ABOARD A U.S. NAVY SHIP IN THE PERSIAN GULF — It's a time for ritual, renewing family bonds, reminiscing and eating too many sweet potatoes.
But if you're one of nearly 340,000 active duty U.S. Navy personnel deployed on 81 ships and submarines around the world this Thanksgiving, it's about this: sailors looking after sailors.
"We're a warship, 24-7, but every Thanksgiving I've had at sea is special," said Cmdr. Jason Lester, the commanding officer of USS Farragut, a 500-foot destroyer deployed here to help maintain maritime security for one of the world's busiest transit points for oil tankers.
"Full bellies and sound hearts make strong war fighters," he said.
Preparations for Thursday's holiday meal on USS Farragut began several days ago. There's turkey, ham, roast beef, shrimp cocktail and pies, all made in super-sized pans, pots, and ovens to feed 320 service members from every corner of America.
"Some of my guys have been working all night," said Lt. Alex Xia, 34, from Anaheim, California, who is responsible for buying all the ship's supplies.
"This is a big deal for all us – being in the middle of nowhere really. We're away from our families, but we're here with the Farragut family. It's a huge morale booster," he said.
On Thanksgiving, the ship's senior officers serve the entire crew.
"This is about us looking after our own," said Lester, 42, who is from Georgia.
The ship's mess hall had been made festive with decorations, including fall-colored streamers, paper leaves and pictures of pumpkins hung from USS Farragut's intricate interior of steel panels, pipes, and wires.
In one room, sailors had their pictures taken on Polaroid while standing in front of the bunting that read "Give Thanks." These will be mailed home, although it might take six to eight weeks to reach some locations.
"Whether I'm in the south Atlantic or the Arabian Gulf, the Navy family makes Thanksgiving a wonderful and enjoyable experience," said Lt. Alex Cornell du Houx, 36, a public affairs officer who spent last Thanksgiving helping Argentina's military search for a missing submarine.
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