, you never can tell what’s going to happen.” Both Johnson and Torres would be sharing the Christmas watch standing with others, they were from places like California, Florida, Massachusetts, Texas, and as far away as Guam and American Samoa.
The Master Chief started the meeting and it concluded with the gifts from Fairfield United Methodist Church being distributed. There was great excitement over the simplest and most humble of items. Cheers erupted when boxes of silverware, plates, and drinking cups were unwrapped (they usually had to bring their utensils while standing on duty for days on end). Shouts of acclamation occurred when a filtered water dispenser was opened up (the water on the base was notoriously gritty and unpopular, now they could have it filtered). Each Coastie received a stocking that had been stuffed by members of the Youth Group, inside was a cold weather beanie, a bottle of hot sauce, a travel game, a Christmas pastry, candy cane, a Christmas ornament, and a handwritten card from members of the church.
