Photo By Staff Sgt. Jody Metzger | Capt. Jennifer Faith (left), an Aiken, S.C., native, and 1st Lt. Arlene Pina, a native...... read more read more
By Pfc. Lyndsey Dransfield
Multi-National Division - Baghdad
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers gathered together at the Ironhorse Oasis Dining Facility Dec. 21 to celebrate Christmas a traditional way: decorating Christmas cookies.
As Christmas movies played in the background, the Soldiers sat around a table filled with colorful frostings, sprinkles and cookies shaped as snowmen, angels and Christmas trees – laughing and talking about Christmas memories.
"This is something I used to do when I was a kid," said 1st. Lt. Arlene Pina, a San Diego native, with the 716th Military Police Battalion, 8th MP Brigade. "It's reminds me of being back home with my Family."
The cookies were baked by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Komlofske, a Baltimore native, and Sgt. Lisa Burnett, a Utica, N.Y., native, both of whom are cooks with Headquarters Support Company, Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division. The frosting and the decorative toppings were donated by a supportive family from Killeen, Texas.
"This is a great opportunity for Soldiers to get out, take a break and make the best out of the holiday spirit," Burnett said. "It can get kind of lonely here around the holidays because we all miss our Families, but I think it's important to get together and spend time with the Family we do have; right now, we are each others family."
While many of the Soldiers came to make the best of spending Christmas without their families, Sgt. Tericka Dowdy, a Columbus, Ohio, native, and human intelligence collector with Company B, STB, 4th Inf. Div., along with her husband, Spc. David Dowdy, a San Antonio native, who serves as an information technology system specialist with Company C, STB, 4th Inf. Div., attended the festivity to build memories of their first Christmas together as a couple.
"It's hard during the holidays to be away from your family, and we are lucky to have each other here," said David. "This is the first chance we get to make Christmas memories so we're trying to enjoy it as much as we can. [Cookie decorating] is something that reminds us of being home, and it's something we can do together to appreciate the Christmas spirit."
Tericka agreed with her husband and added, "We're here in Iraq decorating cookies with our weapons sitting on the floor next to our feet. Hopefully this is something we can look back on and tell our kids in the future."
| Date Taken: | 12.24.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 12.24.2008 08:46 |
| Story ID: | 28099 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 259 |
| Downloads: | 207 |
This work, Soldiers celebrate Christmas with cookies, by SSG Lyndsey Prax, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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