Task Force Marne Thankful for Family

By Spc. Michael Adams, Task Force Marne Public AffairsNovember 25, 2009

Task Force Marne Thanks
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CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq - Thanksgiving is a time for Families to be together, but when Soldiers can't be with their Families in America, they can eat a Thanksgiving feast with their brothers and sisters at arms.

Sergeant Jason Snyder, a Homeworth, Ohio, native and food service noncommissioned officer with Task Force Marne, is doing his part to bring the men and women in uniform stationed on Contingency Operating Base Speicher a feast like the one they would share with their loved ones in the states.

"We're going to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner - turkey, potatoes, stuffing, ham, all of the traditional dishes everybody would get back home," Sgt. Snyder said. "We're working on a lot of decorations and ice sculptures to spruce up the dining facility to make it look nice."

For Sgt. Snyder and the Soldiers who work in the dining facility, preparing the food and keeping the facility ready for the many hungry servicemembers who go there for both regular meals and holidays is more than just a job. They take pride in what they do on a daily basis. They know Soldiers miss home this time of year and they want to go a little further to put Soldiers in a good mood. During the holiday season, the Soldiers at the Main DFAC are proud of what they do to put their section of COB Speicher in the holiday spirit.

"We love it," said Sgt. Snyder. "We absolutely enjoy the fact that maybe we can give a little taste of home to some of these Soldiers who are here, so far away from home. We'll give them cheerful greetings make this a place where they can relax and forget they're in deployment for a little while."

Specialist Tangi Allen, a Columbia, S.C., native and food service specialist with TF Marne, said the reason they work so hard is to boost the morale of the Soldiers they serve on a daily basis. The reason her section is so motivated to help the Soldiers is because of how close the section is, as most of the Soldiers have deployed before.

"I left a Family to be with another Family," she said. "I'm going to feel right at home during this deployment."