Thursday, November 27, 2008

Thanksgiving in Baghdad

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone... I'm writing this on my first of three Thanksgiving dinners. Yep, thats right... three. We had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for lunch today and will have it again tomorrow for lunch, each sandwiched around a Thanksgiving dinner. It makes for a few sleepy, belly-aching days to be sure.

The DFAC here was very well decorated, with streamers and banners hanging around, a huge center table set up with a cornucopia and large fruit and vegetable spread, several carving stations, the staff all wearing pilgrim hats, and the senior-ranking enlisted and officers performing their traditional role of doing the serving of food to military members.

The food included everything I would have asked for at a Thanksgiving dinner back home: white meat turkey, mashed potatoes, candied yams, cranberry sauce, and stuffing. I even had a slice of my favorite holiday dessert -- pumpkin pie. I really couldn't have asked for much more, and I get to do it again two more times.

This isn't my first Thanksgiving away from family and friends... I spent Thanksgiving of 2001 at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, MS while I was in technical training for the Air Force and we weren't permitted to travel home. There are quite a few differences between the two... I remember the food there being significantly better, I was off for the entire day while I'm likely working through the night here again, and I was at least in the same time zone as everyone I knew. The one similarity will be football. We have a bigscreen TV in our new dayroom adjacent to my office, so I will probably end up running my ethernet cable into the room and sitting on a chair to watch the game and work at the same time. Man, I love Thanksgiving...

1 comment:

Blogengeezer said...

Keesler in the late 50's, Food Service Staff Sergeant (Baker of great Sheet cobblers), Sunburned while trying to swim to Ship Island, (near court martial), segregated busses and drinking fountains, black racer bugs, bus rides along the coast for 10 cents, trips to 'Red Stick', Humidity. Thank You for the memories Sir.
Thank You Sir for your dedication and service along with all in your command, protecting our Great Nation from those wishing it's demise. One more favor Sir; Please let everyone of the men and women you see or communicate with, we need you back here to fill every Leadership post, Law office, Engineering position, Science Lab, Educational facility, Journalists and above all Political positions all across our Nation. We are counting on the hundreds of thousands of you using your experience to replace the current Leaders at all levels including Software and Graphics. Please come home safe and ready to report for duty. Stay Low, Stay Safe. We desperately need you all in our own One Nation Under God, The United States of America..