U.S. Troops Celebrate Thanksgiving in Afghanistan
Soldiers share their Thanksgiving thoughts from the front lines.
Nov. 25, 2010— -- Many U.S. families sat down today at a Thanksgiving dinner table with an empty chair, waiting for a loved one to come home from war.
But U.S. troops on the front lines in Afghanistan took time to mark the Thanksgiving holiday, even at one of the most targeted bases in the country, one mile from the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
ABC News' Mike Boettcher joined in the spartan celebration at Combat Outpost Spera and asked the soldiers what they miss most about Thanksgiving at home.
"The food and the music," Cpl. Edgar Maldanado said. "It's something that's really deep and traditional in my family."
Spc. Seth Zimmer said, "Probably my grandma's cranberry sauce."
Said Cpl. Adrian McCathern: "We have a family dip that we usually have during the course of the day before dinner; that way the kids are not complaining that they're hungry."
Pfc. Benjamin Richter said, "Eggnog and fried turkey. It's always fried turkey with my family."
"So you really miss those flavors of home?" Boettcher asked.
"Oh, yes, I do sir," Maldanado said. "Very much so.
U.S. Forces Mark 10 Thanksgivings in Afghanistan
U.S. forces have marked 10 Thanksgivings in Afghanistan. The United States will reach a milestone Friday -- nine years, 50 days on the ground in the country -- equaling the length of time the Soviets occupied the country in the 1980s before leaving largely in defeat.
Some of the U.S. troops were children when the war began and, for many, this Thanksgiving Day brought back memories of childhood and family. Soldiers who are parents said their thoughts were with their own children, 7,000 miles away.
"I miss playing football with the guys I used to go to high school with," Sgt. Christopher Sneed said. "It's the kind of thing we used to do every Thanksgiving in the morning."
Spc. Benjamin Mitchell said, "Being around for all the dysfunctional family moments, you know, fighting over the mashed potatoes."
U.S. Soldiers Celebrate Thanksgiving on Front Lines
On a day when Americans gave thanks, these soldiers far from home never forgot that the small things become what one misses the most.
"I was telling my mom earlier today that I didn't realize the sacrifice of deployment," Spc. Alexander Roper said. "It's mostly the holidays that you really miss. You really notice the sacrifice, what soldiers have to put up with."