Christmas Cookies

Chapter One

Twenty-eight days before Christmas I found myself in a remote, fortified camp in what seemed to be a million miles from nowhere. I am Lieutenant Eric Steiger, United States Navy, and I command a mixed unit of Marines and Navy SEALs. Our mission is to gather intelligence on arms being transported from Iran into Afghanistan.

"Hey, Lieutenant. The supply helo is about ten minutes out. Do you have anything that needs to go back to headquarters?" Chief Petty Officer Thomas Kincaid asked, as he entered my make shift office.

"Yeah", I replied. Grabbing a sealed envelope I placed it into a document pouch, zipped it shut and activated the lock. "Come on. I'll walk up to the landing zone with you."

"I sure hope there's mail on this bird. It's been hard on the men, not getting anything from home for the past few weeks, especially this close to Christmas", the chief said as we walked up to the LZ.

"Hope so, too. Morale is suffering without it", I responded.

Just as we arrived at the LZ the familiar 'whaump, whaump, whaump' sound of the helicopter's main rotor signaled its arrival. As soon as it touched down, the pilot killed the engine and he and the co-pilot climbed down to stretch their legs after the long flight from the carrier cruising a hundred or so miles off the coast.

When he saw me, he reached back into the cockpit and retrieved a similar pouch to the one I was holding. Once we exchanged the bags I asked about mail. "Your guys are going to be real happy, I got a ton of it on board", he said.

"Great", I smiled. After exchanging some info on what was happening in the world I left, leaving the chief to organize a work party to unload.

As soon as the first mail bag came off I knew the morale in the camp would skyrocket. As for me I knew there would be nothing from home. I had no family. My father was killed in action when I was fifteen years old and my mother followed six years later, two months before I received my commission. I had no brothers or sisters and no aunts or uncles.

Up until two months ago I had a fiance. Then I got the letter. Ten words that crashed my world. 'You're not here. I was lonely. I found someone.' She didn't even sign it.

Returning to my office, which also doubled as my sleeping quarters, I unlocked the bag and retrieved the envelope inside. It contained a single page of orders. To sum it up. 'Remain on station. Continue monitoring situation. No relief, no going home'.

Twenty minutes later I heard the helo as it took off heading back to its carrier.

Meanwhile, Chief Kincaid and his counter part Gunnery Sergeant Juan Diego Rodriguez, known as JD to friend and foe alike, were in the mess tent distributing the mail. There were some two dozen large mail bags containing letters, cards, newspapers, magazines and packages. One particular package was simply addressed 'US Serviceman, War Zone'. Some how it found its way here. As was the custom with packages such as this one each man wrote his name on a slip of paper and placed it into a box. One name would be drawn and that individual received the package.

Kincaid filled out two slips and holding one up for all to see that it was Lieutenant Steiger's name before he dropped it into the box. The other slip of paper also had Steiger's name on it, but no one saw that one. The chief knew, as did every one else in the unit, about the 'Dear John' letter. Things like that are impossible to keep secret amongst men that live and fight together in the military. He figured that his lieutenant had two shots out of a hundred to winning the prize. Little did he know that every man in the outfit had written Steiger's name down before placing into the box.

"Hey, Lieutenant", Kincaid called out before entering my little office. Placing the package on my desk, he stated, "you won."

I mumbled my thanks as he left and and began opening the package. Packed in styrofoam peanuts I found two cans of shaving cream, a razor with two eight packs of blades. Someone had spent some serious money on this gift as I knew that the blades alone ran about twenty bucks a package each. Digging in deeper I found a bottle of aftershave and a couple bottles of shampoo. From the very bottom I lifted out a Christmas cookie tin. Inside were two dozen home made Christmas cookies tightly wrapped in aluminum foil. Inside the tin with the cookies was a note which read.

Hello

My name is Catherine Schneider and some of my girlfriends at church decided to send Christmas packages to you guys overseas. Not knowing what to send, my dad suggested to send some things that every guy could use. The cookies were my idea.

