Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian Scott, now a resident of Lacey, Washington, and former military intelligence officer, stands beside stockings hung by the fire in his home, Dec. 23, 2021. Scott was the first recipient of the deployment Christmas stocking and continues to carry on its legacy planning and shipping the U.S. Army retro pattern stocking to Soldiers away from friends and family over the holidays. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Kyle Larsen)
Story of the Christmas stocking, how it reached a Gryphon Soldier in the Philippines U.S. Army story by Staff Sgt. Kyle Larsen, 201st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade
Holiday gift exchanges, family gatherings, sipping cocoa around a yule log are all traditions as old as time that have grown to bring a rush of joy to millions of people around the world, creating an atmosphere of delight and selflessness not experienced through most of the year. In 2002, a new tradition was born out of an unlikely friendship that started in Paris.
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian Scott, now a resident of Lacey, Washington, and former military intelligence officer, stands alongside an Afghan National command sergeant major in 2009. Scott was the first and third recipient of the deployment Christmas stocking and continued the legacy and tradition ensuring the delivery of the stocking for 10 other Christmases overseas. (U.S. Army courtesy photo)
A Chance Meeting Overseas
In March 2002, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian Scott, a former military intelligence officer, was in Paris with colleagues from the Command and General Staff College (CGSC), as part of a 10-day elective program that partnered with the French Army. The program sends U.S. students from the CGSC to France’s comparative school to study in exchange for French students to attend CGSC.
“When we were at Charles de Gaulle Airport waiting to board our return flight, I’m reading the paper as the flight’s final call is echoing over the intercom and a few feet away I notice a brunette woman breathing heavily after racing to the gate,” said Scott, who now resides Lacey, Washington. “I later found that the woman was Margaret Hinojosa-Garza, a fashion buyer for Nordstrom’s Seattle, who was in Paris for the Spring fashion shows. Though our professional backgrounds could not have been more different, we developed a friendship after a mutual friend reconnected us a few weeks after the flight.”
Maj. Tim Babra, currently assigned to 201st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade, displays the deployment Christmas stocking December 2020, Sinai, Egypt. Babra, received the stocking from Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian Scott, the organizer of the deployment stocking, while he was assigned to Multinational Force and Observers Sinai. (U.S. Army courtesy photo)
A Combat Stocking In Leopard Print?
In 2003, while Scott was deployed to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) he received several care packages from Hinojosa-Garza, who was also a former seamstress. Around Christmas that year, Scott received another care package, but this time there was a surprise inside along with various gifts intended to brighten the day of an old friend.
“When I opened the package there was a hand-made desert pattern stocking inside,” said Scott. “On the front of the stocking were sewn-on patches: a U.S. Army name tape, the American flag, airborne wings, and the 101st [Airborne Division (Air Assault)] patch. The back of the stocking was faux leopard print material, which I thought was hilarious.”
Out of this unexpected gift, grew a new and thoughtful tradition. As Scott returned from his tour overseas, he thought of ways to continue the goodwill and pay it forward. The solution found him. A friend, 1st Lt. Jeanne Hull, was deployed to Iraq during the peak of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004.
1st Lt. Kelly Clarkson poses with the deployment Christmas stocking, December 2016, Kuwait. For the past seven Christmases, the stocking has made it to five different countries and seven uniques units, adding to the now 12 patches gracing the U.S. Army retro pattern stocking. (U.S. Army courtesy photo)
Operation “Santa’s Stocking” Is Born
Knowing Hull would be deployed over the holidays, Scott commenced “Operation Santa’s Stocking”. He sent the care package containing the stocking filled with holiday candy and insulated with deployment mainstays, such as wet wipes, beef jerky, hygiene items and other gifts that weren’t available on base. The only request in return for this kind gesture, the recipient affixes their unit patch on the stocking and returns it to Scott upon their redeployment to the U.S.
Story of the Christmas stocking, how it reached a Gryphon Soldier in the Philippines U.S. Army story by Staff Sgt. Kyle Larsen, 201st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade
Holiday gift exchanges, family gatherings, sipping cocoa around a yule log are all traditions as old as time that have grown to bring a rush of joy to millions of people around the world, creating an atmosphere of delight and selflessness not experienced through most of the year. In 2002, a new tradition was born out of an unlikely friendship that started in Paris.
