Glad you asked.
In addition to doing what has to be done, even on Thanksgiving, in a combat zone…
Some spent some of the time listening to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert as shown below aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the Gulf of Oman. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Karl Anderson)
Some, at Forward Operating Base Gamberi, Afghanistan, listened as U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter thanked them for their service, saying he knew they would rather be with their families for Thanksgiving, but they were doing a great service and sacrifice for their country by serving.
Some of our female troops in Afghanistan listened to Stephanie Carter, wife of U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter, as she also thanked them for their dedication, hard work and service during the holiday season, and discussed issues that arise for deployed females on forward bases.
One lucky troop, Afghanistan-deployed Air Force Staff Sgt. Dustin Hawkins, even got to talk with President Barack Obama on the phone. The President thanked Hawkins for his service and talked football with him. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jack Sanders
But it wasn’t all listening to high-level speeches.
There was also some high-level food service:
U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter serves U.S. troops Thanksgiving lunch at Forward Operating Base Gamberi, Afghanistan, Nov. 28. Photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
U.S. Marine Corps Assistant Commandant Gen. John M. Paxton, center, serves Thanksgiving Day meals to Marines on Forward Operating Sabit Qadam in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, Nov. 28, 2013. Paxton and other Headquarters Marine Corps staff visited Marines throughout Regional Command Southwest to wish them a happy Thanksgiving. The Marines are assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment.
And don’t forget dessert…
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. James L. Terry, commanding general of U.S. Army Central Command, cuts a cake for soldiers during Thanksgiving Day lunch on Camp Buehring in Kuwait, Nov. 28, 2013. The soldiers, assigned to the 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, are deployed to the Middle East to support Operation Enduring Freedom.
And back home, at every military installation, not-so-high-level but probably more skilled cooks were getting ready to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for the troops.
Army Spc. Trinh Tran, a cook with the Operation Iraqi Freedom Dining Facility at Fort Hood, Texas, covers prepared salads and dressings for the evening meal service, Nov. 21, 2013. Trinh is on a team to assist in preparation of the upcoming Thanksgiving Day dinner. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kim Browne
All photos and captions: DoD
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.