I can not begin to tell you how proud and grateful we all are for the sacrifices you have made for our country. It must be very lonely for you being so far away from family, loved ones and friends, especially at this time of year.

If you ever feel the need to talk to someone, I would love to hear from you. I have enclosed my address at the bottom of this note. Merry Christmas,

Catherine Schneider

I sat there for over an hour eating Christmas cookies and thinking. Finally, I picked up a pad of letter paper and a pen and began to write.

Hello Catherine

My name is Eric Steiger. I am a lieutenant in the United States Navy stationed in Afghanistan. Your father was correct, I can use every one of the items you sent. Thank yo so very much for your thoughtfulness and kindness. Words cannot express how much your gifts mean to me.

I have been here a little over four months, and yes, it is lonely. My parents are both gone and I have no other living relatives. I would very much like to accept your offer to correspond with me. Unfortunately, we have no access to e-mail and depend entirely on snail mail. My mailing address is a the bottom of this note.

I can't tell you where I am exactly or what I am doing for obvious reasons. I can tell you it's always cold with a lot of bad weather in the winter and hot and dry in the summers. The people here are very unfriendly and we have to be constantly on guard to protect ourselves.

I have a confession to make. As I sat here writing this letter I ate every single one of your cookies. They were wonderful and reminded me of happier Christmases a long time ago when I was a little boy. Thank you so very much. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family.

Eric

Chapter Two

"Catherine, Catherine", Mary Schneider called. "Catherine, where are you? We have some Christmas cards."

"I am in the library trying to get ahead on my reading for next semester", I replied.

When Mary walked into the library she found her daughter with a college algebra and trig textbook open on the table in front of her. "Oh, I don't blame you trying to get ahead. Mathematics always confused me, too. But it's Christmas Eve, do you think you could put that away for awhile?"

"Yeah, you're right. Let's enjoy the holiday and I'll worry about this later", I answered. Closing the book I watched mom enter the room with two big handfuls of mail.

Dumping all the mail on the table, she sat and asked me, "please help me open these cards. Every year we get more and more and I know some are for you."

"Sure, mom. I really enjoy seeing all these cards and reading everyone's Christmas Letters. It's nice to know that you and dad have so many friends," I said.

There must have been close to one hundred cards on the table and we began opening them one-by-one. After about twenty minutes, mom said, "here's one addressed to you."

Handing it to me I could tell it was not a Christmas Card. The envelope was too small, it had to be a letter. Looking at the return address, I asked my mother . . . "Do I know an E. Steiger? I don't even recognize this return address."

"I've not heard that name before. Maybe it's someone you know from school", she answered.

"Maybe . . .", I said. Tucking it into my textbook we continued opening and reading the cards and Christmas letters.

"Are you planning to ride with your father me to the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service?" she asked.

"Of course, you know how much I love that service. When we begin singing 'Silent Night' and everyone's candles are lit it still gives me goose bumps, just like when I was a little girl", I responded.

Later that evening, after returning from church, I was in my room when I picked up my algebra book and found the letter I had tucked between the pages earlier in the day. Opening it, and after reading his letter I thought ... why not answer him? Little did I know that it would begin an exchange of letters that would change my life.

In my first letter, I wrote about how pretty the town looked all lit up with Christmas lights. How nice the decorations on our house and the neighbors looked. I told him that I was finishing my junior year at the local university, majoring in nursing. I asked him if he had any favorite sport teams, college or professional, and would he like for me to send him articles from the newspaper about them. Nothing too personal, I just tried to be friendly.

Chapter Three

I just had gotten back from a patrol when the supply helicopter arrived at our base. Catherine Schneider had written me back. It was a friendly letter filled with stories about Christmas lights and decorations. She told me a little about her studies at her university. I spent a lot of time reading and re-reading that letter.

I wrote back re-calling some of my happy memories of past Christmases, before my mother and father died. I told her about my time at the University of Florida, my NROTC classes and my major in architecture. College athletics was a real interest of mine but I never could find any information on my team.