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian Scott, now a resident of Lacey, Washington, and former military intelligence officer, stands alongside an Afghan National command sergeant major in 2009. Scott was the first and third recipient of the deployment Christmas stocking and continued the legacy and tradition ensuring the delivery of the stocking for 10 other Christmases overseas. (U.S. Army courtesy photo)
A Chance Meeting Overseas
In March 2002, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian Scott, a former military intelligence officer, was in Paris with colleagues from the Command and General Staff College (CGSC), as part of a 10-day elective program that partnered with the French Army. The program sends U.S. students from the CGSC to France’s comparative school to study in exchange for French students to attend CGSC.
“When we were at Charles de Gaulle Airport waiting to board our return flight, I’m reading the paper as the flight’s final call is echoing over the intercom and a few feet away I notice a brunette woman breathing heavily after racing to the gate,” said Scott, who now resides Lacey, Washington. “I later found that the woman was Margaret Hinojosa-Garza, a fashion buyer for Nordstrom’s Seattle, who was in Paris for the Spring fashion shows. Though our professional backgrounds could not have been more different, we developed a friendship after a mutual friend reconnected us a few weeks after the flight.”
Maj. Tim Babra, currently assigned to 201st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade, displays the deployment Christmas stocking December 2020, Sinai, Egypt. Babra, received the stocking from Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian Scott, the organizer of the deployment stocking, while he was assigned to Multinational Force and Observers Sinai. (U.S. Army courtesy photo)
A Combat Stocking In Leopard Print?
In 2003, while Scott was deployed to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) he received several care packages from Hinojosa-Garza, who was also a former seamstress. Around Christmas that year, Scott received another care package, but this time there was a surprise inside along with various gifts intended to brighten the day of an old friend.
“When I opened the package there was a hand-made desert pattern stocking inside,” said Scott. “On the front of the stocking were sewn-on patches: a U.S. Army name tape, the American flag, airborne wings, and the 101st [Airborne Division (Air Assault)] patch. The back of the stocking was faux leopard print material, which I thought was hilarious.”
Out of this unexpected gift, grew a new and thoughtful tradition. As Scott returned from his tour overseas, he thought of ways to continue the goodwill and pay it forward. The solution found him. A friend, 1st Lt. Jeanne Hull, was deployed to Iraq during the peak of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004.
1st Lt. Kelly Clarkson poses with the deployment Christmas stocking, December 2016, Kuwait. For the past seven Christmases, the stocking has made it to five different countries and seven uniques units, adding to the now 12 patches gracing the U.S. Army retro pattern stocking. (U.S. Army courtesy photo)
Operation “Santa’s Stocking” Is Born
Knowing Hull would be deployed over the holidays, Scott commenced “Operation Santa’s Stocking”. He sent the care package containing the stocking filled with holiday candy and insulated with deployment mainstays, such as wet wipes, beef jerky, hygiene items and other gifts that weren’t available on base. The only request in return for this kind gesture, the recipient affixes their unit patch on the stocking and returns it to Scott upon their redeployment to the U.S.
After a 5-year hiatus, the stocking found Scott yet again during his 2009 deployment to Afghanistan. Having brightened his Christmas again, Scott revived the tradition and over the course of the stocking’s now 19-year existence, it has spent 12 Christmases overseas, including the past seven consecutive Christmases.
This year the stocking made its way to the first enlisted recipient since the establishment of the tradition, Staff Sgt. Acea Hindbaugh, assigned to 201st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade and deployed to the Philippines. Once Hindbaugh is back in the U.S., he will attach the 201st EMIB patch to the retro pattern Army Christmas stocking, bringing the total unit patches to 12.
“The stocking is not designated for Soldiers of a certain rank; it is open to any Soldier out of the country over the holidays,” said Scott, who is no stranger to deployments with four over his 28-year career. “Between my wife and I, we have deployed seven times. We understand the hardships of being away from friends and family during the holidays. We just want to continue to pay it forward.
(This story was published on December 23rd by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)
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