What is the most memorable thanksgiving that you spent while in the military?

My wife and I were married on Thanksgiving weekend in 1987, shortly after I reported to the 101st Abn Div (AASLT) at FT Campbell. We figured the Army doesn't do anything over Thanksgiving so it would be good planning! WRONG! Our first anniversary I was in Panama for jungle training and the third was in the desert for Desert Shield. So much for good planning!

The one that sticks in my mind the most was Turkey Day 2003. I was in Afghanistan and we had just picked up dinners for those who were working and could not get to the Mess Tent. We got back to the guys and gave them their meals and we went into office area to eat and check on things. No sooner had I sat down when we started getting IDF. I sent all the Soldiers to the bunker, while a couple of NCOs stayed with the equipment. Since they did not sound like they were too close I sat there with some guys and we ate or dinner. I had just got back from grabbing some O'Doul's when our building got hit. Thankfully it landed on the opposite end and no one was seriously injured. We all had headaches for a couple of day and the Doc's just told us to take it easy and take extra strength aspirin. This was before TBI's were a major issue.
Of course this was when we were younger and dumber and had became so use to the IDF that we never expected them to actually hit something. Most of the times they landed out on the airfield or near the shit pit.

2013. Since I was home for most of my Thanksgiving holidays while in the Corps (except boot camp and my first year in Oki) I would like to share an experience when I was a civilian contractor. I was awaiting a visa to return to the US Embassy Baghdad where I was a radar operator providing operations for the Early Warn System giving a heads up for incoming rocket attacks. I was able to go home every 6 months for 2 weeks. I left in October to attend two wedding and whole on leave Iraq changed their visa process. I returned to Kuwait to await my visa late October. Four weeks later, highly frustrated of the delay and lost of danger pay wages, I was even more irritated that I would be stuck in Kuwait for the holiday. Although I would have missed the time with my family if I was already in Iraq, I was pissed that I would be spending it alone in Kuwait and losing money doing so. As I walked into the DFAC at Ali Alsaleem AF base aka "The Rock", it was like as if reality hit me in the face. Here I am, although a 2x OIF veteran in the USMC, a civilian contractor who is no longer in harms way, per se as much as these active duty heroes, pissed off about losing wages that some of these soldiers, airman, and Marines see in a year, and irritated that I was going to be sitting alone on a day we should be giving thanks. I went inside and say a plethora of butter sculptures... watermelons carved into intricate shapes and animals... harvest decorations throughout. Normally when you came into the DFAC it was more or less a inaudible murmuring and an occasional cough or groan. Not that night. I walked in to a welcoming sound of laughs, cheers, and football games on the 2-3 tvs inside. Everyone was talking to anyone. I sat down at a table that had a few active duty Marines who were in transit to Afghanistan. As I sat down they immediately stuck conversation with me. We talked about home, football teams, and I shared a few experiences when I was in and where I was. The whole experience almost brought me to tears as I walked out after an amazing meal of 3 different types of prepared turkey, corn, stuffing, string bean casserole, sweet potatoes, you name it... it was there. Then the desserts. Oh my.. it was literally a buffet of homemade treats 6 tables long. I ended up going back home for a few weeks after that as there were still issues with my visa, but I will never forget the day a few Marines brought me back to my roots of being in the corps. Someone always has it worse than you. Somewhere someone is happier than you with less than you have. Most of all, Marines take care of their own, even when they don't know they are.

I was going to AIT at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis in 1972. Having graduated college in Boston, turned 21 and enlisted in the Army all within about ten days time had made for a hectic period in my life. I'd stayed in touch with Marc, a friend from college who I knew was from Indy. As luck would have it, he was coming home(to Indy) for Thanksgiving and invited me to have dinner with him and his folks. We made arrangements and on T-Day, he drove out to the Fort, picked me up, and took me to his parents home. We had a fine dinner and visit. Later he brought me back to the Fort and we kind of lost touch for several years. About thirty years it turned out to be. I got out of the service and wound up in Vermont. It happened that he was going to be in Boston on business and we arranged to meet for lunch. Over lunch I told Marc how much I appreciated that Thanksgiving dinner back in 1972. He says to me, "I don't remember doing that!" Well...I sure did.

My most memorable Thanksgiving was in Hungary for OJE back in '96. There must have been an agreement that locals be hired for as much of the base support operations as possible. The DFACs where contracted by KBR and staffed entirely by local nationals who had in many cases never seen a turkey. God bless them, but they tried their best.

I was in Camp Zama Army Hospital in Japan recovering from rocket wounds received in Vietnam. 1/7, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Garry Owen!

my squad.(d-co. 2'nd 16th. 1st inf.) heard on radio that thanksgiving 1969, everyone would get a hot meal. (never happened!) I have a picture of myself taking it out on a palm tree. cutting it down with machete! (point man). never believe everything you hear or read!!
terry engel

Fifty years ago "today", while in the U.S. Army, assigned to the 7th Aviation Battalion, 7th Infantry Division at Camp Casey in northern South Korea, I was having Thanksgiving Dinner in our mess hall. The "highlight" of the dinner was REAL Eggnogg (made with real eggs and real milk) that had been flown in from California. This was a delightful shift from the usual powdered eggs and our usual "remanufactured" milk. That was powdered milk that was reconstituted in the Army "milk factory" in Seoul, and the butterfat that had been removed "in the Land of the Big PX" was replaced with coconut oil. If it was really cold, it tasted OK, but if it was less than that, it tasted like plastic. The fresh Eggnog was a real palate pleaser - better than champagne to us!

We were shocked as a aCav unit on the DMZ in Vietnam to be recalled off the field for a hot Thanksgiving dinner. We normally ate C rations day in and day out. Hot chow was something that happened maybe once every couple of months when we were refitting and rearming. We were to eat a late lunch at the Cua Viet naval base that was on the South China Sea. We could hardly wait to eat! As I was walking away from the chow line, my butterscotch pudding that was served in a paper dixie cup tipped over and spilled. I quickly caught it and righted it. The contents suddenly acted like it was made out of rubber and snapped back into the cup. The people in line after me saw it and screamed with laughter, so did I. So everyone experimented with how far the butterscotch could be spilled and snapped back into the cup. It was hilarious. After that great dinner, we lazed around outside the Navy mess. Our scout section sergeant, Cooper came up to us and told us to saddle up we were going out on ambush along the river that night to be dropped off by landing craft. The photo I've attached to this post are the members of the ambush patrol in November 1969 gathering on shore on the sand waiting for our WW2-style transport. A new medic, temporarily replacing our last medic was with us. I cannot remember his name. I'm on the far left standing. Sarge is kneeling on the extreme right. It was lightly raining as it was still monsoon season until February. We were never dry.

Basrah '09. The turkey was decent but the stuffing, potatoes and gravy were so thick you had to cut them with a knife. Best part about it, my daughter was deployed with our unit as an intel analyst, so at least I had some family with me.