Turkeys flown from coops to troops stationed overseas for Thanksgiving

Our nation’s troops stationed overseas will feast on Thanksgiving dinners with all the trimmings this year, thanks to a federal service agency that provides everything from the actual birds to eggnog, marshmallows and stuffing.
Over 15,000 pounds of turkey and nearly 2,000 pies have been sent to troops in Afghanistan in time for a holiday meal, according to the Defense Logistics Agency, a federal service agency for the U.S. military.
"Being away from home and their families during the holidays is tough enough without considering the difficult and dangerous conditions our service men and women face,” Anthony Amendolia, with DLA Troop Support’s Subsistence supply chain, said in a statement to FoxNews.com. “Since they can't be home for the holidays, our employees are dedicated to bringing the holidays to them.”
DLA Troop Service is also sending another 37,000 pounds of turkey to service members in Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait.

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Volunteers from various departments aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) serve food to Sailors during a Thanksgiving lunch hosted by the ship. (U.S. Navy photo) (Public Domain)

The service will also provide to all service members overseas:

• 25,970 pounds of beef
• 17,130 pounds of ham
• 706 gallons of eggnog
• 3,360 pounds of marshmallows

In addition, some 202 cases of stuffing were destined for troops deployed to Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait.
DLA employees began gathering holiday meal requirements from all four military branches last May to ensure they could order and deliver the food in time.

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Nov. 27, 2014: Soldiers with Task Force Lifeliner, Joint Forces Command and United Assistance dive into one of the many pies and desserts offered in the dining facility at brigade support area in Buchanan, Liberia. (U.S. Army photo) (Public Domain)

“Whether they're on a remote base in Afghanistan or aboard a ship in the Indian Ocean, we take pride in ensuring our service members have a taste of home for the holidays,” Amendolia said.

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The DLA’s subsistence division is tasked every year with making sure that the troops are well fed at Thanksgiving, but this year they had to work harder to ensure that the packages got to their various destinations on time. That was because the avian flu outbreak in the U.S. has caused many foreign countries to place restrictions on American poultry products.
“Countries set different parameters, causing us to take atypical approaches to meet all needs, such as buying from foreign approved sources and use of more pre-cooked poultry,” Amendolia said.
Back stateside, Fort Bragg in North Carolina will be holding its annual Thanksgiving dinner for the second day Thursday.

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Culinary Specialist 1st Class John Mobley, from Philadelphia, prepares a turkey for carving for a Thanksgiving meal aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67). (U.S. Navy photo) (Public Domain)

Twelve of the sprawling Army post's dining halls have been serving traditional Thanksgiving meals since Wednesday.
Fort Bragg's cooks have prepared 2,500 pounds of whole turkeys, 2,400 pounds of prime rib beef, 2,600 pounds of smoked ham, 1,400 pounds of shrimp and 3,000 pies.