As time went by the number of letters between us increased in frequency. Sometimes, I received three or four with each mail delivery. Catherine and I devised a method so we would know which letter to read in the proper sequence by writing a number on the back of each envelope.

As the weeks and months went by our letters became more and more personal. We began to divulge some of our most intimate feelings about life and what we looked forward to in the future. In mid-June, just as I finished numbering the back of envelope number 47, the thought struck me that I had fallen in love with a woman I had never met in person. I began another letter expressing to her my deepest feelings. I told her I had fallen in love with her. Before I could mail this letter I had second thoughts . . . What if she didn't feel the same way about me? Would this end our relationship? Was I rushing things? I never mailed the letter and left it in my letter pad.

Chapter Four

"Catherine, will you be home for dinner tonight?" my mother asked.

"Yes", I replied. I had continued to date after beginning to correspond with Eric. But seldom went out with the same boy twice. I found them to be shallow and immature. Quite a few had only been interested in one thing and I was not about to let any of them get into my panties.

Later that evening after dinner I went to my room intending to study for an exam I had the following day. After an hour or so I put away my textbook and notes and, taking a piece of stationary, began a letter to Eric.

In the first few paragraphs I wrote about the goings on in school and a few other mundane things. Then I began to write what was really on my mind. I had been thinking about this for the last few weeks and it now seemed to be the time to tell him of my feelings. Having finished the letter I felt a sense of relief. After addressing the envelope I sealed the letter inside and put it with my things to be mailed tomorrow on my way to school. I only hoped Eric would understand.

Chapter Five

The third week of August been a really bad for me. Two days ago while out on patrol we were ambushed. Three of my guys were wounded, including JD. They were pretty badly shot up and had to be medivac'd out.

But today I received a letter from Catherine and things were looking up. Sitting at my desk in my quarters I opened it and began to read. The first few paragraphs were filled with stories about school and such. Toward the bottom of the first page she became very serious.

Eric, this is very hard for me to write this to you. I never thought or expected this would happen, but I have fallen in love and you should know. The man I fell in love with is

I never read the second page. Crumbling the letter, I left it on the desk top as I sat there stunned with tears in my eyes.

Just then Kincaid burst into my quarters. "Skipper, we got trouble coming. One of our patrols spotted a force of fifty or sixty bad guys setting up rocket launchers and mortar positions on the opposite side of the valley. They estimate we have about ninety minutes before they will be ready to attack."

In less than five minutes I had my guys headed out to engage the enemy before they could attack us. The ensuing battle was intense. The last thing I remembered was searing pain in both legs and my head. When I woke up I was in a hospital bed with a nurse standing over me .

"Welcome back to the land of the living", she said as she recorded my vitals on a clipboard. "The doctor will be in shortly to see you. He'll explain everything to you."

I couldn't answer. I had a tube down my throat and one up my nostril. There were two IV's one in each arm and I felt like hell.

Sure enough two minutes later a doctor showed up with a big smile on his face.

"Young man you don't know how pleased I am to see you awake. It has been touch and go for the last several weeks. I am going to remove the tube from your throat, it's been helping you breathe. The one up your nose and the IV's will have to stay awhile longer."

He spent the next half hour explaining to me the full extent of my injuries, what they had done and what lay down the road for me. "As soon as we determine that you are stable, we'll put you on a medical flight back to the states and to a Navy Hospital for the rest of your recovery", he stated.

The next day they had me sitting up in bed. With the tube out of my throat I felt somewhat better. At least I could talk a little, although my throat was still sore. That afternoon they removed the tube from my nose but told me the IV's would remain for a couple more days.

Chapter Six

Shortly after Eric had been medivac'd out Kincaid came into his quarters to pack up his personal belongings. Picking up the crumpled letter he began to read it. As he neared the bottom of the first page he muttered. "Shit, this poor kid can't catch a break." But as he turned the page over to the second page and read he thought to himself. "He doesn't know. I'll bet he never got this far."

Finding all of the letters from Catherine, he placed them into a large envelope along with a note from himself. If he survives he'll need to read all of this letter he thought.

