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<td>Celebrating the WW I Christmas Truce – 100 years ago
this week</td>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">Date: </th>
<td>Mon, 22 Dec 2014 15:14:52 -0500 (EST)</td>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">From: </th>
<td>Kevin Martin, Peace Action
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:peaceact@reply.salsalabs.com"><peaceact@reply.salsalabs.com></a></td>
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<td><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:peaceact@reply.salsalabs.com">peaceact@reply.salsalabs.com</a></td>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">To: </th>
<td><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:stuartnlevy@gmail.com">stuartnlevy@gmail.com</a></td>
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<title>Action Alert Network: Take Action for Peace</title>
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<p class="date" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 12px;
padding: 0pt; font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size:
12px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
text-align: left;">Dear Stuart,</p>
<p class="date" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 12px;
padding: 0pt; font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size:
12px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
text-align: left;">In this season where “Peace
on Earth” is often invoked, yet not always
honored, remembering and celebrating peace
history couldn’t be more appropriate. The story
of the astonishing outbreak of the Christmas
Truce one hundred years ago this week calls out
for celebrating and sharing.</p>
<p class="date" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 12px;
padding: 0pt; font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size:
12px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
text-align: left;">During the first winter of
“the war to end all wars,” World War I, French,
Belgian, Scottish, German, Indian and Algerian
troops stalemated and hunkered down in trenches
a mere 75 to 100 yards apart in France and
Belgium observed a spontaneous Christmas Truce
for two days, much to the consternation of the
generals on both sides.</p>
<p class="date" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 12px;
padding: 0pt; font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size:
12px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
text-align: left;">Soldiers who had been
shooting at each other just the day before
ceased fire, gathered and buried the dead in the
no man’s land between their respective lines,
sang Christmas carols together, exchanged food,
drink and gifts, raised small Christmas trees,
and even played football (soccer), with the
German side reportedly winning most of the
games.</p>
<p class="date" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 12px;
padding: 0pt; font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size:
12px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
text-align: left;">The truce was so successful
both sides had to bring up reserve troops from
the rear who hadn’t participated in the truce in
order to re-start the war. Remarkably, no one
was court-martialed for voting with their feet
and observing the truce.</p>
<p class="date" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 12px;
padding: 0pt; font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size:
12px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
text-align: left;">I never heard of the
Christmas Truce in school. I learned of it from
folksinger extraordinaire <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=UiTcBd9LfIW8fjHGxa0y0bhmxTRx%2B4dP">John
McCutcheon’s song “Christmas in the Trenches,”
which is well worth a listen for inspiration
on the real spirit of the holidays</a>.</p>
<p class="date" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 12px;
padding: 0pt; font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size:
12px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
text-align: left;">An outstanding book on the
Christmas Truce is <i>Silent Night: The Story
of the World War I Christmas Truce </i>by
Stanley Weintraub. Superbly written and
documented, it ably refutes skepticism in some
quarters that the truce ever happened. The
accounts in newspapers and especially letters to
family by troops on both sides are as intimate
and touching as you might imagine.</p>
<p class="date" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 12px;
padding: 0pt; font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size:
12px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
text-align: left;"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=TTREOEsJkSyurWRDPJ04BLhmxTRx%2B4dP">The
Christmas Truce was chronicled in the 2005
film <i>Joyeux Noel.</i></a></p>
<p class="date" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 12px;
padding: 0pt; font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size:
12px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
text-align: left;">Unfortunately I missed this
film when it played (in September, bad
scheduling!) at the AFI Silver Theater two
blocks from the Peace Action office here in
Silver Spring, but the trailer looks great and
I’ll try to find it sometime over the holidays.</p>
<p class="date" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 12px;
padding: 0pt; font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size:
12px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
text-align: left;">As John McCutcheon says, the
story of the Christmas Truce needs to be told
year round, 365 days a year.</p>
<p class="date" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 12px;
padding: 0pt; font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size:
12px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
text-align: left;">Thank you for your actions
for peace, and support of Peace Action.</p>
<p class="date" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 12px;
padding: 0pt; font-family:
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12px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
text-align: left;">Humbly for Peace,</p>
<br>
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padding: 0pt; font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size:
12px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
text-align: left;">Kevin Martin<br>
Executive Director<br>
Peace Action</p>
<p class="date" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 12px;
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There is still time to help us meet our
$10,000 matching gift challenge. Please make
a tax-deductible gift to Peace Action
Education Fund.</a></p>
<p class="date" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 12px;
padding: 0pt; font-family:
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text-align: left;">From the staff and Boards of
Peace Action and Peace Action Education Fund, we
wish you a happy and healthy holiday.</p>
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