The Odessa American is the leading source of local news, information, entertainment and sports for the Permian Basin.

To kick off the fourth season of “Hark! The stories behind our favorite Christmas carols,” we have a Christmas song that begins on a plodding, somber note and erupts into a thrilling epiphany.

After helping American citizens during a political uprising in the Dominican Republic, Hark was ordered to serve in Vietnam in the fall of 1965. As he traveled, Hark and his fellow Marines learned ...