Celebrating the holidays in uniform
When David Petersen and his wife begin planning for the holidays, it usually means finding cross-country routes to visit family. As a Marine veteran, Petersen is no stranger to holiday travel. But memories of holidays from his time on deployment are quite different from his celebrations at home.
Though his deployments were often marked by stressful situations and great sacrifices, celebrating the holidays with fellow service members also created some of his most cherished memories.
“I look back on my life in the military, and there are times I miss it,” Petersen said. “As much as I was glad when I got out, I’ve come to appreciate the time I spent serving.”
Petersen’s first experience of being away for the holidays was during boot camp after enlisting in December 1981. Being single at the time, he didn’t struggle much with being away from home. However, after getting married several years into his service, he began to feel the challenges of spending the holiday season overseas, far from loved ones.
“A day after I got married, I had to return to Japan. From there, I was deployed to Desert Storm. That was difficult, celebrating the holidays away from family,” Petersen said. “What made it easier were the special care packages. One I received had Christmas decorations and a homemade pillowcase with yellow ribbons. I was able to put the decorations up in our quarters aboard the ship, and it made things feel more like home.”
After eight years in service, Petersen learned many lessons on how to deal with being away from home, especially during important moments like the holidays. With that knowledge, he now shares his advice with active-duty members who face similar challenges as he did.
“The number one thing to remember is the people beside you,” he said, adding that service members should lean into that bond and “remember why you’re deployed—to protect your family and loved ones back home.”
Today, Petersen finds a renewed sense of camaraderie as adjutant for DAV Chapter 49 in Omaha, Nebraska. Though different from his days in the service, his role allows him to share his experiences and support fellow ill and injured veterans. Being part of this community has opened up a new way for Petersen to make a positive impact.
“At DAV, we recognize the challenges our men and women in uniform face while being away from home during the holidays,” said DAV National Commander Daniel Contreras. “Dedicated veterans like Petersen make sacrifices that grant us the freedom and safety we often take for granted. We are honored to see him continue his service by helping other veterans in his community through DAV. We hope his story serves as a reminder to those deployed this holiday season that they are never alone.”
Your gift during the holidays goes a long way in keeping the promise to America’s veterans. Help support our life-changing services by giving a gift today at helpdav.org.
