Thousands of miles away in Europe, and in the dining facilities on Fort Stewart, 3rd Infantry Division soldiers lined up, as senior division leaders placed a Thanksgiving meal’s fare on their plates.
The division’s dining facilities served turkey and all the fixings, along with a steamship round, crab legs and at the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team’s serving line, there was a roasted pig waiting to be carved and served.
“We took a lot of precious time to deliver the meal to the soldiers,” said Sgt. 1st Class Andre Pleasant, manager of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team’s dining facility. “It boosts everybody’s morale because some soldiers can’t go home for Thanksgiving.”
Preparations for the feast began two-and-a-half months prior, Sgt. 1st Class Pleasant said. The bakers and cake decorators began their work about two weeks out, and the cooking started at 7 p.m. Tuesday before the doors opened after 11 a.m. Wednesday for soldiers, their family members and guests.
“Taking care of your soldiers is a 24/7 job, no matter where you are in the world,” said 3rd Infantry Division Command Sgt. Maj. Donald Durgin. “It just shows genuine care, genuine solidarity and a willingness to thank all of those who do all of the hard work on behalf of the division.”
While Sgt. 1st Class Pleasant and his team – and others across Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield – worked to give a soldiers and families a taste of the holidays, the soldiers of the division who are deployed to Europe.
“You would think it be extremely challenging,” Command Sgt. Maj. Durgin said of ensuring the thousands of soldiers deployed across Europe get to have their share of an American holiday. “But we come together as a team, as a solid unit.”
Often, with the amount of food soldiers can get while deployed overseas, their Thanksgiving meal can be even better, Durgin acknowledged.
“The quality of life in Europe is really good,” he said.
Command Sgt. Maj. Durgin took his place in the serving line at the Spartan Dining Facility, and Sgt. 1st Class Pleasant estimated they were going to have about 500 people through their doors. Across the installation, the 92Gs – the Army’s military occupational specialty for culinary specialist – were competing against each other for best Thanksgiving spread.
“The competition between the dining facilities really highlights our 92Gs, and our chefs’ ability to cook, and put on a showcase of what they are truly capable of,” Command Sgt. Maj. Durgin said. “It’s events like this where they really get to expand all of their capabilities.”
Soldiers from the division are deployed across Europe, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, for Operation Atlantic Resolve. Since the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the 3rd ID has deployed units on at least four rotations.
“This rotation we are on now strengthens our unwavering commitment to our NATO partners and allies,” Command Sgt. Maj. Durgin said. “Our soldiers are having a chance to work shoulder to shoulder with their multinational partners and allies in Europe. Further solidifying our commitment to NATO and to the deterrence, assurance and interoperability piece of what really we’re tasked to do.”
Durgin said soldiers got time off to spend in the local communities and that their leisure time is balanced with the time they spend training. The 3rd ID, he added, “is no stranger” to the Europe and Africa Command rotations.
“We do it, we do it often and we do it willingly,” he said. “The mighty dogfaced soldiers are here to do whatever the nation asks us to do. We’re going to do it to the best of our ability, with extreme profession and with extreme lethality and readiness.”
Back at Fort Stewart, Sgt. 1st Class Pleasant and his crew said serving the soldiers and their families, and even some veterans, was motivation for his own soldiers.
“Hopefully, it’s good and it boosts their morale,” he said.
