Joint Forces Command-United Assistance celebrates Thanksgiving in Liberia

By Spc. Caitlyn ByrneDecember 1, 2014

Joint Forces Command - United Assistance celebrates Thanksgiving in Liberia
1 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members of Joint Forces Command-United Assistance deployed to Barclay Training Center, Monrovia, Liberia, take off from the start line in a five-kilometer Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot, Nov. 27, 2014. The fun run gave troops the opportunity to... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Joint Forces Command - United Assistance celebrates Thanksgiving in Liberia
2 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Steven Jordan, chef leader for the Headquarters Support Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Joint Forces Command-United Assistance, grills steak for part of a Thanksgiving dinner feast for oth... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Joint Forces Command - United Assistance celebrates Thanksgiving in Liberia
3 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Steven Jordan, left, chef leader, and Spc. Christopher Massey, right, cook, both with Headquarters Support Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Joint Forces Command-United Assistance, grill ste... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Joint Forces Command - United Assistance celebrates Thanksgiving in Liberia
4 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members of Joint Forces Command-United Assistance deployed to Barclay Training Center, Monrovia, Liberia, finish strong at the end of a five-kilometer Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot, Nov. 27, 2014. The fun run was one of many events and activit... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Joint Forces Command - United Assistance celebrates Thanksgiving in Liberia
5 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members of Joint Forces Command-United Assistance deployed to Barclay Training Center, Monrovia, Liberia, participated in a five-kilometer Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot, Nov. 27, 2014. The fun run route took the Service members outside the wal... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Joint Forces Command - United Assistance celebrates Thanksgiving in Liberia
6 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers with the 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas, assigned to Joint Forces Command-United Assistance, pause their card game to talk with Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, the commander of JFC-UA, at the National Police Training Academy, Monrovia, Libe... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Joint Forces Command - United Assistance celebrates Thanksgiving in Liberia
7 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Natasha Sims, a native of Augusta, Ga., with the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md., stops to take a "selfie" during the five-kilometer Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot, Nov. 27, 2014, at the Barclay Training Center in Monrov... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Joint Forces Command - United Assistance celebrates Thanksgiving in Liberia
8 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members of Joint Forces Command-United Assistance deployed to Barclay Training Center, Monrovia, Liberia, participated in a five-kilometer Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot, Nov. 27, 2014. The fun run gave troops the opportunity to run on the beac... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Joint Forces Command - United Assistance celebrates Thanksgiving in Liberia
9 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. 1st Class Doug Snyder, right, 194th Military Police Company, distributes mail to Spc. Chelsea Karr, also with the 194th Military Police Company, on Thanksgiving Day in Monrovia, Liberia, Nov. 27, 2014. The Soldiers are deployed as part of Joint ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Joint Forces Command - United Assistance celebrates Thanksgiving in Liberia
10 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers with Joint Forces Command-United Assistance faced off in several games of Thanksgiving football at the National Police Training Academy, Monrovia, Liberia, Nov. 27, 2014. Football was one of several different festivities that went on throug... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Joint Forces Command - United Assistance celebrates Thanksgiving in Liberia
11 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Leadership assigned to Joint Forces Command-United Assistance serve out food to junior Soldiers during Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, 2014, at Roberts International Airport, Liberia. Service members throughout the JFC-UA area of operations in Liberia took pa... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Joint Forces Command - United Assistance celebrates Thanksgiving in Liberia
12 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers with Task Force Lifeliner, Joint Forces Command-United Assistance dive into one of the many pies and desserts offered in the dining facility at brigade support area in Buchanan, Liberia, Nov. 27, 2014. Operation United Assistance is a Depart... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Joint Forces Command - United Assistance celebrates Thanksgiving in Liberia
13 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, commanding general of Joint Forces Command-United Assistance, bumps elbows with two Soldiers while he visits the troops for Thanksgiving at the National Police Training Academy, Nov. 27, 2014, in Monrovia, Liberia. Even though... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Joint Forces Command - United Assistance celebrates Thanksgiving in Liberia
14 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers with Joint Forces Command-United Assistance faced off in several games of Thanksgiving football at the National Police Training Academy, Monrovia, Liberia, Nov. 27, 2014. Football was one of several different festivities that went on through... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Joint Forces Command - United Assistance celebrates Thanksgiving in Liberia
15 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers with the 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas, assigned to Joint Forces Command-United Assistance, enjoy a game of cornhole on Thanksgiving Day at the National Police Training Academy, Monrovia, Liberia, Nov. 27, 2014. There were festivit... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

MONROVIA, Liberia (Dec. 1, 2014) -- With 79 percent humidity and a warm ocean breeze, Thanksgiving for Soldiers deployed in Monrovia, Liberia, feels far from traditional. But thanks to a variety of Thanksgiving activities and fare, Soldiers can still get into the holiday spirit throughout the Joint Forces Command-United Assistance area of operations in Liberia.

In support of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Joint Forces Command-United Assistance, or JFC-UA, is assisting the government of Liberia in containing the Ebola virus, while also synchronizing the establishment of Ebola treatment units, known as ETUs, across Liberia, and training health care workers to staff the ETUs.

Thanksgiving Day at the Barclay Training Center, referred to locally as the BTC, kicked off at 7 a.m. with a five-kilometer Turkey Trot, where all Soldiers in the BTC were allowed to participate. The course started on the BTC track. After one lap, Soldiers ran through camp and headed out toward the beach.

"It was great getting to run on the beach. It was an opportunity to get to see different things, and the Liberians who saw us running were really supportive," said Pfc. Diamonque Osborne, a finance specialist for 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and a native of New York, who took part in the run.

Spc. Brittanie Wright and Pvt. Hayley Noble, who are also finance specialists for the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), agreed that though it was not their traditional Thanksgiving, they were still enjoying themselves.

"It is different, but I am thankful to get to travel," said Wright. "I've never done Thanksgiving in Africa."

After the run, Soldiers could choose from a variety of activities held all around the BTC, including watching movies in a tent set up like a theater, participating in a company challenge tug of war and a Humvee push, playing in a spades or Texas hold 'em card tournament, participating in a dominos tournament and, of course, feasting on a Thanksgiving dinner.

Soldiers at BTC also got a special Thanksgiving treat when it was announced that mail would be distributed for the first time, since they have been deployed.

At 1 p.m., cooks at the BTC fired up eight different grills, where they cooked turkey and steak for their fellow Soldiers.

Spc. Aaron Perchaz, first cook for the Headquarters Support Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), said that he was proud that he and his unit have been given the opportunity to showcase their culinary skills.

"It's a morale boost for everyone," said Perchaz. "It's something cool for us to do. Getting to grill out in the field is one of the most fun experiences that you don't get to have every day. And we also get to show people that we really can spice things up, and that we know what we are doing."

Perchaz also listed off the cornucopia of foods provided at the Thanksgiving dinner, which included turkey, steak, potato wedges, sweet potato casserole, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing and six different kinds of pie.

Soldiers voiced their excitement about getting to eat the special Thanksgiving meal.

"I'm excited, it'll be nice to try something different for dinner, and I'm thankful for all of the events and cool things that they have going on for us today. It makes life here feel a bit more like home," said Spc. Armando Ibarra, a Soldier with JFC-UA.

The evening ended with live football being streamed over the Internet into a conference room, where cheers could be heard well into the night.

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