Red Empire enjoys early Thanksgiving with a healthy twist

Photo By Sgt. Michael Smith | A soldier assigned to 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), receives his plate the annual Thanksgiving lunch at the Red Empire Dining Facility on Camp Arthur "Bull" Simons, Fla., Nov. 20. The meal included all the traditional Thanksgiving food selections with an abundance of healthy options.  

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, FL, UNITED STATES

11.20.2019

Story by Sgt. Michael Smith 

7th Special Forces Group (Airborne)

Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.-- Soldiers assigned to 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) received a taste of an early Thanksgiving at the Red Empire Dining Facility on Camp Arthur "Bull" Simons, Fla., Nov. 20.
Senior leadership in their full dress uniforms served up turkey, prime rib and ham, with all the trimmings and an abundance of healthy options to 7SFG(A) soldiers and their families.
"This brings the whole organization together. We're known at 7th Special Forces Group for rapidly deploying, so it's important to bring everyone together to see eachother and have that comraderie, " said Sgt. 1st Class Jashua De Leon, culinary specialist, 7th SFG(A). "That's what it's all about. Everyone sitting down and breaking bread."
This year's meal had a unique and healthy twist due to the theme being the Tactical Human Optimization, Rapid Rehabilitation and Reconditioning Program (THOR3).
THOR3 is a training regimen being used in the special operations community to maximize the physical and mental strength of soldiers, prevent injury and decrease recovery time.
One key aspect of the THOR3 program is nutrition, and that was taken into account when the Thanksgiving meal was planned.
"We had more healthy options this year. Thanksgiving is known for big, hearty meals, but we usually move the healthiness to the side for a day, " said De Leon. "We wanted to implement the idea that even though we can eat hearty, we have the healthy options as well that you can add to your meal. The whole theme for this meal was to have a hearty, healthy meal for the soldiers."
The importance of the nutritional value of the meal was not lost on even the newest members of 7th SFG(A).
"Everyone thinks of Thanksgiving as 'Okay, I'm going to get fat,'" said Pfc. Jeremy Weller, culinary specialist, 7th SFG(A), who has been with the unit for a few months. "We're trying to keep physical readiness a top priority here."
There was definitely no shortage of good food, despite the large crowd.
"The food was excellent. My team came in early the past two days, and they knocked it out of the park," said De Leon. "We had a nice big turnout, and hopefully everyone enjoyed."
Regardless of the number of calories or the fat content on each plate, the true value of Thanksgiving was evident throughout the dining facility.
"Everybody comes out for the Thanksgiving meal. It's the Daytona 500 of the culinary world, and it's important for esprit de corps," said Weller. "But it's not just esprit de corps. This brings people together."

• Date Taken: 11.20.2019
• Date Posted: 10.15.2020 12:59
• Story ID: 353800
• Location: EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, FL, US