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military Feeding An Army Nearly 3,000 pounds of turkey to be served at Fort Bragg T By Kelly Twedell hanksgiving at Fort Bragg is a monu- mental event each year for service members and their families. The festive meal will be served between November 26th through the 28th this year where an estimated 20,000 service members, spouses, dependents, military retirees and sponsored guests will partake in the decadent feast. As the holiday season blows in, so do fall leaves, centerpieces and elaborate cornucopias that will adorn the dining facilities, more commonly called a DFAC. Preparations will be underway in mid-November as the DFAC's transform from the typical red, white and blue decor into rich jewel tones reminiscent of fall. The décor and fall tablescapes have a dual purpose – foremost on some soldiers' minds is to win the coveted first place title in the annual competition amongst the 82nd Division Brigade's DFAC's. As you might imagine, these brigades are fiercely competitive and while these soldiers can fight hard, they can also play hard. Strategies have been in the works over the past year. The competition entails judging on décor inside the building, food presentation and of course food quality. The highest overall score will determine winners by a judging panel. The winner and runner-up will receive the coveted plaques to display in their DFAC and select food service personnel will be recognized with medals. The Fort Bragg Culinary Arts Center plans to conduct an ice-carving workshop the week prior to Thanksgiving for chosen personnel. Showing the fruits of their labor, they will showcase their talents with intricately carved designs possibly displaying their unit insignia or perhaps other art to honor their fallen comrades. But that is purely speculation, we would never give away their surprises, but some sound pretty fancy and will be pulling out all the stops. Blocks of 300-pound ice chunks will be intricately carved into ice sculptures and will be a sight to behold at each brigade. In 2012, 16 dining facilities served 18,211 individuals over the holiday. This year, 14 dining facilities will be serving up their best to America's best. Tom the Turkeys will increase in demand with more brigades being home this year and close to 3,000 pounds of the roasted entrée will be served. In 2011, with our brigades in both Iraq and Afghanistan, only 700 pounds of Tom the Turkeys were carved on the line, along with boneless turkey rolls and all the Thanksgiving fixings. In years past, the brigades almost always showcased the Fallen Soldier table to honor their fallen. Much thought has been put into past memorial displays including bagpipe music that plays in the background and sometimes photos. It's a time honored tradition that the command team from the Battalion Commander, Sgt. Major, senior staff, company commanders and even platoon leaders will be dressed up in their blues serving their paratroopers and families mashed potatoes, turkey and all the trimmings as a gesture of apCityViewNC.com | 31

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