Pentagon ships more than 300K pounds of turkey to troops at border, overseas
By Emily Birnbaum - 11/21/18 11:58 AM EST
The Pentagon is shipping more than 300,000 pounds of turkey to troops deployed overseas and at the U.S.-Mexico border, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) announced in a Tuesday statement.
The shipment, which comes just before Thanksgiving Day, consisted of 9,738 whole turkeys and 51,234 pounds of roasted turkey, amounting to around 300,000 pounds, according to the DLA.
The DLA Troop Support team, which provides armed forces with food year-round, also sent out 74,036 pounds of beef, 21,758 pounds of ham, 16,284 pounds of sweet potatoes, 67,860 pounds of shrimp, 81,360 pies, 19,284 pounds of cake and 7,836 gallons of eggnog, "along with many other holiday treats."
"America’s military men and women continually make sacrifices to secure our freedom,†Army Brig. Gen. Mark Simerly, DLA Troop Support commander, said in the statement. “It is our duty to show our gratitude by providing them the very best Thanksgiving meal our country has to offer.â€
More than 270 dining facilities worldwide serve the food to troops on Thanksgiving Day.
DLA Troop Support does this each Thanksgiving.
There are currently 5,800 active duty troops at the border, a mission deployed a month ago on President Trump's request.
The Pentagon is planning to begin a drawdown of troops at the southern border as soon as this week, the Army commander overseeing the mission told Politico on Monday.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/417838-pentagon-ships-more-than-300000-pounds-of-turkey-to-troops-deployed-at-border
