What can one say about this? Except that its totally wonderful.
A small town in Luxembourg once destroyed by fierce fighting remembers one of the bright moments in the dark of World War II — a visit from Saint Nick.
For Dick Brookins, a U.S. soldier standing in for an absent Saint Nicholas, it was to change his life also and help him find some meaning for the war in Europe.
Sixty five years after he first donned the flowing robe, the miter hat, and the white fluffy beard to become St. Nicholas, Brookins chuckles as he remembers his reluctance to assume his now memorable role.
It was a cold and dreary December 1944. Brookins was a lanky 22-year-old American Corporal fresh from battle.
And Wiltz, a tiny town in Luxembourg ravaged by war welcomed the weary soldiers who had helped liberate their town from occupation.
It was to be a brief respite for the U.S. troops, before pressing on to their next offensive. And the last thing on Brookins’ mind was a Christmas party.
Humanity at its absolute best