People love sharing the memes about how we need to remember service members who aren’t home for Thanksgiving. Hell, some of my best memories of my service was Thanksgiving down range, on duty, or overseas. Usually the food was great, the laughs were loud, and the camaraderie appreciated.
And we still appreciate every service member that’s working to keep us safe every day!
For years before he became sick and then retired, I remember Dad (an O-6) “bringing home” 2 or 3 enlisted men/women from his command every Thanksgiving. They got a day of good food, watching football, playing with dogs, and listening to bad Colonel T jokes. Great times…
Out in the middle of the Indian Ocean and they usually went all out for the big holidays. Great food, and they also flew in some beer.
I used to volunteer to stand duty on thanksgiving. Be it on the ward, in the ER or with Med BN it was always a good time spent with awesome people.
Just a joke..... And no relatives to deal with 😂😂
Thanks for your service! Great story. I was married to Navy and best Thanksgiving is me cooking for 30 ppl away from family. Amazing time and memories.
I was underwater for Thanksgiving, and for Christmas one year, they tried to get good food, but it was in cans or freezer for months. The people were the only redeeming part.
I completed my first Trident patrol over a Thanksgiving, I was too busy trying to qualify for my dolphins to worry about it, lol.
We just hosted a Thanksgiving meal for all the unaccompanied folks at our command. It was great. Lots of laughter and stories. And the food was great!
Thanksgiving at the firehouse was always top notch!! Well, minus the tragic and horrific calls. Anyhoo… 🫠
True!
Yeah I saw my Brother once in the 22 years he served. We probably missed him more than he missed us
So true and making life-long friend that still keep in touch!😎 Happy Thanksgiving 🦃
Any holiday away from the in laws are the best
About 3 years ago I made homemade bread in the shape of a turkey to our young Marine because he wouldn't be home, and it arrived moldy. We still laugh about that.
As an army brat in the 50s they knew how to engage the families and make THXGIving and Xmas great for the kids.
Actually my husband tells about Thanksgiving on his base where officers & their families ate first. When time came for the enlisted men (they were all men, this was decades ago), all the turkey & stuffing & traditional food items were gone. 😢
I have never heard of that happening. Traditionally we served the meals and ate last. I’m kind of baffled to hear otherwise.
Agree. Officers served the food.
Holy cow that’s not how it’s done in the ADF….when we eat together ( not in separate mess)officers eat after us….no pressure though…
That's a shame. In Air Force CE squadrons the officers and Senior NCOs cook and serve the food, and don't eat until everyone else has gotten their plates.
Should read the book Leaders Eat Last.
I can't speak on previous decades but now it's the complete opposite. Now it's a tradition for officers to serve the soldiers their food on Thanksgiving.
I was enlisted in the late 80s. Always had plenty of food every holiday. Traditional Turkey and trimmings on Thanksgiving and ham or steak for Xmas.
That seems untrue. Our officers ALWAYS served the men and woman coming through the mess hall! My experience from 1989-2003
My husband is not lying. His service in the USAF in Europe was many decades before yours. I’m glad your Thanksgiving mess hall experience was better than his.
No no no you understood me wrong. I didn’t say he was lying. I apologize if that’s how it sounded. Thank him for his service. And Happy Thanksgiving.
Thank you. 🦃
Yea, I’m sorry if I came off as accusatory. I feel awful!!!
Definitely not true with the Marines. When I deployed (Navy physician attached to 1MEF). Junior enlisted are first. Officers last. As it should be
I agree this is a much better system. The military has changed a lot since the 1950s-60s when my husband served. He has many stories, not just about holiday meals.
I think everyone’s experience is different in the military. For example my dad was in the Air Force and was in the fire department…..so it was all the enlisted guys at the fire station eating turkey and stuffing. He said it was some of the best memories he had while being away from the family.
One of my favorite core memories from my career so far is at a Squadron Thanksgiving lunch a few years back where my folks were just sitting around a table in the shop after hanging out with the rest of the Squadron for a bit. I was just sitting back and listening to the airmen talk and joke.
It was nice just to watch them relax and enjoy each other's company on a day where we had no work to do.
