--- description: The retired Marine General will no longer be Secretary of Defense from Jan. 1 title: James Mattis Sends Last Christmas Message to U.S. Troops image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd259fb78d824aad0/6989423d929fad3858bf2657/GettyImages-1066240464.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Defense](/tag/defense/) ## Defense Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 'You Hold the Line.' James Mattis Sends Last Christmas Message to U.S. Troops by [Suyin Haynes](/author/suyin-haynes/) ## Suyin Haynes Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 26, 2018 8:00 AM CUT  U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis hosts an awards ceremony honoring House Speaker Paul Ryan , for his public service and enduring support of the U.S. military at the Pentagon in Washington on Nov. 28, 2018. U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis hosts an awards ceremony honoring House Speaker Paul Ryan , for his public service and enduring support of the U.S. military at the Pentagon in Washington on Nov. 28, 2018.Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency—Getty Images by [Suyin Haynes](/author/suyin-haynes/) ## Suyin Haynes Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 26, 2018 8:00 AM CUT Outgoing Secretary of Defense [James Mattis](http://time.com/5486595/jim-mattis-resignation-chaos/ "undefined") has shared a Christmas message with American troops, telling them “it remains my great privilege to serve alongside you.” In a tweet shared from the official U.S. Department of Defense account, the seven-point holiday message expressed to forces stationed around the world that “you carry on the legacy of those who stood the watch in decades past. In this world awash with change, you hold the line.” > [](https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense/status/1077360868776689664) “We know our freedoms are not guaranteed by themselves; they need defenders,” the letter continues. Mattis, a retired Marine General, will be [leaving his post](http://time.com/5487705/trump-pushes-mattis-out/ "undefined") as Secretary of Defense on Jan. 1 — two months earlier than his resignation letter had suggested. Addressed to President Trump and hand-delivered to the White House last week, Mattis’ candid resignation letter suggested that he [disagreed](http://time.com/5486300/james-mattis-disagree-donald-trump/ "undefined") with some of the president’s policies, noting that “Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.” Trump’s abrupt decision to [withdraw all 2,200 U.S. troops fighting ISIS in Syria](http://time.com/5486290/jim-mattis-retiring-trump-confirms/ "undefined"), as well as up to half of the 14,000 in Afghanistan, is thought to have led to Mattis’ decision to resign. “Storm clouds loom, yet because of you, your fellow citizens live safe at home,” the Christmas message reassured troops. “Most don’t know your names but all are confident their freedoms and families will be kept safe.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5488364/james-mattis-christmas-message/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5488364/james-mattis-christmas-message/"},"headline":"'You Hold the Line.' James Mattis Sends Last Christmas Message to U.S. Troops","datePublished":"2018-12-26T08:00:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T22:21:28.939Z","description":"The retired Marine General will no longer be Secretary of Defense from Jan. 1","url":"https://time.com/5488364/james-mattis-christmas-message/","keywords":["Defense","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd259fb78d824aad0/6989423d929fad3858bf2657/GettyImages-1066240464.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Suyin Haynes","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/suyin-haynes/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd259fb78d824aad0/6989423d929fad3858bf2657/GettyImages-1066240464.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US Defense Secretary Mattis hosts award ceremony honoring House Speaker Paul Ryan","caption":"US Defense Secretary Mattis hosts award ceremony honoring House Speaker Paul Ryan","creditText":"Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/defense/","name":"Defense"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5488364/james-mattis-christmas-message/","name":"'You Hold the Line.' James Mattis Sends Last Christmas Message to U.S. Troops"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"President Trump Pushes Mattis Out of the Pentagon Two Months Earlier Than Planned","description":"Fed up with the negative media coverage over the past four days, President Donald Trump on Sunday expedited the departure of Defense Secretary James Mattis two months earlier than planned.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/4cQplDZs/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-12-20T23:50:56.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/4cQplDZs.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5488364/james-mattis-christmas-message/","duration":"PT1M15S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5488364/james-mattis-christmas-message/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```