[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20452]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             WWI CHRISTMAS

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 20, 2017

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the sounds of rifles firing and shells 
exploding faded into silence along the Western Front. It was December 
25, 1914, five months into the first World War.
  As dawn approached, German soldiers slipped from their trenches and 
made their way to no-mans-land, calling out Merry Christmas in the 
Allies language. The allies raised their weapons, fearing it was a 
trick.
  But upon seeing the enemy unarmed, the soldiers climbed out of their 
trenches, and began shaking hands with their foe. The men exchanged 
small gifts: cigarettes, beer and plum pudding, and sang carols and 
songs. Others used the break in war to collect their war dead, heroes 
of the war.
  The war would eventually claim 15 million lives. Mr. Speaker, this is 
one of the last examples of chivalry between enemies in warfare. For 
those few fleeting moments, there was ``Peace on Earth and goodwill to 
men''.
  Not even a World War can destroy the Christmas Spirit.
  And that's just the way it is.

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