Happy Thanksgiving Day to all our service men and women serving around the globe! Enjoy our video below, Thanksgiving and the U.S. Military, by the Numbers.
Thanksgiving and the U.S. Military, by the Numbers
Video Transcript
Happy Thanksgiving Day to all our service men and women serving around the globe!
Thanksgiving Day holds a special place in the hearts of all Americans. Whether those Americans are stationed at sea on a warship, on a base overseas, at a remote outpost, or performing embassy duty, that doesn’t change.
Did you know that in 1863, during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving Day to be a national holiday? In 1941, Congress established that Thanksgiving Day would be observed on the fourth Thursday of November. On Thanksgiving, 90% of Americans eat turkey. Americans have celebrated 154 Thanksgivings since the holiday’s national recognition.
Making sure that the men and women stationed far from home celebrate Thanksgiving Day is not an easy task. Here are a few facts from 2015 that the Department of Defense shared about the logistics of getting Thanksgiving out to the Troops.
- The DoD ships 34,760 pounds of turkey
- 9,114 pounds of stuffing mix
- 879 gallons of eggnog
- It can take up to 3 months to get these supplies to some remote regions
- In order to get this order complete on time supply orders begin May 1
- Because of short shelf life, produce and dairy come from the countries in or near where the troops are stationed.
- The rest comes from the U.S.
For Thanksgiving in 1944, during WWII, over 1.6 tons of turkey, fresh fruit and vegetables were distributed to the troops. The troops love Thanksgiving and it’s great for moral, so for the Department of Defense, its worth all the hard work.
As we celebrate this day with family, food, and maybe a little football, we want to thank those who serve our nation and protect our freedoms wherever you are. From Duotech Services, we wish you a happy Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas wherever you are.
