Posted on Nov 24, 2015
What is the most memorable thanksgiving that you spent while in the military?
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Is there a particular Thanksgiving that stands out from your career? I have many wonderful memories of Thanksgivings spent with Soldiers across the globe both serving and being served chow in austere conditions, but always thankful that they could be spent with family; either by blood or by brotherhood.
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 154
So no crap there I was, Kabul, Afghanistan 2003.
Through a chain of unfortunate events, I was marooned in Kabul Thanksgiving week awaiting transportation. As an unattached Civil Affairs guy, I was tasked to secure turkeys for the big day. Not knowing my way around Kabul very well, I picked up a FA PFC as a driver and got ready to go.
Now, I had been in Afghanistan since July, and while I had laid eyes on chickens fairly often, I had yet to see a turkey. Sources told me they could be bought on (you guessed it) Chicken Street, because that is where turkeys are, of course. We were about to set out, when we were intercepted by an O-6 who had heard we were going out. He asked if he could tag along - not much a SSG and a PFC could do but say yes - and off we went.
Upon arriving in the market area of Chicken Street the Colonel orders us to stop. He gets out, and spends 90 minutes buying crap in a local store. Bootleg DVDs, electronics, random randomness...
Anyway, PFC guy and I are getting antsy. We are virtually inundated with kids, and keeping them out of our vehicle was getting difficult. We weren't exactly outfitted to deal with a threat, either. It was about as quiet a time to be in Afghanistan as there was, but stuff still happened. And we were standing there on the street. Guarding the truck. While Colonel guy is buying Afghan stuff. Not doing the mission. I was getting pretty salty.
Eventually, Colonel guy comes back with bags of stuff, wanting us to take him back to the compound.
"Negative, sir. We still have the mission to accomplish."
It took a while, but eventually we found an Afghan selling turkeys. Or at least the Afghan equivalent. Aside from being alive and having a few more feathers, they looked just like the rubber chickens that you can buy in a joke shop. I negotiated a price for twelve of them and started loading the cages. The Afghan guy stops me. "No. No." He says. "No cages, only birds".
Hmmm
So, I grab one and throw it in the back of the Blazer. Obediently, it stands there, looking around.
OK.
So, one by one, I throw the rest in the back. They actually kind of organized themselves into ranks. Just sort of standing there. Maybe this will work. Turkeys are stupid.
Then we drove away.
And those turkeys went ballistic!
Flying around, flapping, feathers everywhere...
It was all I could do to keep them away from the PFC as we made our way back to the compound. The Colonel in the back seat wasn't so lucky.
As we pulled into Gator Alley and the gate, the Colonel jumps out, face red with rage. He is covered in feathers and turkey guano. He tells us that he's "never going out shopping with us again!" Slams the door and storms off.
I can't lie, that was some funny $#!t.
Victory Secured.
I got called on the carpet half-heatedly by the CMCOORD Chief who lectured me for a while. I could tell his heart wasn't in it. Rumor had it that this was high comedy in Flag Country.
That was a lonely Thanksgiving, far from home.
But it came with a great story.
And the turkey was pretty tasty, for a rubber chicken.
Through a chain of unfortunate events, I was marooned in Kabul Thanksgiving week awaiting transportation. As an unattached Civil Affairs guy, I was tasked to secure turkeys for the big day. Not knowing my way around Kabul very well, I picked up a FA PFC as a driver and got ready to go.
Now, I had been in Afghanistan since July, and while I had laid eyes on chickens fairly often, I had yet to see a turkey. Sources told me they could be bought on (you guessed it) Chicken Street, because that is where turkeys are, of course. We were about to set out, when we were intercepted by an O-6 who had heard we were going out. He asked if he could tag along - not much a SSG and a PFC could do but say yes - and off we went.
Upon arriving in the market area of Chicken Street the Colonel orders us to stop. He gets out, and spends 90 minutes buying crap in a local store. Bootleg DVDs, electronics, random randomness...
Anyway, PFC guy and I are getting antsy. We are virtually inundated with kids, and keeping them out of our vehicle was getting difficult. We weren't exactly outfitted to deal with a threat, either. It was about as quiet a time to be in Afghanistan as there was, but stuff still happened. And we were standing there on the street. Guarding the truck. While Colonel guy is buying Afghan stuff. Not doing the mission. I was getting pretty salty.
