The singing echoed around the compound on this Christmas morning

Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and Child.
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born

Yet another soldier had died in the early hours of the morning while on a Scout patrol, Sgt John Wright a serving member of the British Army had died at the hands of a sniper just a few hours earlier and now they were holding church services, not for the memory of John but of some kid that was supposed to have been the saviour of mankind and died 2000yrs ago.

The rest of patrol adamantly refused to attend the service they wanted time alone to grieve and say farewell to the man who had helped keep them alive during the fighting, his attention to detail and caring manner had got them out of some pretty bad situations and although none of the platoon had been killed until today there had been some injuries but even they hadn`t been life threatening.

John hadn`t been been with company many months and was pretty closed when it came to his personal life, as far as anyone knew he had no family or friends outside the services and damn few in the services. He always drove his men hard during training and hadn`t been popular, it would have been true to say that his men actually hated him but like he always said "It`s my job to train you well enough to hopefully keep you alive and so you don`t endanger the rest of the platoon. John had demanded 110% from his men and got it one way or another, he never put offenders on a charge he would take them out of sight and beat the living crap out of them, he definately got their attention and his 110% from them.

Time and again he had got them out of some sticky situations, it was as if he knew what the enemy was going to do, but then again he had been a professional soldier with 20yrs service under his belt and in two days time the Company was to be relieved and head back to Blighty. 5 platoon, X Company had been in the thick of the action for the past month, the enemy had tried probes at the various sectors and had some success and the other platoons had seen a few deaths, so it had seemed that 5 platoon was going to make it with no deaths thanks to John.

The Company officers, Senior and Junior NCO`s stayed away from the platoon and if a member of another platoon entered their billet they were forcefully and physically ejected with no words of explanation. One Corporal from 3 platoon was nursing a broken jaw after he came out with "The Miserable bastered copped one then" when the battalion commander heard of the incident he told the Sergeant Major that no charges were to arise from the incident he knew how close the men of 5 platoon to each other and although they hadn`t liked Sgt Wright during their training he had their utmost respect,unlike other SNC`s he didn`t waste lives needlessly and the Army could have done with 100 just like him.

Sgt J Wright was not a yes man and would fight anyone to ensure his men got a fare shake, he didn`t respect anyone`s rank just because they out ranked him, they had to his earn his respect, as the CO thought about Sgt Wright he had to smile the man had never saluted him once in all the years they had know each other but they had both respected each other, this wasn`t the first was they had both been in but it would be the Sgt`s last. This patrol had been dangerous and he asked the Sergeant to lead his platoon one this on knowing they could be trusted to do the job properly, Intelligence needed to know where the enemy were camped and if possible any other details that would help them outsmart them, or if the battalion needed reinforcements, they had got the information and more besides and a sniper had taken out the Sgt on the return.

Major Jeffery Blake had known John Wright for over 15 years and he knew his secret as had his wife and had kept what they knew between them, John was the closest thing he had to a real friend, John was a Corporal when Jeffery joined the battalion as a young Subaltern fresh out of the Military Academy at Sandhurst. The first time he met John was when he joined the platoon in Ulster and even then John told him how it was, he was in charge not some snot nosed 2nd Lieutenant with no experience, yes it had been a tussel between them but eventually he learned to do what John told him. Hell when he gave an order the guys would always look over to John and get his approval or disapproval before carrying out the order, but once he had been with them a while and saw how well they worked together he just sat back and let John lead and John had saved his sorry butt a time or two as well.

John had been a perfectionists and very demanding if you didn`t come up to his standards you would end up being transferred to another platoon, John always said " You had to trust the men around not to screw up, and you had to know they could be trusted with your life" and time after he had been proved right. His men worked hard and played hard, they functioned like a well oiled machine and knew how each other would react in any situation. 5 platoon were the best in the company if not the battalion and everyone of the platoon had been decorated at least once, around camp they were a scruffy bunch but on parade they were the smartest, every one of them was not just a trained soldeir, but a class one radio operator, class one medic and good with explosives and assorted weapons, John had paid for every one of them to learn martial arts, these men were deadly to an enemy and showed no mercy.

The identity of the soldier that had died that morning was to be witheld until Jeffery told his wife and children, that much the Ministry of Defence was allowing after he had put in the request, and that wouldn`t be for another couple of days until they got home, tomorrow the Company was moving to the rear as another unit took charge of the area for their tour of duty.

Jeffery entered the platoons billet and after apologising for disturbing them asked if they would provide the Guard of Honour and and Pall bearers for John, of course the platoon took it as an insult to even be asked, they expect to carry out the duties as right after all he had been their Leader and a father figure to them. Jeffery calmed them down and told them that he had to ask as a matter of form but that he wanted a list of who was going to do what. He also stated that he would be organisng a wake and bit of a do after the funeral to celebrate Johns life and except for him and his family only 5 platoon would be invited.

Corporal Moore the senior of the Corporals asked Jeffery why he was so intent in taking charge of the funeral arrangement and Jeffery told them what he knew about John and held nothing back, if these men had respected John they would take any secrets to the grave with them.

They were told how Jeffery as young subaltern fresh from Sandhurst had met up with the then Corporal Wright and how he had been put in his place, pips or no pips, at this the men chuckled. Jeffery carried on to tell them how they had become good friends, how john had been bestman at his wedding and Godfather to his two children, to Jeffery John had been the big brother figure and had taught him how to lead from the front not from behind a desk as some officers did. How to get the best from his men and how to get their respect, to always take care of the men under him and never to abuse or waste them.

"Yes I knew John Wright for over 15 years and I and my family were the nearest he had to a family, but I also knew a kinder, softer side to John that you never knew, a different person that you would have liked if you had met. John Wright was Transsexual and out of camp away from anyone else lived as a woman, my wife and myself found out by accident and once John had explained everything to us we accepted him or I should say her because she was Joanne Wright, John`s alter ego as it were. You know how the military deals with what they sexual deviants and John would have disgraced and imprisoned if they had found out and he was too good a person for that, Now John kept you alive and fought your corner back in camp, he trained you hard and made the best soldiers he could out of you, I`ve told you John`s secret and want you promise never to divulge this to anyone and I mean anyone. Let`s keep the memory of John as brave soldier who did his duty to the end, he doesn`t need betraying because of his secret he was too good for that."

As a man they agreed that they never tell anyone about Joanne Wright, everyone of them had earned his respect as he had earned theirs.

Several days later at a Cemetery in England a Bugler played the Last Post, the Guard of Honour fired the Salute as onlookers bowed their heads in silence, ther was no Padre or other Clergyman in attendance, Jeffery had given a Eulogy for John and knew John would have been proud of how smart his boys looked today and how well they carried out their Funerary Duties, Today they had laid to rest not just a soldier, but a friend, father, brother and confident and he would be sorely missed. Now they would go and celebrate Johns life not as comrades and soldiers but as a family, John`s death had brought them closer together a closeness that would prevail through the years.