Sounds about right. Idk what this dude is on about unless he hates his family
Thankfully they don’t do that anymore; that staunch us v. them behavior was decades ago. Plus being on deployment is very different from being on base. There is definitely more camaraderie according to my husband.
Anecdotes are neat!
That was definitely a long time ago. Ever since I’ve been in, every base I’ve been at has a tradition of the higher-ups coming into the mess hall (in dress uniforms if stateside) and serving Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.
It was around 1960 on a USAF base in Europe.
Wasn’t that supposed to be a secret? 🤭🫡. Thank you all for your service, except the bad guys!
Same. Spent one Thanksgiving remote in Turkey.
My wife, at the time,and I would always invite a single sailor into our home on Thanksgiving. One of those turned out to be from my wife's hometown and she had baby-sat him. Small world
No matter where you are or who you are with….make it a thankful day.
40,000 feet above the pacific between clark and diego.
7 years active. 5 Thanksgivings away from home. No regrets.
Same with me. I missed having Thanksgiving with my immediate family, but spending Thanksgiving with my military family was good too.
During the assault in Grenada in 1983, I recall having Thanksgiving. We were camping adjacent to a swamp that was plagued with mosquitoes. I ate the C-ration of chicken bits. Thanksgiving was fantastic.
You’re a lucky man! 😊 Not all have those memories though.
Yeah. Thanksgiving 1962 about six miles from the DMZ in Korea while assigned to B-2-40 Armor was memorable. Good company, good chow. One of the Thanksgiving dinners I remember best. I'm glad I was able to be there. .
Not from the military, but a few airport ready room parties were priceless. The food was usually amazing!
Thank you for your service
💯 as a Veteran, imma spend this holiday remembering all the people forced to have dinner with a family that makes them feel lesser than, or afraid to be themselves, or coerced to interact due to familial pressures. They need the support, not us this year
I get it. A couple of Thanksgivings at sea; great memories of a very good meal, fun atmosphere, great shipmates.
Yeah I agree with you. They were some very nice times.
One Xmas I was confined to bed at hospital with multiple bone fractures after a car crash. People felt sad for us few left in hospital who were too broken to go home. Best Xmas I ever had…we were all laughing so much it was really painful from our wounds which just made us laugh more.
Did nobody ever shoot at your down range? I couldn't imagine putting any of my down range holidays in the running for "some of my best memories." But I guess it does make sense to really embrace the joyful things when you're over there.
I agree, in my 11 years in, I spent thanksgiving at home 2 times because I was stationed 2 hours from my mom home.
✔️ They were. We always made the best of the holidays!🔱🇺🇸🌎
Some of my favorite memories are when my Marine grandson brought buddies to my house for family Thanksgiving and Christmas.
And then some of us had an entire chain of command busted by investigations for buying moonshine from slave labor of the country.
I loved Thanksgiving dinner at the mess hall!
I ran an Adopt a Sailor program with a dear friend of mine. We brought in 150 sailors from the nearby naval base and “adopted” them to families in the area for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is some of my favorite memories.
When I was much younger, a girlfriend and I snagged a couple real cute officers with the “Adopt a Sailor” program. Probably not what they had in mind, but we tried to show them a good time and I think they enjoyed themselves too.
We ran the program for almost eight years and still have contact with some. All good people!
How I miss those days. We always used to stand watch for the folks with kids so they could be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they'd cover us for New Years. Discovered that turkey and dressing on paper plates from the chow hall tasted real good in the company of friends.
Hope you’re doing Well,man
I remember those times fondly too. Except bootcamp one. That was filled with Drill Instructor games. I slept real well though.
The shrimp was spoiled in 03.
and the soda was free
Same. One of my best Thanksgivings was stationed overseas.
Those were definitely good times. I don’t remember ever having duty on Turkey Day, never served on a ship, but I remember the dinners in the chow hall.
That is good to know.
How do you handle your service buddies being trump supporters? I have a brother sergeant major retired trump supporter won’t listen to fact
I just let them say/post whatever, but don't argue they won't accept any ideas outside the cult narrative.
Thanksgiving is always better with the family you make.
😂😂😂. (Shush , that’s valuable intel you are sharing.) Completely wrong , your military are always working hard 24/7 for you. Most of us. Inc navy and airforce will be celebrating thanksgiving and Christmas in the trenches under constant fire, Send gifts & beer * * only drunk in peacetime
Glad to hear this. Also glad my son is home from his deployment. Thank you for your service. Also maybe we should remember the wives and kids and moms and siblings of those not home- that is a sacrifice too.