Chapter Seven

"Mom has the mail come?" Catherine called to her mother one afternoon in late September as she arrived home from her last class of the day.

Mary Schneider stepped into the room before answering. "Yes, but still no letters for you. Maybe tomorrow, honey, maybe tomorrow." Hugging her daughter tightly she whispered in her ear, "Let's talk to daddy. He has connections and maybe he can find something out. Good or bad you need to know."

Carl Schneider, Catherine's father did have connections. A lot of connections. He was an extremely wealthy man. In addition to his law firm, which was the largest in the entire state, he had made some very wise investments that had made him millions of dollars. As a member of the Republican Party he supported many politicians who mirrored his conservative beliefs. He had watched his daughter become more and more depressed and worried over the past several weeks and he had already begun make some limited inquiries about Lieutenant Eric Steiger when his wife and daughter asked for his help.

After dinner that evening he sat at his desk, picked up the phone and dialed. It rang twice before being answered. "This is Carl Schneider, may I please talk with the Senator?" After waiting several minutes a familiar voice spoke, "Carl it's good to hear your voice. How are Mary and Catherine?"

"John", Carl replied, "Mary is is fine but Catherine has a problem that I hope you can help with." He went on to explain the situation and after exchanging some pleasantries he ended the call.

The Senator sat back in his desk chair and reflected on his relationship with Carl Schneider. They were both Navy pilots serving together in an unpopular war. Carl was his wingman and on more than one occasion saved his ass when a MiG got on his tail. Carl was more than a good friend and over the years had never asked for any kind of favors, unlike some of his other supporters.

Summoning one of his aides to his office he spoke, "get a hold of SecNav and ask him to find out about this young man, Lieutenant Eric Steiger, for me. I want to know everything there is to know about him by noon tomorrow."

Chapter Eight

When Catherine arrived home the following afternoon she was met at the door by her mother and father. The look on their faces was a mixture of sadness and hope.

"I have something to tell you, Catherine", her father said. "I received some information from John over an hour ago about your Lieutenant Steiger."

Catherine dropped her book bag a ran to her mother's outstretched arms

crying, "Oh no, Oh God no! Tell me he's not dead. Please tell me."

"No! No! He is not dead", Carl quickly told his daughter. "Come into the library and sit down so I can tell you everything we know."

"He was wounded, sweetheart. Really, really bad."

He went on giving the details of his injuries, "a broken lower leg, a broken arm, some fractured ribs, internal bleeding and a concussion. A really bad concussion. He was flown to a military hospital in Germany. He was in a coma for almost three weeks and only regained consciousness last week. Yesterday he was flown back to the states and is in the Naval Hospital in Maryland. He is still in critical condition, but he is young and strong and with a lot of hope and prayers he should pull through."

Catherine sat there crying softly and said, "Daddy, I have got to see him. I have to tell him how much I love him."

"I thought you would", Carl replied. "I have already notified Pete to prep the Gulfstream. Your mom and I are going, too. You may need me to run interference to get in to see him since you're not family. We'll leave as soon as we can get to the airport. Your mom has already packed for you. I'll call the dean at the university and explain why you won't be in class for a while. Now go and get changed."

Six hours the three of them were in a limo leaving Reagan International headed for the naval hospital in Maryland. While in route daddy made a quick call on his cell phone. "Hello, John. Were here and on the way to the hospital. Should be there in a little over an hour. Thanks for everything."

It was a little after 10 PM when the limo driver pulled up to the main entrance. After assisting them in exiting the limo he said, "Mr. Schneider, when you're ready to leave just call my cell and I'll pick you up right here and take you to your hotel."

Walking up to the reception desk my father spoke to a female petty officer seated at the desk. "Excuse me. Can you tell me what room Lieutenant Eric Steiger is in? We wish to see him briefly this evening."

"Well you can't. Not unless you're family. Visiting hours are over", was the snippy reply. "So you'll have to leave and come back tomorrow."

The woman failed to notice the Senator and another man in uniform standing to one side and slightly behind her. "Senator, I'll take care of this right now", the man's voice boomed.