Military Thanksgiving History
The first national annual Thanksgiving of 1863 occurred during the Civil War and was not officially observed by the U.S. military. Providing a special Thanksgiving dinner for the troops was beyond the capabilities of the Commissary. Individual units, however, particularly those with New England roots, did find their own unofficial ways to celebrate the day.
In World War I, American troops celebrated Thanksgiving at camps in the United States and overseas. Soldiers and sailors from every region of America, men who often had little in common, gathered together to celebrate a unifying and patriotic holiday, a day that was uniquely American. This unifying theme was emphasized by the military Thanksgiving menu.
In Korea and Vietnam, combat rations were an improved version of World War II rations. Even for the front line troops, however, combat rations were not served at Thanksgiving. Troops were rotated off the front so that they could enjoy a full, hot Thanksgiving dinner behind the lines.
Over the years, the Thanksgiving menus for our troops over seas have remained relatively unchanged. Studies of over 100 military menus from 1917-1997 from Boston all the way to Saudi Arabia show that 100% of the menus included turkey, while about 98% offer dressing, 92% offer cranberry sauce, 89% offer gravy while over 96% of menus offered some type of pie.
Today, each of the military branches creates their own distinct Thanksgiving day menus, but they all use the same recipes created by a development department at “Natic Labs”. The food technologists focus on trying to meet the nutritional requirements and general consumer preferences of the military population.
Information via www.pilgrimhall.org/thanksot.html
