U.S. Soldiers and Sailors Overseas Get a Taste of the Holiday

U.S. military personnel in the Persian Gulf and Balkans interrupted their duties just long enough Thursday to enjoy a holiday meal and write home.

“It doesn’t make a difference whether it is Thanksgiving or Christmas when you are in a war zone,” said Petty Officer Joe Sprague of Hornell, N.Y., stationed aboard the aircraft carrier Enterprise in the Persian Gulf.

About 5,000 servicemen and women are aboard the Enterprise, ready to strike if President Clinton determines that Iraq has failed to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors. By late morning, the first of the day’s training missions had started; about 90 sorties were flown.

While pilots were dropping dummy bombs, 200 cooks and assistants prepared a feast of 10,000 turkey rolls, 2,500 whole turkeys, 2,000 pounds of honey-baked ham, 500 pounds of mashed potatoes and several thousand pounds of pumpkin pie and other goodies.

“This is the kind of stuff that my mom would be proud to eat,” chief cook Kenneth Nall said as he put the finishing touches on the meal.

In the Kuwaiti desert, about 2,500 U.S. soldiers celebrated Thanksgiving with elaborate meals in the mess hall of Camp Doha, north of Kuwait City.

Several hundred soldiers are based in the camp to maintain the armor and artillery the United States keeps there in the event of an Iraqi attack. Others are in Kuwait to take part in routine war games.

The Thanksgiving meal featured alcohol-free eggnog, and there was no beer or wine. Alcohol is banned in Kuwait, a Muslim country.

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, thousands of troops spent the day writing letters, sending e-mail to their loved ones and enjoying turkey and apple pie.

Although the 7,000 soldiers--part of a NATO-led peacekeeping force--were far from home, the decorated dining facilities created a semblance of home.

“I miss my parents, but I have a lot of things to be thankful for,” said Capt. Dia Logan of Boise, Idaho.

Along with the Thanksgiving feast of grilled turkey, baked ham, candied sweet potatoes and apple pie, there was eggnog--again without alcohol.

In addition, American singer Lari White and the band Galaxy traveled to bases in Bosnia, trying to bring the sounds of home.