7,000 Miles Away from Home

Video courtesy: Cpl. Brian Adam Jones

The moving music video above sings for itself. Written during a previous deployment to Iraq, the powerful Christmas song was later recorded in Afghanistan by Marine Master Sgt. Robert Allen, who is spending this holiday season in the war zone's volatile Helmand province.

This song is a remarkable achievement because it sums up -- with such raw emotion -- the sacrifices made by thousands of military families. It's difficult not to get a tear in your eye when thinking about the Marine's wife, Carla, who is spending this Christmas without her husband.

"She said she bawled her eyes out when she heard it," Master Sgt. Allen said. "My wife can’t stand it at all when I leave, but she understands what I do. She understands being a Marine is not just my job, it’s my passion."

Thank you, Carla Allen, for the sacrifices you make for our country. Thank you, Master Sgt. Robert Allen, for your valiant service. Thank you to the Marine's children, who are spending the holidays without their dad. And thank you to every man, woman, and child who is a part of this ongoing war effort. The rest of us are free because of you.