I needed this so much. This is my first thanksgiving without my Sailor. I’m missing him so much and my wish is that he’s not missing me.
Happy thanksgiving to you and Heather from 🇨🇦 Does Parker like turkey as much as I ?? 😋
And no in-laws 😬
The food was definitely good🍻
That’s good to hear. I would think that the opposite would be true.
I remember those days myself. Always had a great time on ship or in the barracks. Food was good as was the company
As a veteran (Army 2006-2010), I know the strain of not being home with family and friends for holidays. At least you have your brothers and sisters in arms to be with. It's sure as hell better than being alone. I've been down that road, as well. Take care, and have a Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃👍
Hell yeah. I spent Thanksgiving 1976 in Toulon France. Met a couple French sailors and brought them aboard the Milwaukee for a Thanksgiving meal. Never pined once about being away from home.
That’s good to hear.
Sounds better than the awkward conversations most of us have with family we see a once a year or so.
as opposed to your mom bitching about everything, kids running around screaming and not one corner of the house can you hide in? i should have enlisted when i had the chance.
So true. We made the best of it.
Eating a ham MRE for Christmas dinner sucked.
I will never understand the obsession with the military. They’ve murdered millions of innocent people for their resources while telling you that generating profits for Petroleum companies and Defense contractors is somehow defending your liberties.
I dunno I remember Dad caring for patients a week while commanding a team that cared for thousands a week and he still found time to be part of a group of Army physicians that went into Chihuahua MX every month to provide a medical and dental clinic but maybe I missed the murder thingie idk
Thanks. You seem nice.
Any part of that untrue?
Have you ever served our country? If you haven’t you should never question a person who has, they’ve risked their lives to protect the rest of us, keeping us safe and secure at home. They deserve our utmost respect and gratitude. They are the Best and Bravest Men and Women and deserve our Respect!
Lady please shut the fuck up. They aren’t “protecting” anyone. They’re invading poor people and killing them for the sake of private oil companies and defense contractors. I don’t have to be in the military to be able to read a fucking book. Idiots like you is why we’re in this problem.
My father was career military. When stationed in Japan, he fell in love with and married my Japanese mother. I know wars kill many innocents but servicemen and women can be kind and loving and immensely loyal. Generalizations can be hurtful. Just a thought.
The truth is often hurtful. I am doomed to lose many friends for my steadfast commitment to it. I am a fair, impartial arbiter of truth. I have no bias. Your father was a soldier stationed in a foreign nation by a military advancing imperial ambitions often at the cost of innocent human beings.
I understand.
My mom was a newspaper columnist & I frequently accompanied her to the newsroom on holidays. Standing invite to meals at the nearby fire station to all who were working. Always great meals. Also on the holidays I worked at the hospital. Regardless it’s always hard for those left at home.
Please spread the word about Wreaths Across America, to lay wreaths at the graves of our fallen soldiers. www.wreathsacrossamerica.org
Yes. Please spread the true word. Not the propaganda of this scammy outfit. popular.info/p/the-truth-...
NO. popular.info/p/the-truth-...
Thank you for this information.
Same. One time we had big juicy steaks flown in on a C130. Had a full-on BBQ in the desert. Was great!
Me too.
True! I remember having Thanksgiving with friends in Greece. We had a great meal with smoked turkey, got drunk, and hung out on the beach. :)
When I was in the Service they treated us like we were a cancer on all their fine cities, that depended on the money for their very survival...nowadays any asshole who serves for two days is treated like the Saviour of American Democracy.
Love that.
How fortunate for you.
I needed to hear this today. My 18 year old nephew joined the Navy and is away this Thanksgiving.
My favorite childhood memories of Thanksgiving were going to the messhall with my Dad in his dress blues. The only difference in my career is we called it a dining facility.
Thank you for your service.
Thank you for your service and the Navy gets great food for the holidays. As they should. 🙂
Yep. I spent a few Thanksgivings underway on a submarine. Great food, great memories. If I couldn't be home with family, this was the next best thing.
