The Christmas stranger Published Dec. 21, 2005 By Angela Moeller Military Spouse GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. (AFPN) -- It was starting to snow as we headed downstairs to pull out some Christmas décor. While helping me sort through the boxes, my daughter stumbled across a stuffed animal -- a plush, multi-colored donkey. “Mom, this isn’t a Christmas decoration,” she said. As I turned away from the tedious job of untangling lights, I saw the little donkey and remembered a night that will forever be in my heart. We were headed home for a family celebration from Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., to upstate New York on the Amtrak with our 2-year-old and 4-month-old children. In the early morning hours of the last leg of our trip, I saw a young man trying not to disturb me as he took a seat close by. He sat down quietly, not noticing the bundle sitting in her car seat by my legs. I looked at him and he apologized for the disturbance. “There is no need for you to apologize, Soldier,” I said. Surprised, he asked how I knew. I told him I knew he was a Soldier from the respect and pride in his stride. Then, I gestured across the aisle and said, “My husband has that same presence. It’s just a military thing.” We began to talk and he told me how nervous he was to head home. It had been nearly two years since he had been there. He had been fighting in the war when he learned that he was a father. Tragically, his girlfriend had passed away giving birth to his daughter. He had returned home to set up guardianship for his daughter, but had to immediately return to Iraq. He had not seen his baby girl since. Nervous, but happy, he pulled out a well-worn picture. He told me his sister was taking care of her until he could return home. After a moment’s pause gazing at his daughter, he said, “She looks just like her mom.” We sat in silence for a little while before the train came to a stop. My oldest daughter woke up and immediately started playing peek-a-boo with him. After a few moments, he said that he was not so nervous about meeting his daughter anymore. “I hope she is just as happy with me as your daughter is,” he said. Playing awhile longer, he asked if he could give my daughter a gift. I agreed and he reached into a bag full of presents. Pulling out a plush, multi-colored donkey, he handed it to her. She took it and named it Fred. Soon after, my daughter drifted back off to sleep. The Soldier settled in and said that he was going to try to do the same. I must have had a strange look on my face. He sighed and softly told me that he had nightmares of the things he had been through while in Iraq. “I enlisted at the same time as my best friend and we were over their together,” he said. “I get to come home and see my family, and he never will.” A short time later, we reached our stop. The train was a little late and people were ranting and raving about how their vacation was ruined and how plans had to be changed. I sat back and thought, I am just glad that he was able to come home. I told my husband about the conversation I had with the young man. And I asked him what I could have done to help him. “You just did,” he said referring to my sympathetic ear. With smiles on our faces, we turned, waved goodbye to the Soldier and went on our way. As I told this story to my daughter, she hugged the little donkey tightly. “I will always keep Fred safe, just like the Soldier keeps us safe,” she said.