But as Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond so often says - the glass is half full.
And that is indeed how the soldiers in the 4th ID are seeing it, thanks to recipes like Heaven in a Tin pecan pie, Waldorf Astoria cake, My Apple Strudel or spinach casserole.
This Thanksgiving, the soldiers got a little taste of home after families of some of these soldiers sent recipes to military cooks in Iraq who will feed 30,000 troops.
“They came from grandmothers, aunts, wives and moms,” said Capt. Charlesy Mahle, company commander, Headquarters Support Com-pany.
Mahle, who is in charge of the division’s dining facilities, said the idea of soliciting recipes from home came from Hammond.
“It was just one of the great ideas he has,” she said. “He thought, ‘hey, this a way that we can bring our families to us.’”
Hammond put the call out among the soldiers for favorite family recipes, and the rest is history.
Soldiers at Camp Liberty and other forward operating bases experienced the holiday with their leaders serving their holiday meal to them as a way of saying thanks to the young soldiers.
“This is a tradition of the military … and an act of service on behalf of the leaders - to the soldiers who work so hard for them,” Mahle said. “We will also have someone in the dining facility dressed as a turkey to spice things up. We’re calling him the Ironhorse Turkey.”
Of course, it took a lot to ensure the soldiers were able to celebrate the holiday feast.
Three months ago, food service technicians and officers began planning for this celebration to ensure that every soldier operating in their area was provided a traditional Thanksgiving meal, no matter where they were in Iraq.
Warrant Officer 1 Darryl Goddard, a food service officer with 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th ID, has been planning the Thanksgiving dinner at Forward Operating Base War Eagle.
Goddard said he is ready for the challenge of feeding the more than 300 soldiers there.
“I am ensuring that soldiers at FOB War Eagle and 4th ID are supported with a little taste of home … and I am working diligently to ensure they get the necessary feeling of home here in Iraq while in Iraq,” Goddard said.
That taste of home includes more than 800 pounds of fresh turkey, which will be prepared at the larger dining facilities and then pushed out to the smaller combat outposts and joint security stations.
“Every soldier will get a good Thanksgiving dinner based upon patrol schedule,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel Dailey, who serves as the senior enlisted leader for the 3rd BCT, 4th ID. “It will be a continuous operation throughout the day.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a little time with the family.
In fact, the family of father-son soldiers, who are both named Jason Young, was at Club Hood in force to see them during Hammond’s monthly town hall meeting.
Patricia Turner of Temple, the grandmother and mother-in-law to Sgt. Jason R. Young and Spc. Jason T. Young, said it was an exciting experience to be able to see her loved ones.
“We can’t wait for them to get home,” Ms. Turner said. “We are so excited. This is the first time that we’ve done this.”
