I recently saw a video of Garth Brooks' "Belleau Wood" (1998), a stirring Christmas-y song based on a true story about soldiers in World War One singing "Silent Night" on Christmas. The song is right up my alley, combining military history and religion; very moving, very sentimental.
And totally wrong.
1. The real Christmas truces of World War 1 were between the Germans and the French/British.
2. These truces occurred before the Americans arrived, in the early years of the war.
3. There were no snowflakes at the Battle of Belleau Wood. The Germans and Americans fought there in the month of June.
4. The theology of the song is worse than its history. "Heaven's not beyond the clouds/It's just beyond the fear/No, heaven's not beyond the clouds/It's for us to find it here." Really? What is that even supposed to mean?
There you go: another wipe-a-tear-away song ruined by the facts. My work here is done.
Merry Christmas and Happy Incarnation.
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