U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Brian O'Leary, the commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, serves up a Thanksgiving feast for his Marines at Patrol Base Boldak in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Nov. 24, 2011. DLA Troop Support has ensured holiday meals deliveries to more than 200 locations throughout Afghanistan so that servicemembers can enjoy a taste of home this season. Photo by Cpl. Katherine Keleher

11/8/2012

DLA Troop Support delivers the holidays to warfighters abroad

By Janeen Poulson

This holiday season, at more than 200 locations in Afghanistan, service members will dine on a feast reminiscent of home, a Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Subsistence senior official said.

Rich Faso, the supply chain's director of customer operations, lauds the workforce and industry partners for making the Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts possible.

"The personnel at DLA Troop Support and our servicing vendors take great pride in ensuring that our warfighters in distant, austere environments get as close to a traditional holiday meal as possible," he said.

Deliveries of more than 60,000 pounds of beef, 20,000 pounds of ham, 45,000 pounds of turkey, 28,000 sweet potatoes and 4,800 pies have been made across the country and are ready to be prepared.

DLA Troop Support Acting Commander Navy Rear Admiral Patricia Wolfe expressed the importance of making certain this mission is accomplished every holiday season.

"I know the feeling of missing family and friends while on deployment," she said. "Our workforce takes great pride in ensuring deployed warfighters have a taste of the holidays while they are protecting our freedoms."

DLA Troop Support also supplies dining facilities across the U.S., the Navy fleet, and on other overseas military installations. Employees begin working with customers in the summer, about six months before the two holidays.