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Richard Piatt Reporting Today and tomorrow a lot of families will be getting together for the holidays, but there are also a lot of families who are missing someone this season, for one reason or another.
In this time of war, we found one Christmas carol that seems especially poignant. We thought it would be appropriate to pause and take a closer look at a holiday song that's more than just background noise for a lot of people.
We know that loved ones who are away are always with us in our hearts at Christmas. But we also know that it would be better if they were here with us.
In the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it's often in the background; part of the white noise of the season. But listen a little closer, and the deeper meaning of one particular holiday song comes through.
Bing Crosby recorded "I'll be home for Christmas" in 1943. It was a hit song for months at the height of World War II. It was a desperate time. Soldiers were overseas. Communication to the home front was poor. Even in the States, people sacrificed, and were afraid of destruction the war might bring.
Here in Utah, the Cozza family was proud of son, brother and uncle Johnnie--a pilot in the South Seas. But in 1945, John's plane went down in the Philippines and he was declared missing in action.
His niece, Shirley, was nine when he disappeared. It made Christmas that year an emotional holiday, knowing John wouldn't be home for Christmas.
Shirley Moosman, Niece of WW II Airman: "Christmases were very difficult during that time. Because we would hear those songs and we would know that he won't be coming home."
But the family got John home, in a way, a few years ago. Someone discovered the wreckage of his plane in a a remote area. Dogtags, bone fragments and wreckage proved it was John's plane.
The sentiment of the song carries through to this Christmas.
There are thousands of military families who are facing a Christmas minus one, sometimes more.
The communication is a little better these days. We arranged a link from Utah to Iraq, so Jondrae and Captain David Reeve could talk.
David: "Love you."
Jondrae: "I love you, honey, and I miss you."
It may not seem like Christmas time for a lot of the overseas troops. And here at home, the separation is hard.
Capt. David Reeve, Utah National Guard: "Well, I think my heart will always be with my wife. But it's been so long since I've been home, I'm not sure if I'd recognize it anymore."
Jondrae Reeve, Wife: "If he had his choice, he would want everything to be as it should be in Iraq and for him to be home. But that's not the situation that we're in."
Through the years, it hasn't just been military families who have been hit with emotion over this song. There are countless reasons people aren't physically home for the holidays. But, when you think about it, being "home" can be just a quiet, private moment away.
"I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams."
Wherever you are, on TV or the internet, Merry Christmas from all of us.
