by Laurie Singer

There were many Christmases when Leroy was away. War and human suffering never use a calendar, and he covered so many of those events in his career.

I remember when he came home from the Gulf War in the early 90's. We were living in Miami then. The holidays had come and gone, but not in our house.

I picked him up at the airport, tired, war weary. But when he walked through our door at home, there was a palm tree decorated in lights and ornaments. The stocking his grandmother had made for him when he was a little boy hung on the door knob, filled with chocolate. Turkey and stuffing and pecan pie. That was dinner that night.

Christmas came a little late that year. But it was Christmas just the same.

I'm glad I have those memories now.