GOV/MIL What They Had for Dinner in A'stan.....

[kozanne]

Our resourceful troops, that is:

http://www.weaselzippers.net/blog/

A Glimpse Into Thanksgiving Preparations At Our Base In BARAKI-BARAK, Afghanistan

You can go HERE to write our heroes a Thank-you, holiday, or just because card (or all three). All you have to do is pick a card, write your message, and then they send it for you. (Thanks to Ulysses for the site.)

Military.com - "We're with our family just like we would be at Thanksgiving back home," said Staff Sgt. Ben McKinnon, of New Haven, Connecticut, nodding toward the Soldiers around him that have daily shared hardship, suffering and some elation over the past year.

Commander Cpt. Paul Shepard said his unit had a great deal to be thankful for: the squadron has suffered two Soldiers killed in action and a number of wounded but none have died in Alpha Troop.

"Knock on wood we've had some really good luck in our district. We've had a relatively good welcome from the locals and the severity of contact with the insurgents has not been great," said Shepard, of Black River, New York. "And we have tried to give out as much as we can."

Troops in Baraki-Barak, located in Logar province, just south of Kabul, have blitzed the district with humanitarian aid under an innovative "extreme make-over" concept that has had Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, and civilian officials, helicoptering in to see how the model could be applied elsewhere in the country.

Thursday's patrol was part of an effort to supply the district's ramshackle schools with basic equipment.

Meanwhile, three cooks on the Joint Combat Operations Post, scurried to prepare the traditional meal. Putting a turkey on a Soldier's Thanksgiving table isn't always easy in Afghanistan.

To enjoy the fresh thing, Soldiers a month ago bought six turkeys at $20 apiece from local farmers, built a special pen under one of the base's guard towers, and fed them cornbread, crackers, and even chicken. One was slaughtered earlier to see how the birds were coming along and declared to be "awesome."

The unit's mechanics converted a 55-gallon (208-liter) drum into a smoker and Staff Sgt. Charles Hough, of Dexter, New York, who is otherwise charged with the unit's mortars, volunteered to supervise deep frying the celebratory birds, something he learned from his brother.

Spc. Seth Breesawitz, of Springfield, Missouri, who supervises two other army cooks on the outpost, said that to feed some 150 Soldiers the local turkeys would be supplemented by pre-baked and pre-seasoned ones airlifted from the United States to the massive U.S. base in Bagram, and then trucked to Baraki-Barak via the main military camp in Logar.

"It makes me feel good to give them a piece of home," said Breesawitz as cooks finished slaughtering the turkeys Wednesday evening, preparing to pluck their feathers with the help of four, young and enthusiastic Afghan boys who perform odd jobs around a base where the troops have lived for almost a year.

All in all, it's hardly a place most would want to call home.

The Soldiers live in tents or crude wooden huts, ringed by a 12-foot (3.6-meter) earthen defensive wall topped by barbed wire. The "dining hall" is a square wooden structure with bare walls but for paper cutouts of two turkey heads and maple leaves in autumnal colors. The kitchen, a tiny tent on a trailer, would drive most chefs mad.

Each and every day our soldiers amaze me. They give so much and make do with so little. May God keep them safe, and may they always know that we respect and appreciate their sacrafices. May their families know that we appreciate their sacrafices and strength as well.

momma

God Bless 'em.

[Pass Go]

This is the first year in many I can't remember that a politician didn't fuss on our troops. It always mattered to me that happened because I used to be an overseas soldier, and remember well what it feels like to be halfway around the world during the holidays.

I hope that someone here knows about an acknowledgment of our military members overseas. Anyone?

[momof23goats]

well, this is a disgrace, they bought and grew their own?
say all you want about bush, but our boys had great meals, and holidays the food was there.

[Cjoi]

Originally Posted by Pass Go

This is the first year in many I can't remember that a politician didn't fuss on our troops. It always mattered to me that happened because I used to be an overseas soldier, and remember well what it feels like to be halfway around the world during the holidays.

I hope that someone here knows about an acknowledgment of our military members overseas. Anyone?

Originally Posted by momof23goats

well, this is a disgrace, they bought and grew their own?
say all you want about bush, but our boys had great meals, and holidays the food was there.

Certainly hope that our senior military leadership is mulling over the treatment of our troops...and taking serious note of what the actions/lack of actions are spelling out...

[The Freeholder]

Originally Posted by Pass Go

This is the first year in many I can't remember that a politician didn't fuss on our troops. It always mattered to me that happened because I used to be an overseas soldier, and remember well what it feels like to be halfway around the world during the holidays.

I hope that someone here knows about an acknowledgment of our military members overseas. Anyone?

You're kidding me, right? You actually expect the Boy King to bestir himself from the pleasures of his seat of power to do something for the troops?

