JB MDL Airman prepares Thanksgiving meal for deployed servicemembers

Published Nov. 29, 2011
By Senior Airman Eric Summers Jr.
379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- As many Americans sit down to Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends a moment is often taken to say thanks to those who had a hand in preparing the lavish feast that has become synonymous with the holiday.

While most Airmen serving with the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing in Southwest Asia will find their way to the dining facilities on base for the one meal each year that truly brings a taste of home, a select group of people worked hard to make the meal possible.

"It's going to be a good Thanksgiving. We have more food than some people will probably see at home station. We've got everything you can expect to eat at home and more," said Tech. Sgt. Quintin Robinson, 379th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron NCO in charge of rations, deployed from Yokota Air Base, Japan. "We ordered nearly 4,500 pounds of shrimp, more than 4,000 pounds of beef and nearly 9,000 pounds of turkey breast in addition to what we normally order."

The 379th EFSS received more than 125,000 pounds of extra items for the Thanksgivings Day meals.

"The meal itself will be the same meal that all military members will be getting back [the United States] and overseas," said Master Sgt. Shawn Wiser, 379th EFSS Blatchford-Preston Complex Dining Facility manager, deployed from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. "We have really been working hard with the Host Nation Coordination Cell customs team to get our pork products in and we have been working really hard with them to be able to provide a ham product to our customers -- as well as steamed shrimp, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pies, cookies, desserts and different things like that."

Robinson recognizes the positive effects celebrating holidays with lavish feasts have on Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and civilians who are deployed.

"It's all about the morale -- it's hard when you're away from home, away from family -- just to have a little piece of home out here makes a big difference," Robinson, a native of Baton Rouge, La., said. "I know being deployed for most folks around the holidays -- especially with families -- is real challenging anyway so just giving a little something back like this makes a big difference in their life and their morale."

Wiser thinks not only the food but also the scenery can play a big part in keeping spirits raised during the holidays. He had two bakers prepare different sculptures with bread dough. They made basket, dolphin, turkey and leaf sculptures.

"I think once the doors open for Thanksgiving people will come in and see the different items made with bread and it will affect their morale," the Scio, N.Y., native said. "They see something they can associate with--something they may have seen done at home.

"It's just a little morale boost -- something they can take away from here to make their day a little bit better while being away from family," Wiser added.

Wiser, on his fourth deployment during the holidays, knows the impact that these small things have on Airmen who have deployed for the first or second time.

"It always sucks knowing that, 'hey I'm deployed for a holiday,' but for 30 minutes when you go into that dining facility and sit down with friends who are your family for that given period of time in your life, and you're having a turkey dinner with mashed potatoes and stuffing you kind of forget where you're at for a few minutes and just enjoy and bask in the holidays," Wiser said. "It's just nice to be able to provide something like that to a lot of the younger folks who are experiencing this for the first time ever."

While raising morale is important, the real mission of the Thanksgiving feast, and every other meal -- is to feed the warfighters.

"Everyone that is working -- on the flightline turning a wrench, or flying a jet , or defending the front lines, or producing the story of our Airmen in base publications and papers -- every single one of those people have an impact on a mission and if they come in here and get a well rounded meal and they leave happy with a full belly, they can continue with that nourishment to provide the highest quality product they can for whatever aspect of the mission that they sustain," Wiser said.

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