U.S. Army service members serve meals to soldiers who attended Thanksgiving lunch at Fort McCoy dining facility.
Department of Defense
WASHINGTON — Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Pentagon sent nearly 51,000 pounds of roasted turkey to American troops stationed on U.S. military installations around the world.
This year, Thanksgiving meals will be switched to grab-and-go style takeout instead of large group gatherings in dining facilities in order to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, the Pentagon said in a statement.
“The holidays will look quite different this year for everyone,” said Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Commander Army Brig. Gen. Gavin Lawrence. “I’m proud that our workforce is doing everything possible to make sure our warfighters get a proper holiday meal, especially since many of us will not be able to be with our family and friends. We want to make sure they get that taste of home no matter where they are in the world,” he added.
In all, the Departments’ Defense Logistics Agency delivered nearly 300,000 pounds of traditional Thanksgiving food, like ham and sweet potatoes, to service members throughout the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Korea, Qatar, Honduras as well as other locations.
This year service members received:
• 9,000 whole turkeys
• 51,000 pounds of roasted turkeys
• 74,000 pounds of beef
• 21,000 pounds of ham
• 67,000 pounds of shrimp
• 16,000 pounds of sweet potatoes
• 19,000 pounds of pies and cakes
• 7,000 gallons of eggnog
