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I spent Thanksgiving 2000 at OTS. The leadership came to base to spend an hour or two apiece on the line serving us chow hall turkey and dressing. Then the next day, the day the rest of the world goes shopping and enjoys the second day of a four-day weekend, it was business as usual.

That was what our Thanksgiving was like this year, as well, except the leadership didn't sacrifice time with family and friends to come serve us our turkey, for obvious reasons. You might think their "lesser sacrifice" would make their gift to us less meaningful, but I see it just the opposite: when the brass back home comes to base on a holiday to "serve" the troops stuck at work, and does it so conspicuously, I can't help thinking of it as a performance of sorts. Maybe it's because I cringe at any "good deed" that is done conspicuously, as I have difficulty believing it's for much more than "being seen of men." ;)

Or maybe I see their gift as a show because they aren't sitting down with us in the chow hall to eat the fare they so cheerfully spooned onto our plates, and we know real turkeys are roasting in their ovens at home, awaiting their return.

I know that wasn't the case here. Our leadership eats the same chow we do, day in and day out. They don't see their families and friends any more than we do. When I walked through that line Thursday, being served by smiling and joking lieutenant colonels, colonels and senior NCOs, I knew they were one of us in every sense of the word, making the most of an undesirable situation. I appreciated their little gift a great deal. I think we all did.

The buildup to Thanksgiving this year raised our expectations somewhat. They told us a month ago that, for Thanksgiving, they'd shorten breakfast and double the time for lunch. They put out calls for holiday decorators and had a decoration contest, so the DFACs were opulent with New England autumn colors.

Our office decided to head to lunch a little after noon, because our commander and shirt were serving on the line and we hoped to catch them there before their shifts ended. We stood in line about 40 minutes, so we missed them. Standing in line this long is uncomfortable under normal circumstances, but if you add body armor and kevlar to the equasion, you stand there getting your shoulders dropped and your neck stretched while you wait to be served and seated. By the time I got through the door, I would have settled for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich if it meant I could sit down and remove my gear.

I'm pleased to report, however, that it was worth the wait. That was without question the best meal I've had since I left home mid-August. We had plenty of moist turkey with giblet gravy, braised beef, baked ham, prime rib, candied yams, corn on the cob, green beans (that weren't mush, for the change), mashed potatoes and two kinds of dressing. Of course, there was the salad bar and pumpkin pie and (YES!) pecan pie with ice cream and toppings if you so desired, which I did.

It was just like home, except there was no family, no football in the yard among the leaves, no football on the tube, and no booze. But it was warm and friendly and there was so much tasty food, we all waddled out.

They'd arranged the tables in rows, end to end, reminiscent of the traditional idea of the Pilgrims and Indians enjoying their first* Thanksgiving.**

* It was a harvest festival upon which the later established American "Thanksgiving" tradition was loosely based, but did not itself begin the tradition. Such celebrations were rarely observed for a couple of hundred years. This was more of a "I can't believe we've survived this long, let alone managed to get enough food to last through the winter!" sort of celebration, by all accounts.

** Historical tidbit: that was 1621, but the "Thanksgiving" in question, as it was clearly a festival, was entirely secular in nature. A day of religious thanksgiving, to the Pilgrims, was characterized by prayer and fasting--not food, visitors and games. Thus, they'd have considered it sacrilege to call such a festival "Thanksgiving." Here's a good synopsis with lots of interesting Pilgrim and festival tidbits.

I've been noticing more and more that it doesn't take much food to fill me up. Most meals, I can't eat more than ten or twelve bites. I didn't clean my plate Thursday, but I definitely did it justice. Good eatin'.

It was a "minimal manning" day, but what is there to do, really? So I came back to the office, did a little research*, and watched a couple of movies. Just before I left, I got the PPE change notice. Effective immediately, it said, personal protective equipment is no longer required on Balad. You just have to have it nearby if you're in your room or at work--but you don't have to wear it everywhere.

* I wanted to know why we think American colonization began in 1620 with the Pilgrims. Columbus hit town in 1492 and began slaughtering and enslaving natives, so that leaves ~130 years of exploration and colonization attempts before the Pilgrims chartered the boat in search of the freedom to force everyone to believe as they did, instead of the other way around. Jamestown, with slave imports and tobacco exports, was in America long before the Pilgrims. So...why are American children taught that the Pilgrims were the first colonists? Anyone?

Thus was the end of seven weeks of wearing 20 pounds everywhere I went. I can wear my boonie hat again, and go to the toilet unencumbered (oh, the simple pleasures!). I feel so light and carefree suddenly.

Mortar attacks? None for three days, at least. I don't know what happened. This time last year, the attacks petered out to four or five a month, as well, and stayed that way until March or April, when they started picking up again. Maybe the Iraqis, like most militaries lacking technology or funding, follow the time-honored soldier's agreement to take winters off to rest and regroup. I can only hope.

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EDITED TO ADD: I found a pretty good answer to my question about why we remember the Plymouth Pilgrims and not the Jamestown settlers.