Eugene Herrold can still feel the frigid temperatures he battled 64 years ago while trying to write his mother a letter on Christmas Day.

Herrold was sitting in a foxhole, surrounded by two feet of snow, deep in a European forest, thinking more about the Germans than the holiday.

Protecting his foxhole buddy and his Army unit behind the front line were the main priorities on that Christmas in 1944.

"They shelled us whether it was Christmas or any other day," said Herrold, 87, of Port Trevorton. "It really came on hard just before dark, so we were always on the lookout. I remember not having much time to write, and my pen kept freezing. I kept (the pen) warm by squeezing it in my hand and tried to get the letter done as soon as I could."

Herrold's holiday ordeal is similar to those experienced by thousands of Valley veterans who spent Christmases overseas in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and the recent Persian Gulf conflicts.

This holiday season will be no different for soldiers who left in September as part of the Pennsylvania National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, for a one-year tour in Iraq.

Carolyn Bordner knows the feeling.

Three years ago, her husband, Sgt. Daniel Bordner, 53, of Sunbury, spent Christmas fighting in Iraq with the National Guard. He is away from home again, being among the troops from the Sunbury Armory attached to the Stryker Brigade.

"It's pretty tough to think about it," said Mrs. Bordner, adding that her husband will have a chance to visit over Christmas while taking a break from training at Fort Indiantown Gap before the unit deploys overseas early next month. "The toughest part is wondering if he is going to come home or not. This time it's tougher because I keep thinking about the same things as last time."

Jack Plotts, 85, of Milton, fully understands Sgt. Bordner's plight.

The first time Plotts ever left Milton was in 1943. He found himself on his way to Europe with the Army to be a part of the Normandy invasion.

"I was somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic on Christmas Day," Plotts said. "It was pretty nasty. Our minds were on making sure we could ride out the waves. You could hardly keep a plate on the table because it was so rough."

In retrospect, Herrold said not all was lost in 1944 when he spent Christmas dodging German mortar shells and bullets. He was able to receive a much-needed present a few days later.

"When you're away for so long, you figure everything is against you to get back home," Herrold said. "Sooner or later, those shells are going to get you. About a week later, we got off the line. We were able to get showered and have clean uniforms. That was a nice feeling."

n E-mail comments to jnorth@dailyitem.com.