Dear friends:

Today, Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful to Almighty God for many things, especially our military personnel in the Middle East, risking their lives, some giving their lives, to protect our nation and our freedom to worship and proclaim the one true God without being forced into as mosque to worship the god of Islam, the alternative being getting our heads chopped off.

Below is a peek at what our troops in Iraq will be doing today.  May God bless and keep them every one.

Jim
__________________________________________
 

Chefs plan `All-American Thanksgiving in Iraq

By Sgt. Gabe Nix

AR RAMADI, Iraq (Army News Service, Nov. 25, 2003) The All-American Thanksgiving in Iraq will be festive, said Master Sgt. Mack E. Sumler, a food service supervisor for the 82nd Airborne Division.

The Thanksgiving feast will include staples such as turkey, ham, stuffing, glazed sweet potatoes, shrimp cocktail, and an assortment of deserts and drinks, Sumler said.

Kellogg, Brown and Root food service technician Melvin Young is making the necessary preparations required to feed an Army. He is planning on going through 4,000 pounds of turkey, 3,000 pounds of shrimp, and 4,000 hams. Young, retired from the U.S. Army, also said KBR is working hand-in-hand with Army food service workers to make the holiday a success.

As soon as the supplies arrive, Army cooks will be helping to put the finishing touches on the Thanksgiving feast by putting up decorations, setting up tables, assisting the chefs and using their culinary skills to erect sculptures out of chocolate and ice.

The Thanksgiving Day dinner will be available for all soldiers working in the 82nd Airborne area of operations, Sumler said.

With the extra surprises planned, as well as the extra effort being put forth by Army cooks, Sumler said he hopes it will allow soldiers to forget about their current situation for a short while.

You take a moment, five minutes, an hour, a day, to realize what you are thankful for, make the soldiers feel like they are back home, and be thankful for what they have, said Sumler.

The goal is to take care of the Soldiers, Sumler said. A lot of planning has gone into this, and the chain of command has given us all of their support.

Being away from home during the holidays is often part of Army life, Sumler said, but he added that this years All-American Thanksgiving will hopefully give Soldiers a morale boost and give them motivation to finish the deployment strong.

(Editors note: Sgt. Gabe Nix is a member of the 350th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, an Army Reserve unit from Indianapolis, Ind. He is currently deployed to southwest Asia with the 82nd Airborne Division in support of Operating Iraqi Freedom.)