Christmas & Grandma & Casino Craps

Don't blow on the dice ... don't throw dice with both hands ... don't buy into the game when the shooter is on a good roll ... a 7 often appears after the shooter has accidentally thrown one of the dice off the table - watch out for stick-changes too ... A 7-out often follows a stick change.

There are lots of rules in the casino game of Craps.  Don't play unless you know the rules. Most of the time, the rules are opposed to the way the game is depicted in movies.  If you've never played, don't start. It's a game that can really beat you up and it has a difficult-to-learn vocabulary.

As mentioned, I play a lot. Maybe too much.  But, I never speak to anyone at the craps table, ever.  I am not being discourteous or disrespectful or superstitious. I play hoping to be lucky enough to make some money. There's nothing social or sociable about craps. It's a very, very tough game. It's incredibly addictive and, as with most gaming, you have to know when to cash in your chips and walk away. 

I never play craps on a cruise ship.  I've found that people who win early in their trip usually give their winnings back before the cruise ends.

One night on a recent cruise, I was watching a craps game and struck up a conversation with the other non-player who was also watching the action.

She was short, black, and had a smile that would light up a room - stunning.  I put her age at about 33-34.  She looked like one of Michael Jackson's sisters. And, although she admitted to being a Louisiana native, she didn't have an accent of any kind. She laughed when I remarked that she sounded like a TV news anchor.

No accent. “You sound like me”.

I didn't read her very well.  She surprised me. She was a US army officer.  She'd served for 31 years and retires in 2 years.  She somehow has managed 4 tours of duty in the war and will return there if her unit is called again.  4 tours.  She's a very happy grandmother who gets to spend Christmas at home to meet her 2-year old granddaughter for the very first time.

I've never talked to an active soldier before. I had a million questions.

She told me that "during the day in the war-zone, temperatures can get to 150 degrees. And, when it drops to 100 degrees at night, it's cold". I couldn't imagine being dressed in full combat gear in 150-degree temperatures.  She said, "it was typical to lose 10 pounds of water a day”.

She said on her first tour, "she and her unit were shocked to see the locals rummaging through the garbage bins at night looking for scraps of food".  So she organized a program so she and her unit donated everything they didn't absolutely need to the locals.

She said she served on 6 battle missions with Canadian soldiers backing up her unit.  I felt very proud when she said she  "always felt safer when she saw those stitched-on red maple leaves on the Canadian jackets". 

She said she "regretted that most Americans don't even know the Canadians are in the war fighting and keeping the peace alongside the Americans".  She said, "her command feels a lack of support for the mission from the folks back home".

She talked about the plans for her life after she retires from active service in two years. She'll get 70% of her salary and she has been vigilant about building her rainy-day account.   She doesn't think she will have to work again.  Talk about someone who has earned retirement - after 4 tours? I couldn't imagine what she has seen and experienced and didn't want to know. 

We talked for almost an hour. It seemed like only a few minutes.  I asked her so many questions, I forgot to ask her name.  I hoped her unit never gets the call.

Because of our conversation, Christmas Thoughts will be different for me.  

This essay is a repeater.  If you received this note about my unnamed tablemate before, no apology.  Nothing's changed. It's still my mindset for Christmas 2022.

I'll still be thinking about people who have nothing and those who are willing to share.

I'll still be thinking about our brave men and women warriors and their families who sacrifice everything for us.

I'll still be thinking about soldiers who are also grannies.

I'll still be thinking about grandchildren, and why we call them grand.

Merry Christmas to my Craps
table-mate -  a true warrior
by anyone's definition.
After 4 Tours, I hope you're
home and safe and retired.