Marine Cpl. Andrew Visscher performs his rendition of Merry Christmas from Afghanistan while on deployment in 2009. Just because you're deployed, doesn't mean you can't celebrate.

I've had the pleasure of being deployed on Christmas twice. Neither time was exceptionally fun. Unfortunately, national security and wars against Islamic Extremists don't allow for breaks, so some of our service members inevitably end up deployed throughout the holidays where they don't get to spend any time with family outside of their brothers and sisters in uniform.

Even today, we have Marines, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen forward deployed, both on ship, and to countries with brushfire conflicts occurring in them. While those men and women may not be directly in harms way the way they might have been when this video was recorded, they're still expected to pick up arms and defend the nation at the drop of a dime, regardless of the date on the calendar.

We ask that on this holiday season, everyone remembers our troops deployed downrange to dangerous locations like Syria, Iraq, the Horn of Africa, and the Mediterranean Sea. If you follow us and in you're in one of those locations, we'd like to thank you for your continued service to this nation, and for your selfless sacrifice this holiday season. Your decision to be forward deployed in the defense of the Western way of life is what makes this nation possible.