I can not let this holiday go by without some thoughts about and thanks to our service men and women serving around the world — many of them still in harm’s way.
Soldiers with the 10th Mountain Division celebrate Thanksgiving at Tactical Base Gamberi, Afghanistan, Nov. 26, 2015. Soldiers feasted on a six-course meal that consisted of traditional Thanksgiving favorites and tasty desserts.The division’s senior leaders manned the serving lines. U.S. Army photo by Maj. Asha Cooper
Admiral John Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations, perhaps says it best:
Team, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. This weekend, many of us will gather with family, friends, and loved ones to celebrate each others’ company over a nice meal in our homes. Dana and I wish you a peaceful and safe weekend, and we thank YOU for all that you do to keep our Navy and nation prosperous and secure.
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As we take this time to pause and reflect, let us remember those who are quietly celebrating while underway or forward deployed around the world. While we talk with family, they have the watch. We’ve all been there and know those mixed feelings of pride at accomplishing the mission, but also missing our loved ones while deployed during this time. For those at home, please keep these shipmates in your thoughts and prayers. If you’re forward, reach out, be good company for each other, and wish your shipmate a Happy Thanksgiving.
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Finally, I must add that in addition to turkey, pumpkin pie, and football, wherever you are, please add safety to your list of things to keep track of this weekend. Remain alert and cognizant of your surroundings. Ensure you keep yourselves and those around you safe and sound. You and your families are all far too valuable to the Navy and the nation to experience a needless accident – I need you all to come back rested and ready to go.
Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher T. Crawford gives Spc. Victor W. Stephans his tray of food while serving lunch at the Koele Dining Facility during Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 2013, at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Sinthia Rosario
Talking about turkey and pumpkin pie, in case you thought preparing Thanksgiving dinner for Shaun’s “extended family,” this is what it takes for our military to cook for “tens of thousands of hungry [deployed] troops who are looking forward to a taste of home”:
• 51,699 pounds of turkey
• 25,970 pounds of beef
• 17,130 pounds of ham
• 706 gallons of eggnog
• 3,360 pounds of marshmallows
Chefs prepare hams for service members at a dining facility at an air base in Southwest Asia. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Stanley Coleman
“And it doesn’t even include all the pies, sweet potatoes and other fixins that go into a Thanksgiving meal.”
Anthony Amendolia, a Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support customer relationship specialist says, “The turkeys, they come in frozen containers. They make their way across the ocean and arrive frozen. It’s checked that the temperature is the same the whole way over to make sure the quality is there.”
Culinary Specialist 2nd Class David Tiberio, from Red Hook, N.Y., prepares food for a Thanksgiving meal aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class John Herman)
“We want to make sure our service men and women, wherever they are, are eating the exact same foods they would be eating if they were home. We want them to feel like they are home when they’re eating their Thanksgiving meal,” Amendolia says.
Sailors prepare dessert for Thanksgiving dinner aboard the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ryan McFarlane
Culinary Specialist 1st Class Jerry Encomienda from Orlando, Florida prepares an ice mold for Thanksgiving dinner aboard the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan ().U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ryan McFarlane)
He adds, “I just recently heard from somebody who came back from Afghanistan who said that no matter where they are in Afghanistan and how miserable it can be sometimes, there’s one thing they look forward to – sitting down and having a great meal they’re used to eating.”
A Very Happy Thanksgiving to our military and their families.
Lead photo: Airmen assigned to the 354th Communications Squadron enjoy family and food at an early Thanksgiving potluck dinner on Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, Nov. 20, 2015. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Cassandra Whitman
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.