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    Cooks serve thousands of Thanksgiving meals in Iraq

    Thanksgiving at FOB Prosperity

    Courtesy Photo | FORWARD OPERATING BASE PROSPERITY, Iraq -- Soldiers give thanks during a special...... read more read more

    BAGHDAD, IRAQ

    11.25.2005

    Courtesy Story

    DVIDS Hub       

    Staff Sgt. Raymond Piper
    4th Brigade Combat Team PAO

    FORWARD OPERATING BASE PROSPERITY, Iraq " It was an early-morning mission for the food specialists at Forward Operating Base Prosperity: prepare a Thanksgiving feast for Soldiers deployed more than 3,000 miles from home.

    Starting at 1 a.m., the Soldiers and civilians who work in the dining facility began to give it a new look.

    The inside of the dining facility was changed to give Task Force Baghdad Soldiers a very different dining experience than they find day-to-day. Displays made of food'such as the gingerbread model of the palace in which the Soldiers were eating, ice sculptures and other decorations"adorned the facility.

    A Soldier dressed as a pilgrim and an interpreter dressed as a Native American greeted the Soldiers as they came in.

    "The meal was excellent. It definitely took you away from Baghdad," said Sgt. Timothy Hartung, an engineer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Combat Team. "The meal really showed that the staff cares about making us feel like we're at home."

    The dining facility staff expected at least 4,000 people and prepared a virtual cornucopia of Thanksgiving favorites.

    "We put a lot of emphasis on Thanksgiving because it's one of the biggest meals of the year and it's a way for us to say thanks to the Soldiers for what they do every day," said Clyde Randolph, dining facility supervisor.

    Cooks prepared 2,500 pounds of turkey, 1,200 pounds of prime rib, as well as ham hocks, a whole pig, 500 pounds of Cornish hens, 600 pounds of roasted ham, 700 pounds of collard greens, 800 pounds of mashed potatoes, 600 pounds of corn on the cob, 750 pounds of dressing and 2,500 pies.

    "We asked quite a few Soldiers what they wanted for Thanksgiving. A lot (of them) wanted ham hocks, collard greens, pumpkin pie and pecan pie, so we made a big effort to make sure we had all those things today," Randolph said.

    Thanksgiving is a day for many to spend time with their families and loved ones when they are at home and the staff wanted to create the same feeling here.

    "They're away from their families and this is a home away from home so we wanted them to feel like they're at home and give them what their mama would fix," Randolph said.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 11.25.2005
    Date Posted: 11.25.2005 18:45
    Story ID: 3874
    Location: BAGHDAD, IQ

    Web Views: 200
    Downloads: 51

    PUBLIC DOMAIN