PHILADELPHIA –
Service members around the world will have a taste of home this Thanksgiving, thanks to the Defense Logistics Agency.
More than 15,000 pounds of turkey and 1,854 pies – sweet potato, pumpkin and more – have been provided in time for troops in Afghanistan to enjoy their holiday meals.
"Being away from home and their families during the holidays is tough enough without considering the difficult and dangerous conditions our service men and women face,” said Anthony Amendolia, with DLA Troop Support’s Subsistence supply chain. “Since they can't be home for the holidays, our employees are dedicated to bringing the holidays to them.
Some of the food provided through DLA Troop Support for service members deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait include:
- 51,699 pounds of turkey
- 25,970 pounds of beef
- 17,130 pounds of ham
- 706 gallons of eggnog
- 3,360 pounds of marshmallows
Subsistence employees also had to work around the avian flu outbreak in the U.S., which caused foreign countries to place restrictions on the importation of poultry and poultry-related products.
“Countries set different parameters causing us to take atypical approaches to meet all needs, such as buying from foreign approved sources and use of more pre-cooked poultry,” Amendolia said.
Subsistence employees began gathering holiday meal requirements from the military services in May so that they could order and transport the food in time.
“Whether they're on a remote base in Afghanistan or aboard a ship in the Indian Ocean, we take pride in ensuring our service members have a taste of home for the holidays,” Amendolia said.