Eventually, Colonel guy comes back with bags of stuff, wanting us to take him back to the compound.
"Negative, sir. We still have the mission to accomplish."
It took a while, but eventually we found an Afghan selling turkeys. Or at least the Afghan equivalent. Aside from being alive and having a few more feathers, they looked just like the rubber chickens that you can buy in a joke shop. I negotiated a price for twelve of them and started loading the cages. The Afghan guy stops me. "No. No." He says. "No cages, only birds".
Hmmm
So, I grab one and throw it in the back of the Blazer. Obediently, it stands there, looking around.
OK.
So, one by one, I throw the rest in the back. They actually kind of organized themselves into ranks. Just sort of standing there. Maybe this will work. Turkeys are stupid.
Then we drove away.
And those turkeys went ballistic!
Flying around, flapping, feathers everywhere...
It was all I could do to keep them away from the PFC as we made our way back to the compound. The Colonel in the back seat wasn't so lucky.
As we pulled into Gator Alley and the gate, the Colonel jumps out, face red with rage. He is covered in feathers and turkey guano. He tells us that he's "never going out shopping with us again!" Slams the door and storms off.
I can't lie, that was some funny $#!t.
Victory Secured.
I got called on the carpet half-heatedly by the CMCOORD Chief who lectured me for a while. I could tell his heart wasn't in it. Rumor had it that this was high comedy in Flag Country.
That was a lonely Thanksgiving, far from home.
But it came with a great story.
And the turkey was pretty tasty, for a rubber chicken.
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1993 - MEC-P, Korea. Was relieved of my watch about 45 minutes after the chow hall was closed. Hoping to grab something, I entered anyway. The Marines on mess duty were cleaning up and already getting ready for tomorrow's meal. Not wanting to bother 'em, I turned back and started up the hill to our billeting. A young L/Cpl chased me down and asked that I return with him. Upon re-entering the chow hall, a Cpl approached me with a plate of food... and asked me to join his Marines for their Thanksgiving meal. Thankful... and humbled to be with family.
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Iraq 2007, roasting three Turkeys bartered for off the locals when we saw them on patrol.
Small patrol base 35 k from the next nearest US outpost, we were alone and unafraid.... And having Fresh Turkey... I had two battalion cooks assigned to me, mostly water boilers for rations.. but they did what they could with what I could get in rations. The Sergeant, was adamant he "Would not allow" THAT food in HIS mess hall (a tent). I will not confirm or deny that said DFAC Sergeant was pointed to the gate and asked whose gate he came though to stand in the relative security of a few hundred T walls guarded by whose company? We came to an agreement, He did not have to participate in prep or cooking, but damn well would be serving them or back to Taji he went (they LOVED being at our patrol base)
Now to his credit, that young Sergeant saw the error in our ways, and prepped the Turkey rations that were flown in that day.. As the commander and I carved the first of three birds we have been feeding in a HESCO "cages" for several weeks.. we realized them damn skinny ass turkeys were not going to feed but a few folks each. So all got a taste of a Warrior Turkey... but the meal came from my DFAC Sergeant.
Thank you Sergeant.
PS no that is not me in the pic.
Small patrol base 35 k from the next nearest US outpost, we were alone and unafraid.... And having Fresh Turkey... I had two battalion cooks assigned to me, mostly water boilers for rations.. but they did what they could with what I could get in rations. The Sergeant, was adamant he "Would not allow" THAT food in HIS mess hall (a tent). I will not confirm or deny that said DFAC Sergeant was pointed to the gate and asked whose gate he came though to stand in the relative security of a few hundred T walls guarded by whose company? We came to an agreement, He did not have to participate in prep or cooking, but damn well would be serving them or back to Taji he went (they LOVED being at our patrol base)
Now to his credit, that young Sergeant saw the error in our ways, and prepped the Turkey rations that were flown in that day.. As the commander and I carved the first of three birds we have been feeding in a HESCO "cages" for several weeks.. we realized them damn skinny ass turkeys were not going to feed but a few folks each. So all got a taste of a Warrior Turkey... but the meal came from my DFAC Sergeant.
Thank you Sergeant.
PS no that is not me in the pic.
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SFC Jeffrey Couch
Lol SGM isn't kind of funny how they find the error of their ways makes wander if we were like that so many many seems like a life time years ago
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