FROZEN MARINE IN ICE AND SNOW: My old squadron XO called it “practicing suffering.” May you enjoy your warm Christmas Eve.

RELATED: Here’s what the Marine is preparing for — winter war. The XO’s quip was gallows humor for inuring soldiers and entire units to the cold weather so they could conduct sustained combat operations in snow, ice and mud. From the history photo file, an example, The Battle of the Bulge. (1) GIs on a Battle of the Bulge patrol, Dec. 30, 1944; (2) Army tankers enjoy a late Christmas dinner in the Bulge, Dec. 30, 1944; (3) In Belgium and Germany the winter fog is cold — Bulge Dec. 20, 1944; (4) 75th Infantry Division soldiers in the drifts, Dec. 23, 1944; (5) GIs and a horse marching in the snow; and (6) Marching to St. Vith — one of my favorites. In color, too.