4 Thanksgivings in greek bars. No complaints.😁✌️
not having to listen to your conservative uncle whine is always good
Thank you for sharing this - I worry a little less now
💙🦋💙
Hope you have a great one this year with your soon-to-be wifey!
Thank you for your service and to all our service men and women protecting us throughout the world, thank you all for what you do and happy thanksgiving 🦃🍁🍽
Good to know and thank you for your past Service
I graduated basic on Thanksgiving weekend 2002. We were all given an extra town pass
What an awesome memory to share. Thank you so much. Happy Thanksgiving, Fred.
❤️🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Hell, I was drunk
THANK the spouses for their sacrifice too. They sacrifice good careers by moving often to support the service members. Support the children who suffer through every move and re-deployment. They’ve got real backbone.
It’s the spouses at home kid-wrangling we need to remember. Send them HELP in the form of cash..these folks are POOR.
Might be safer in a combat zone.
Thanks for your service and the reminder that the best Thanksgivings aren’t always stateside 🫡
Thank you for your service.
I don't even like half of my family. I'd much rather spend it with friends.
I spent Thanksgiving of 1988 at Kunsan Air Base South Korea….one guy did a turkey on a Weber grill and someone else did one in a convection oven…..everybody contributed…then some of us got a little too whacked on liebfraumilch and ran nekked around the barracks courtyard….😳😳😳😳😳it was wonderful 😁😁😁😁
Sometimes, it’s not about family.. it’s about “Family” Well wishes for you and both of your families.
One of my favorite Thanksgivings was 1986 at Fort Benning during IOBC. Several of us who weren't going home for the holiday gathered at a classmate's apartment. We cooked a Thanksgiving dinner together, put on our dress blues, and enjoyed each other's company. We weren't home ... but we had family.
✌️❣️
Wash it all down with a near beer 🍻
Thank you for your service!
Thank you for your service.
My memories too as a US Marine in Vietnam.
Yeah, the Army has always made sure we ate good on Thanksgiving no matter where we were or what we were doing
Thank you for your service!
If they can't be with those that love them may they have all of that
Thank you for your service
It’s the reintegration with stupid, isolated people that requires empathy.
Holiday meals were the best!
Nothing hits the spot like D-Fac turkey and mash🫡
My experience was a little different - Thanksgiving in country found most of our guys strung out.
It's that weird obsession with the concept that the nuclear family is the only family. Most of my best memories are with my chosen family.
That makes me feel better I hope many others in service feel the same
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We don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia, not our history, but I was serving as mil liaison to CENTCOM once and was delighted to be invited into a US family home because they were concerned we were away from home that time of the year. So nice.
My mother volunteers in that program! We have a German family coming this year. It makes the holiday really special. Glad you enjoyed it!
I worked on an AF base in the chow hall. Officers & 1st Sgts served the enlisted. They got all the normal Thanksgiving food plus so much more. I did the decorations and it was a festive party. It was also open to retired vets and their families. We fed 750-1000. That’s a lot of turkey & stuffing! 😳
Thank you!
AMEN! 💯
That’s awesome! I hope our service members are enjoying the same today!
Thank you for your service. Enjoy the day!
Probably was more fun than a normal American Thanksgiving
It was a wonderful experience at Clark AFB. We shared our lives together and we created community like I’ve never experienced before 🇺🇸🦃
Thanksgiving at Fort Bragg was always a treat! Extra cranberry in the MREs in the field.
Same!
The ones where it sais not you over the image of the cop?
I wonder if the people whose country you were invading felt the same.
Thank you for your service. 💙🇺🇸💪🏾😍
I would never trade time with my family for time with the boys. You do you.
Some of my best holidays were in the army. We would do certain types of food, so like Italian Christmas, and all bring Italian dishes.
I love our military. And i appreciate the service of each and every member.
Thank you for your service.
Spent a lot of time underway during my Navy career and stationed overseas, I agree 100 percent.I will always cherish those memories.
Thank you for your service. We would always invite someone from a branch who had no family around on Thanksgiving. That always warmed my heart ♥️ from a young age
I'm glad to hear that.
IYKYK. Thanks, brother.
Yes! I've spent most Thanksgivings the past 30 years overseas. Many wonderful memories of gatherings with other expat friends.
