Tarawa Marines, Sailors Celebrate Thanksgiving
ABOARD USS TARAWA (Nov. 22, 2007) -- Marines and Navy food service specialist aboard the USS Tarawa, currently deployed with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit worked hard to make a “home cooked” Thanksgiving meal for their shipmates worthy of home.
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Nov. 22, 2007; Submitted on: 11/22/2007 09:40:51 PM ; Story ID#: 20071122214051
By Staff Sgt. Sergio Jimenez, 11th MEU
While many of their shipmates slept and others enjoyed the morning off, messmen and cooks, washed dishes, cleaned tables, countertops and mopped floors to make the mess deck shine for their special diners.
"The crew started cleaning and stuffing turkeys and preparing all of the food at 4:30 in the morning," said Master Sgt. Lora L. Hall, senior food service specialist for the troop mess deck, command element, 11th MEU, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
According to Hall, the cooks went out of their way to make this a bountiful feast. They prepared more than 3,500 portions of each food item for the ship's more than 2,000 crewmembers. Each plate was topped with the traditional turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, assorted desserts and more and more food. There was so much food available, that some Marines and Sailors helped themselves to seconds, and some of the hardier ones, to thirds.
“We tried to make this Thanksgiving meal as close to ‘home cooked’ as possible,” said Sgt. David R. Pedley, assistant chief cook, from Bettendorf, Iowa. Pedley, who is from Headquarters and Services Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Camp Pendleton, Calif., said he knows what it is like to spend this time of year away from home. He said he has been on eight different ships and is on his 5th deployment.
Sgt. Elton G. King, assistant chief cook, logistics section, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 166 (REINF), Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, San Diego, is another Marine who knows what it’s like to live an expeditionary lifestyle. King, who is from South Bend, IN, is married to a Marine who is also spending this Thanksgiving away from home. She is taking part in Marine Combat Training at Camp Geiger, N.C.
Both Pedley and King said they are used to it, but they know that there are many young Marines out there who are spending their first Thanksgiving away from home. “We don’t mind working a little harder to make Marines and Sailors feel a little bit closer to home,” said King.
In traditional military fashion, the crew went through the mess line and was served by the officers and senior noncommissioned officers.
“It builds camaraderie and it motivates the young Marines and Sailors to see their senior leaders serving them,” said Hall. “And it’s a way for leaders to say thanks for the hard work the Marines and Sailors do on a daily basis.”
According to Hall, the cooks and messmen worked just as hard on the presentation as they did on the meal.
Food service personnel went out of their way to decorate two tables with a display of fruit, a traditional cornucopia, a roasted turkey and festive decorations. They worked hard on the food presentation because everyone is away from their loved ones. “We want everyone to be in the festive mood while they enjoy their meal,” said Hall.
The hard work and dedication paid off said Cpl. Marshawn L. Paige, radio operator, G Battery, BLT 1/5, a native from Los Angeles. “You can tell they put a lot of work into making this Thanksgiving special for us,” said Paige. “I’m sure it helped many Marines feel a little bit less homesick.”