More than 370,000 pounds of food, including 9,155 whole turkeys and 41,745 pounds of roasted turkeys and lots of the trimmings, have been delivered, or are about to be delivered by Thanksgiving, to troops around the world, according to the Defense Logistics Agency.
Examples of the other items service members around the world, will consume, whether in dining halls, ships, or remote outposts:
*41,043 pounds of beef (including 10,734 pounds for troops deployed in support of the Ukraine response)
*23,979 pounds of ham (including 8,628 for troops supporting Ukraine response)
*17,884 pounds of shrimp (including 2,226 pounds for troops supporting Ukraine response)
*9,009 pounds of sweet potatoes (including 3,666 pounds for troops supporting Ukraine response)
*85,971 pounds of pies and cakes (including 14,226 pounds for troops supporting Ukraine response)
*2,274 gallons of eggnog (including 523 gallons for troops supporting Ukraine response)
These are just a few of the items that are ordered, and DLA describes a ‘top 40,’ — the the top 40 Thanksgiving items that are ordered, according to Navy Capt. Tim Griffin, Subsistence supply chain director at DLA Troop Support, in an announcement about the Thanksgiving meals. Those top 40 represent menu items in traditional holiday meals during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The planning for the worldwide holiday food deliveries begins in the Spring, when the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support team gets order forecasts from the services. DLA relays the information to their vendors around the world, and they begin ordering products for the meals
Officials track the delivery of products to the vendors’ warehouses, and track every single DoD order placed and delivered before Thanksgiving.
Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book “A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families.” She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.
