An American meal in Norway

Photo By Staff Sgt. Jennifer Rechtfertig | One hundred Minnesota National Guardsman and more than 150 Norwegians enjoyed a Mancini’s cut steak dinner at Camp Porsangmoen, Norway, on June 26 by Serving Our Troops. (Minnesota National Guard photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Jennifer Rechtfertig)  

NORWAY

07.03.2014

Story by Capt. John Hobot 

Minnesota National Guard

By Capt. John Hobot
Minnesota National Guard Public Affairs

CAMP PORSANGMOEN, Norway – One hundred Minnesota National Guardsman and more than 150 Norwegians enjoyed a Mancini’s cut steak dinner at Camp Porsangmoen, Norway, on June, 26.

The U.S./Norway Reciprocal Troop Exchange also known as “NOREX” has a tradition of serving an American style meal or the “American Meal” to their Norwegian Home Guard friends while in Norway.

For the second year in a row, the American Meal was provided for and prepared by Minnesota’s Serving Our Troops volunteer organization.

As the Minnesota National Guard contingent and their Norwegian counterparts returned from their four-day and three-night field training exercise in the mountains of Camp Porsangmoen, they assembled at the base dining facility to enjoy an incredible meal together.

Serving Our Troops fed the hungry Minnesotan and Norwegian service members a Mancini’s cut steak, baked potato, corn on the cob, salad as well as cookies and brownies for desert. The Minnesota and Norwegian troops were also served chicken wing appetizers during the social hour prior to the dinner.

“Serving Our Troops has three goals – to provide a delicious meal to Service members and families, to send a message of support from communities and to promote awareness of Minnesota’s unprecedented military service,” said Pat Harris of Serving Our Troops.

This was the first time that Serving Our Troops traveled to the northern-most NATO base, Camp Porsangmoen, Norway in the summer in order to provide the American Meal to Minnesota National Guard troops and their Norwegian partners.

“The dinner was absolutely wonderful and our Norwegian partners as well as the Minnesota contingent enjoyed every bit of it,” said Army Maj. Aaron Krenz, officer in-charge of the Minnesota Contingent in Norway.

Serving Our Troops has fed steak dinners to overseas and deployed Minnesota National Guardsman since 2004 and has served more than 79,000 steak dinners over the past decade in Kosovo, Kuwait, Iraq and Norway.

• Date Taken: 07.03.2014
• Date Posted: 07.07.2014 11:59
• Story ID: 135403
• Location: NO