Thanksgiving Feast: 34,760 Pounds of Turkey Deployed to Our Troops in Afghanistan

DLA Brings Thanksgiving to the Troops. (Photo: Youtube)

November 23, 2016

Written by Lorra B.

The Defense Logistics Agency is committed to providing American troops around the world with a traditional Thanksgiving meal and this year is no exception.

In Afghanistan, there are 10,277 active duty troops serving, according to Defense Department statistics. In Afghanistan, Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq there are nearly 12,000 troops deployed. These numbers don’t include other countries or the service members at sea.

Understandably, getting ready to deliver that many Thanksgiving feasts takes time and skill.

There are, according to DLA, 34,760 pounds of turkey, 21,450 pounds of ham and 32,550 pounds of beef to be prepared! Not to mention the 28,980 pounds of shrimp, 9,114 pounds of stuffing mix and 879 gallons of eggnog.

That is a lot of food to prepare and it takes expertise to get it organized.

Organizing the food support for troops in Afghanistan is Army Warrant Officer Raul Lewis. Lewis stated, “It is an honor to serve my country. But it is an even greater honor to serve my fellow service members an outstanding meal. There is nothing more comforting when you are far away from home and missing your loved ones than to sit in front of a hot meal and share a few laughs and moments of joy.”

Another member of the  DLA family is Anthony Amendolia who stated, that in order for our troops to get a little taste of home it takes a lot of planning in order to insure everything is delivered in time. “Thanksgiving is so important to us, and such a priority, that we have to start in the April, May timeframe. It is a long process but we think service members really enjoy having a great Thanksgiving meal with their troops.”

If you are a soldier with a meal card, there is no charge for this feast. Soldiers with an E-5 and below, and their families, pay $6.80 per person. Enlisted E-5 and below, and their families, along with officers, pay $9.05 per person.

There will be all the fixings for our troops from collard greens, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes to cheesecake for desert.

Thanks to the Defense Logistics Agency, our troops around the world will be enjoying a warm Thanksgiving meal and while it will not in the least compare with being home for the holidays it will at least give them a warmth in their hearts and a small  taste of home.

We thank each and every one of our brave heroes who put their lives on the line every day, though ‘Thank you’ will never be enough!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Written by Lorra B.