You are with that expectation.

[Maranatha]

His O'self had a State dinner to host. He can't be bothered to attend to his duties as CiC, even for a "great photo op"!!!! He disgusts me.

MARANATHA!

[Old Gray Mare]

I will be more thankful when our troops are home with their families, safe and sound.

[Pass Go]

Darn. I was really hoping I was just outta the loop, and missed a special acknowledgment for their service from SOMEBODY...

That's really sad.

[Pass Go]

I suppose this is something, even if it is generic, rambling and scattered.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...5KtisVs7uPSMWg

Hosted by Back to Google NewsSolemn Obama pays tribute to troops on Thanksgiving
(AFP) – 1 day ago

WASHINGTON — Days before he is expected to order more troops to Afghanistan, President Barack Obama paid tribute to the US military , lamenting families with an empty seat at their Thanksgiving table.

Thousands of miles (kilometers) from home, American troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan were treated to the traditional turkey, potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie dinner in a welcome respite from waging war on the battlefield.

Obama called 10 US service members -- two from each of the five military branches -- in Iraq and Afghanistan to wish them a happy Thanksgiving and thank them, the White House said.

"We keep in our thoughts and prayers the many families marking this Thanksgiving with an empty seat -- saved for a son or daughter, or husband or wife, stationed in harm's way," the president said in his Thanksgiving address.

"We say a special thanks for the sacrifices those men and women in uniform are making for our safety and freedom, and for all those Americans who enrich the lives of our communities through acts of kindness, generosity and service."
With US forces to leave Iraq by August 2010, soldiers were hopeful this would be their last Thanksgiving there, but many could soon be redeployed under reported plans to send up to 35,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

Obama will make his announcement on a new Afghan strategy, a defining moment in his young presidency, in an address to the nation Tuesday from the prestigious West Point military academy in New York state.

While some military families got to exchange Thanksgiving wishes live on US television, for others serving out in the war zones it was a lonely prospect being so far away from their loved-ones during the holiday period.

"It's rough to be away from home but we're trying not to think about it; I'm just trying to get them a good meal," specialist Nathan Deliefde said as he prepared a Thanksgiving feast for 170 soldiers at Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad.

In a canteen adorned with paper turkeys and decorations, troops sat down for this little taste from home, while some played a game of basketball and others lounged around and chatted.

Back home, Obama was to host a Thanksgiving dinner for 50 guests, including family, friends and administration staff, and was to treat them to hearty meal of turkey, honey-baked ham, with cornbread stuffing and greens.

In his address Obama also acknowledged that millions of Americans faced "very difficult economic times" this Thanksgiving and vowed not to rest until he had "revived this economy and rebuilt it stronger than before."

Despite climbing out of recession in recent months, the US economy is still fragile and the unemployment rate shot up to 10.2 percent in October, a 26-year high.

The economy was bound to be a topic of conversation at many dinner tables across America as turkeys are carved in a tradition dating back to the first harvest feast of English pilgrims in the new world in 1621.

But others were trying to shake off the lingering economic gloom.

In New York, crowds gathered for the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, complete with floats of giant helium-filled balloons featuring the likes of Spider-Man, Kermit the Frog, Buzz Lightyear and Ronald McDonald.

Shoppers were expected to be out in force for the start of the holiday gift-giving season this weekend, perhaps clinging a bit tighter than usual to their wallets.

The National Retail Federation said it expected 134 million people to be out shopping on "Black Friday," the day after Thanksgiving that sees bargain hunters storm the stores from the early hours.

It confirmed its forecast of a one percent decline in holiday spending to 437.6 billion dollars.

On Wednesday, Obama honored the Thanksgiving tradition of service by handing out turkeys, pumpkin pies, vegetables, stuffing and other groceries with his family at a non-profit group for Washington's needy and homeless.

Obama, a former community organizer, also presided over the White House tradition of granting a presidential pardon to a Thanksgiving turkey.

With his daughters looking on, Obama said: "Today, I am pleased to announce that thanks to the interventions of Malia and Sasha, because I was planning to eat this sucker, 'Courage' will also be spared this terrible and delicious fate."

Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
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President Barack Obama with his daughters Sasha (L) and Malia



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[Fly Girl]

Obama called 10 US service members -- two from each of the five military branches -- in Iraq and Afghanistan to wish them a happy Thanksgiving and thank them, the White House said.


Back home, Obama was to host a Thanksgiving dinner for 50 guests, including family, friends and administration staff, and was to treat them to hearty meal of turkey, honey-baked ham, with cornbread stuffing and greens.

Bush actually risked his own neck, under cover, to go serve some dinners to the troops.......how nice that Obama found time to pick up the phone.