Military Christmas Days since the end of the Cold War are listed by columnist Austin Bay, who kindly emailed me the link.

Anyone who has ever worn a uniform and spent the Christmas holidays guarding the motor pool, flying a mission or dodging bullets cannot help but recognize our soldiers' sacrifice and applaud their commitment.

The personal burden is real. At the moment two friends of mine are deployed in Kuwait. Another recently completed a tour in Afghanistan. A couple of Decembers ago I received a letter from a friend who mentioned that her brother-in-law, an Air Force air rescue pilot, was on his way back to the Balkans. She wrote: "My brother-in-law spends probably 70 percent of the year away from home." . . .

There are a many Americans spending the holidays flying missions, clearing mines, doing the tough tasks in the hard corners. This Christmas and New Year's, let us salute their dedication.

Yes, indeed.