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 >1 y ago
Responses: 154
November 1975, I remember walking to the chow hall at NS Subic Bay in water up to my knees. It was right in the middle of Typhon Norma. They had a full spread of a thanksgiving meal. Drum sticks slices breast, potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, rolls and bread. I remember they even had a variety of nuts (Walnuts, Brazilian and others). In addition they had live music playing. What a meal. Three years later at Kadena AFB, they had a real turkeys on display when you walked in but they served canned rolls of meat. I was so disappointed.
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Thanksgiving 1970. Had the meal in the 12th USAF Dispensary, Phu Cat AB, Vietnam.
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1973, Ft. Polk, LA, Infantry AIT. I was assigned KP duty and the Mess Sergeant was a particularly snarly curmudgeon. This day as we prepared Thanksgiving dinner he was actually quite pleasant, the meal was wonderful, and it was my 1 and only KP stint during AIT. I did enjoy a sign that was posted on the kitchen wall, 'The Army spends millions of dollars on the finest food and sends their cooks to school to learn how to ruin it.'
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The worst Thanksgiving was Nov. 22nd 1963 when JFK was killed. I was stationed at Ft. Gordon, Ga. training at the Military Police AIT.
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The worst Thanksgiving was when JFK was shot 2 days prior. I was at Ft. Gordon, Ga. training with the first
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spent 2 thanksgivings at , now extinct Clark airbase in the Phillipines , working in an intelligence unit and several of us ate thanksgiving dinner in Angelies city once and the service and oriental turkey was awesome. Several of us somehow have connected and still converse via internet and phone after 50 years. Many of us went from Clark to DaNang and some of my old flicks are truly heart warming to me. Have never trusted any others as I trust each and everyone I served with.
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In 1977 I was going through the Navy Nuclear Power School at the A1W prototype in Idaho. I had to ride the bus 90 minutes each way from Idaho Falls to the site. On Thanksgiving day I had a qualification board interview to pass the course. I waited for my turn all day through lunch. The interviews dragged on past the end of day shift. I passed the interview and graduated. But the buses had already left. I had to spend the evening and night in the frigid unheated bunkroom, with no food. All of the few blankets were already taken. Under a bunk in the dark I found a dustbunny-encased food wrapper with two stale chips ahoy chocolate chip cookies inside. That is all I had to eat all day for Thanksgiving in 1977.
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Went to Bangkok for R&R from Viet Nam in 1967. Some American families living in Bangkok had signed up to host soldiers for Thanksgiving and I had a great time with a family whose name I do not remember.
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When I was on my first ship after the Persian Gulf in 1991, we had Thanksgiving at our home port. Because of duty rotations and people not able to have a particular day/time available, people had their Thanksgivings all weekend long. Myself and 2 other single Shipmates had the weekend planned out so that all 4 days we went to a different house for lunch and dinner. I would have had 8 solid meals that weekend, but I took someone's duty on Thursday so that he could spend it with his wife and kids that day. I didn't even trade duty days for it, I simply asked him to bring me a plate of food for dinner, and he did. That was a great weekend.
- (former) HT2(SW) Janiec
- (former) HT2(SW) Janiec
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Some of the best Thanksgivings I've spent were with soldiers who were stationed where I was stationed and could not go home for the holiday. My husband and I would invite fellow soldiers to our home for Thanksgiving dinner. I grew up in a small family, so it was a treat for me to have so many people to cook for and to sit around the table with for our special meal.
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