FORT LEE, Va. β While many families gathered around dinner tables this Thanksgiving, thousands of service members spent the holiday serving our country. At Fort Lee, new Army soldiers experienced their first military Thanksgiving, complete with century-old traditions they had never seen before.
As young soldiers waited patiently outside the dining facility, dozens of staff members inside put finishing touches on what would become a magnificent feast.
"Food was fantastic," said PFC TJ Garvey, experiencing his first Thanksgiving in the U.S. Army.
For these soldiers at Fort Lee, it was their first Thanksgiving in the Army, and military traditions brought several surprises.
"When I walked in today, I thought we'd have something similar to school food, what they'd give you for Thanksgiving," said PFC Jenny Gabriel, also celebrating her first Army Thanksgiving.
The elaborate feast exceeded expectations for the new recruits.
"They really put in some work, it made me feel like home, like I didn't feel like a sad meal was in front of me, I really enjoyed," said PFC Osmari Ponce.
"Actually seeing a full turkey getting carved up on the side, homemade foods, lot of different, lot better experience for being first time here," Garvey said.
The kitchen prepared massive quantities of traditional dishes, including dozens upon dozens of deviled eggs.
While the food impressed the soldiers, the biggest surprise was who served it. Army tradition requires command staff to serve young soldiers on Thanksgiving Day.
"Probably an initial, a little bit of shock. What do you guys think? Kinda weird I'm standing back here," said Lt. Colonel Phillip Hetteberg while serving Thanksgiving dinner.
"I enjoy it. It just shows pretense, the soldiers get excited to see their leadership spending Thanksgiving with them," said 1st Sgt. Melody Ceon.
"They appreciate that we are coming in here doing this. I know I always appreciated when I was a young soldier," said 1st Sgt Zachary Reavis.
The role reversal made a lasting impression on the new recruits.
"Instead of lead the people that are beneath them, they're serving the people beneath them. Showing them that it doesn't matter how high you climb, you can still go right back to ground one and still serve," Garvey said.
At least one soldier took advantage of having leadership in front of them, asking a commanding officer to choose between pumpkin pie and cheesecake.
For some soldiers, dessert proved to be the meal's highlight.
"Ice cream. That's rare here. The cider is rare. Eggnog was delicious. The cake, loved it. The banana pudding, amazing," said Private 2 Denzel Bilbraut.
For command staff, the tradition demonstrates the importance of maintaining century-old Army customs. For young soldiers away from home during their first military Thanksgiving, it represents adapting to their new family.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
π²: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
