All hospital patients should have visitors. Most do, usually family and friends. Strangers usually come around the High Holidays, spreading good cheer anonymously by doling out seasonal songs or baskets of goodies. Pediatric wards, especially, are full of carolers, and other groups of people — auxiliaries of local police and fire houses, or fraternal organizations — passing out stuffed animals. But at least at this military hospital it’s Christmas and Channukah every day. Visitors trip over each other on their way to performing this sacred corporal work of mercy. In the last twenty-four hours alone I have seen on the surgical wards the Commandant of the Marines (the only 4 star Marine there is) with a contingent of well-wishers here to award Purple Hearts to his soldiers. I’ve seen liaison soldiers in uniforms of other countries, too, mostly Australians and Germans, visiting. This morning saw the entire 35-person Air Force entertainment troupe (“Tops in Blue”) come through to serenade some of the amputees (what’s going through their minds seeing this?). Add in the usual complement of chaplains, Red Cross volunteers, family members, military liaisons and public affairs personnel and you need a traffic manager to make rounds. Could it get any worse come December? I think I see a magician coming — gotta go.