For US Troops, Thanksgiving Will Be Very Different

The Pentagon has shipped over a quarter million pounds of Thanksgiving dinner, including 51,000 pounds of roast turkey, to troops serving overseas—but their holiday dinners will be a very different experience this year. The Defense Department says that to stop the spread of COVID at overseas bases, Thanksgiving meals this year will be "grab-and-go style takeout instead of large group gatherings in dining facilities," the Hill reports. "The holidays will look quite different this year for everyone," Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support head Army Brig. Gen. Gavin Lawrence said in a statement. "I'm proud that our workforce is doing everything possible to make sure our warfighters get a proper holiday meal, especially since many of us will not be able to be with our family and friends."

"We want to make sure they get that taste of home no matter where they are in the world," Lawrence said. CNBC reports that the food delivered to troops in Europe, the Middle East, South Korea, and elsewhere also includes 74,000 pounds of beef, 67,000 pounds of shrimp, 16,000 pounds of sweet potatoes, and 7,000 gallons of eggnog. Some troops in Germany will also be getting a holiday treat better than any meal, Stars and Stripes reports: Under any arrangement between US and German authorities, dependents under 23 years old of American troops will be granted an exemption to COVID-19 travel restrictions, allowing them to spend the holidays with their parents. (More Thanksgiving stories.)