KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, the familiar feel and comfort of family and friends. These images are the typical ones many think of when they describe Thanksgiving.
For all of the service members of Train, Advise, Assist Command - South, some of the imagery was different. The food, prepared and served in the dining facilities, matched the selections found at home, while the people participating were a little different.
For many service members their family was not here. No husbands, wives, parents, siblings or children. Instead the service members were surrounded by a different family, their brothers and sisters in arms.
"It's different than home, but it's nice to be surrounded by our fellow shipmates," said Lt. Cmdr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, an anesthesiologist at the Kandahar Airfield Role III medical facility. "It feels like a second family."
This camaraderie surrounding the holiday was accompanied by another familiar sight, military leaders serving Thanksgiving dinner to service members in appreciation and recognition for their service. The leaders from the 1st Cavalry Division and TAAC-S took time to serve food at the Dining facilities at Kandahar Airfield.
"This tradition allows the leaders of the unit to show appreciation for the hard work these service members do every day," said Brig. Gen. Douglas Gabram, commander of TAAC-S. "It's a great opportunity to visibly show our support for their continued hard work and professionalism."
In addition to the TAAC-S leadership, consisting of officers from multiple nations and services, the serving team included Sgt. Maj. Bryan Battaglia, the senior enlisted advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Sgt. Maj. James Booker, the senior enlisted advisor for the International Security Assistance Force.
The opportunity to serve is one that the leaders did not take for granted.
Cmdr. Bruce Clark, the sustainment and logistics advisor for Security Force Assistance Team Seven truly appreciated the opportunity to bring his naval experience full circle.
"In 1974, at Thanksgiving, I was an 18-year-old, E-2 sailor aboard USS Kitty Hawk [an old aircraft carrier], and I was sent to the mess decks as a mess cook just before Thanksgiving, so I served the crew of the Kitty Hawk, at sea, for this holiday. We were off the coast of Vietnam," he said. "Now, 40 years later, serving Thanksgiving dinner to the crew here is an honor and a privilege."
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