My experience as well. Always had good food, and great conversation. Underway on SSNs and a CVN and deployed to Djibouti.
Thank you for your service sir
Thank you for your service Sir, my Father served as well. He was a Coast Guard, served more than 3 decades.
Good to hear and still thankful
When I was single, my best Thanksgivings were by myself-pickup soccer in the morning to work up an appetite, then a nice buffet at a hotel. No fuss, no relatives.
Thank you for your service!
Happy Thanksgiving Fred! Keep doing what you're doing!
I had some great Thanksgivings on active duty. The officers served the meal to us enlisted. Might seem like a small gesture but that said real leadership to us. At one base - we had an award-winning culinary unit. That was hands down the best presentation of Thanksgiving dinner.
Some of my best Thanksgiving meals were ones that I had while on a US Navy warship at sea. Unfortunately, not many of the other meals on that ship were that great 😉
Oh my, the same. We always invited the single guys over for dinner and we’d drink and play games. So. Much. Fun.
True story:fellow Marine while we were in Nam(1966) at Thanksgiving time his parents shipped him an entire Thanksgiving dinner in the mail(all of the different parts of the meal were in tin cans) and it was delicious mainly bc he shared it with us. And, now I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.
Dump says they are losers and stupid to be in the military, how many voted for him
Born and raised in the military. Never experienced one single holiday with extended family because we lived all over the place. Many holidays were spent without a father because he was all over the place. Think about the whole family unit. We missed out on a lot, too.
Holiday parties in Afghanistan were some of my best memories of shitty situations.
The camaraderie should not be underestimated. Having fun with a group of people that you are comfortable with, will create some of your best memories.
The Thanksgiving I was on 24 hr. barracks duty was great. I got lots of plates. Good times.
Just more 'Nationalist Theatre'. Same as thanking people for their service, then leaving them begging outside the VA.
Co-sign! 🫡
I work a lot of Thanksgivings in 30yrs, it was fine we got triple time and made our own feasts. Best was the next day we got triple again.
Thank you for your service, and have a Happy Thanksgiving at home!
Sorry, Fred but C rations never came close to being as good as my mom's cooking !!!! lol. I spent a few years overseas and missed a few T-days and C-days. One year perched on top of Mt Fuji in Japan with my artillery battalion. Overall, the Marines was a great experience but no place like home
And from the bottom of my heart: I am truly grateful for your service. Thank you not only what you’ve done, but for what you continue to do
Well said! Thanksgiving 1990 in a Saudi mess hall was memorable for all the right reasons.
Couldn’t agree more. On one of my deployments in the @USMC in ‘81 or ‘82, we crossed the equator on ship on Thanksgiving. Great Navy food and a memorable Shellback ceremony.
I can dig it brother..11C infantry veteran. 1976 to 1981. I came from a low income housing project, and the Army was my escape. I loved every minute of it.
I remember celebrating Thanksgiving in Grenada in 1983 during the invasion. We were living in tents next to a mosquito-infested swamp. I had the chicken chunks C-ration. It was a great Thanksgiving.
That was the best ration. Hated the beef and shrapnel.
Absolutely. One of my best Tdays was spent down range.
Me too!! I miss it now terribly! Those were really good times!
And the bosses served you Thanksgiving dinner.
you could always a surprise visit from George Bush and Dick Cheney. Good to know that Donald Trump will never show up but he will claim he had and offer an AI of himself in Commander in Chief uniform, selfies with imaginary soldiers maybe even a shot of him shooting someone Anything is possible
Thank you for your service 🙏🏻
I always worked Thanksgiving and Christmas loved it when the higher up wife's brought food.
Honestly being deployed during the holidays was no drama and easier than being stateside for me and a lot of my friends
As a USAF Vet, I second your message. Thank you for your service 🇺🇸
Yeah, I really don't miss that part.
Great post, Fred. I enjoyed reading thru the responses. Seems like the holiday is what you can make of it. Great stuff...
When I was a single, junior officer, my duty station was my home. Great memories of the holidays.
So true. One of my favorite Christmases was spent in Bosnia with the UN. Surround by friends having a surprisingly well dressed up fancy dress party. That said one of my worst was pulling guard duty over Christmas the year before
