FORT LEE, Va. -- While many are able to enjoy their Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends at home, those serving in the U.S. Military, both in the country and abroad, are far away from their families.
Long before soldiers can sit down to eat at Fort Lee, those in the dining hall spend days preparing. As the soldiers walk in, they set their gaze upon a feast they didn't imagine.
"We got greens. We got green beans, we got it all for you today," Colonel Eldred Ramtahal said.
Most of these soldiers have been in the Army for five months, just out of basic training. Most don't know that the Army tradition on Thanksgiving is to be served by their leaders.
"That look, that shocked look, when we're getting to see them but I think at the same point, that really hits home, that they are my leaders, they care, they're out here too with us on Thanksgiving. Means a lot, definitely means something," Brigadier General Michael Labor said.
As the soldiers make their way down the line, what awaits is like being at home.
"I thought it was cool that they actually took the time out of their day, spending it with their families, to come be here and serve us and show us that we actually mean something," Private Allen Bowling said.
It's a day these young soldiers won't forget. Just ask those who are serving the food.
"My first Thanksgiving was in Germany, 1995. I was a tank platoon leader in Freiburg, Germany," Labor said.
"My first Thanksgiving away from home was in the Army, in Iraq," Ramtahal said.
Those with decades of experience know that for some eating Thanksgiving dinner at Fort Lee, their future will be serving them.
"Who knows, 28 years from now might have some of these young troops as sergeant, majors, battalion and brigade commanders, doing the same thing," Colonel Greg Hirshey said.
For these young soldiers, it's their first Thanksgiving in the Army and their first Thanksgiving away from home. It's also a day they won't forget.
